FOR PUBLICATION
ATTORNEY FOR APPELLANT
: ATTORNEYS FOR APPELLEE:
DONALD W. PAGOS KAREN M. FREEMAN-WILSON
Michigan City, Indiana Attorney General of Indiana
ROSEMARY L. BOREK
Deputy Attorney General
Indianapolis, Indiana
SAMUEL PATTERSON, )
)
Appellant-Defendant, )
)
vs. ) No. 46A03-0003-CR-109
)
STATE OF INDIANA, )
)
Appellee-Plaintiff. )
OPINION FOR PUBLICATION
2. Whether the trial court erred in admitting testimony about match probabilities derived from
deoxyribonucleic acid ("DNA") tests.
3. Whether the trial court erred when it allowed the jury to take certain
exhibits into the jury room during deliberations.
4. Whether the jury conducted an improper experiment during deliberations.
Moore v. State, 723 N.E.2d 442, 448 (Ind. Ct. App. 2000) (quoting Willsey
v. State, 698 N.E.2d 784, 789 (Ind. 1998) (citations omitted)).
We first consider whether the analysis of DNA is a search within the
meaning of the Fourth Amendment. The Fourth Amendment, applicable to the states
through the Fourteenth Amendment, provides that "[t]he right of the people to be
secure in their persons, houses, papers, and effects, against unreasonable searches and seizures,
shall not be violated . . . ." U.S. Const. amend. IV;
Shepherd v. State, 690 N.E.2d 318 (Ind. Ct. App. 1997). The Supreme
Court has held that the analyses of biological samples are searches within the
meaning of the Fourth Amendment. Schmerber v. California, 384 U.S. 757, 86
S.Ct. 1826, 16 L.Ed.2d 908 (1966); Skinner v. Railway Labor Executives Ass'n, 489
U.S. 602, 109 S.Ct. 1402, 103 L.Ed.2d 639 (1989); National Treasury Employees Union
v. Von Raab, 489 U.S. 656, 109 S.Ct. 1384, 103 L.Ed.2d 685 (1989);
Veronia School Dist. 47J v. Acton, 515 U.S. 646, 115 S.Ct. 2386, 132
L.Ed.2d 564 (1995).
In Schmerber, the defendant was in a hospital receiving treatment for injuries sustained
in an automobile accident. Believing that Schmerber was driving under the influence
of alcohol, the police directed a physician to withdraw a blood sample for
chemical analysis. Schmerber did not consent to the procedure. The subsequent
analysis revealed that he was intoxicated. After Schmerber's conviction, he argued on
appeal that the withdrawal of his blood was a violation of his Fourth
Amendment right to be free from unreasonable searches and seizures.
The Court found that Schmerber's Fourth Amendment rights had not been violated because
there were exigent circumstances created by the dissipation of the alcohol from his
body. Schmerber, 384 U.S. 757. Further, the testing procedures were reasonable
and performed incident to Schmerber's lawful arrest. Although the Court held that
the testing in this case exempt from Fourth Amendment protections, it held that
"testing procedures plainly constitute searches of 'persons,' and depend antecedently upon seizures of
'persons,' within the meaning of [the Fourth Amendment]." Id. at 1834.
In Skinner, the Federal Railroad Administration promulgated regulations requiring railroads to conduct blood
and urine screens after train accidents involving death, injury, the release of hazardous
material, or major damage to railroad property. Certain labor organizations brought suit
seeking to enjoin the regulations. The labor organizations argued that the collection
of blood and urine samples without particularized suspicion was unreasonable under the Fourth
Amendment.
The Supreme Court held that the government had a compelling interest in regulating
the conduct of railroad workers to ensure safety, and that the government's compelling
interest outweighed the privacy interests of the workers. Skinner, 489 U.S. 602.
However, the Court again made it clear "that the collection and subsequent
analysis of the requisite biological samples must be deemed Fourth Amendment searches, .
. . ." Id. at 1413 (emphasis added). Additionally, Von Raab
and Veronia have recognized this holding.
Likewise, since Skinner, we have recognized that the taking of biological samples is
a search under the Fourth Amendment. Cutter v. State, 646 N.E.2d 704
(Ind. Ct. App. 1995); King v. State, 642 N.E.2d 1389 (Ind. Ct. App.
1994). Most recently, we have also recognized the Court's holding that the
testing of biological samples is a search under the Fourth Amendment. Linke
v. Northwestern School Corp., 734 N.E.2d 252 (Ind. Ct. App. 2000) (state compelled
collection and testing of urine constitutes Fourth Amendment search). Therefore, it is
clear that DNA tests are searches under the Fourth Amendment.
We now turn to whether a warrant was required to conduct the second
DNA tests using Patterson's blood sample. The Fourth Amendment protects "people from
unreasonable government intrusions into those areas of an individual's life in which he
has a legitimate expectation of privacy." State v. Overmyer, 712 N.E.2d 506,
507 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999) (emphasis added). To determine whether the government's
action was unreasonable, we ask whether the action taken was an unlawful search
and seizure under common law at the time the Fourth Amendment was enacted.
Wyoming v. Houghton, 526 U.S. 295, 119 S.Ct. 1297, 143 L.Ed.2d 408
(1999); State v. Friedel, 714 N.E.2d 1231 (Ind. Ct. App. 1999). If
"that inquiry yields no answer, we must evaluate the search and seizure under
traditional standards of reasonableness by assessing, on the one hand, the degree to
which it intrudes upon the individual's privacy and, on the promotion of legitimate
governmental interests." Wyoming, 526 U.S. at 299-300.
Because DNA testing was clearly not on the minds of the framers of
the Federal Constitution, we utilize the traditional standards of reasonableness in addressing the
subsequent testing of Patterson's DNA. Patterson argues that the tests intrude upon
his privacy. However, the State, citing case law from New York and
Georgia, argues that the tests did not intrude upon Patterson's privacy interest because
the tests were as unintrusive as fingerprint examinations.
We first examine the degree to which the DNA tests performed intruded upon
Patterson's privacy. The record reveals that the DNA tests conducted were the
Restriction Fragment Length Polymorphism (RFLP) and the Polymerase Chain Reaction (PCR) tests.
Both tests were conducted under laboratory conditions. The tests use electrophoresis
See footnote and
chemical analysis to analyze the DNA in Patterson's blood sample. Lisa Grossweiler
("Grossweiler") of Cellmark testified that the portion of DNA extracted for testing was
incapable of determining Patterson's physical traits such as "hair color, eye color," or
whether he had "cystic fibrosis". (R. 292). After the tests were
conducted, a statistical calculation using a random sample of approximately 200 DNA profiles
is conducted to calculate the frequency one would expect to find his genetic
characteristics in the population. Neither test involved the invasion of Patterson's body
nor the release of information unrelated to the performance of the RFLP and
PCR tests.See footnote
We now examine the government's interest in promoting the use of DNA tests
in criminal investigations. In his brief, Patterson does not address any governmental
interest in DNA testing. The State implies that the government has an
interest in investigating criminal cases, and that Indiana has chosen to pursue that
interest by establishing a DNA Databank of convicted felons.
"The State may exercise its police power to promote the health, safety, comfort,
morals, and welfare of the public."
Price v. State, 622 N.E.2d 954
(Ind. 1993). To this end, states recognize that the use of DNA
has become a powerful investigative tool that links suspects to crimes. National
Research Council, The Evaluation of Forensic DNA Evidence, (1996). There has also
been an increasing recognition of the ability of DNA testing to exonerate the
innocent. U.S. Department of Justice, Convicted By Juries, Exonerated By Science: Case
Studies in the Use of DNA Evidence to Establish Innocence After Trial (1996).
This recognition was evidenced by Congress' passage of the DNA Identification Act
of 1994. This law provided funding for the Federal Bureau of Investigation's
Combined DNA Indexing System ("CODIS"). This program "enables federal, state, and local
laboratories to store and compare DNA profiles electronically and thereby link serial crimes
to each other and identify suspects by matching DNA from crime scenes to
convicted offenders." DNA Analysis Backlog Elimination Act of 2000: Hearing on H.R.
2810, H.R. 3087, and H.R. 3375 Before the Subcommittee on Crime of the
House Judiciary Committee, 106th Cong. (2000) (statement of Dr. Dwight E. Adams, F.B.I.)
(emphasis added).
On February 29, 1996, Indiana joined CODIS when our General Assembly established the
Indiana DNA Database by enacting P.L. 100-1996, now codified at Ind. Code §
10-1-9. The statute requires individuals convicted of certain felonies, including burglary, to
provide a DNA sample for testing and inclusion in a database so long
as it does not pose an unreasonable risk to their health. Ind.
Code § 10-1-9-10. The purpose of the testing is to analyze and
type the genetic markers in the DNA sample, to assist law enforcement identification
purposes, and for research and administrative purposes. Ind. Code § 10-1-9-13.
Every other state has enacted similar legislation. H.R. Rep. No. 106-900, pt.
1, at 27 (2000).
As a result, we find that Indiana has a substantial interest under the
Fourth Amendment in promoting the use of DNA testing, not only in creating
a database, but also in conducting criminal investigations and exonerating the innocent.
Although the State intruded upon Patterson's privacy by analyzing his blood for DNA
evidence, his privacy was outweighed by State's interest in protecting the citizens of
Indiana by promoting DNA analysis in criminal investigations. Under the facts of
this case, the subsequent testing of Patterson's DNA was reasonable under the Fourth
Amendment.
See footnote
We now are left to consider whether Patterson has a reasonable expectation of
privacy in a blood sample lawfully obtained but being used in an unrelated
criminal investigation. To determine whether a person has a reasonable expectation of
privacy, we employ a two-part test: (1) "we ask whether the individual, by
his conduct, has exhibited an actual expectation of privacy;" and (2) "we inquire
whether the individual's expectation of privacy is 'one that society is prepared to
recognize as reasonable.'"
Bond v. U.S., 120 S.Ct. 1462, 1465, 146 L.Ed.2d
365 (2000) (quoting Smith v. Maryland, 442 U.S. 735, 740, 99 S.Ct. 2577,
61 L.Ed.2d 220 (1979)).
There is no evidence in the record showing that Patterson exhibited an actual
expectation of privacy in the blood sample taken by police on December 6,
1997. Likewise, we find that based upon the specific facts of this
case society is not prepared to recognize as reasonable Patterson's continued expectation of
privacy in blood samples lawfully collected by police. Further, when Patterson was
convicted of the December 6, 1997 attempted burglary, he became a convicted felon
required to provide a DNA sample for inclusion in Indiana's DNA Database.
Ind. Code § 10-1-9-10. The tests performed in this case (Kirkland) were
submitted to Indiana State Police and Cellmark on November 18, 1997 and August
16, 1998, respectively. Because Patterson had been lawfully required to provide a
DNA sample for the Database at the time of the State Police and
Cellmark tests,
See footnote he cannot now claim he had a reasonable expectation of privacy
in his DNA.
See State v. Machlah, 505 N.E.2d 873, 879 (Ind.
Ct. App. 1987) ("a reasonable expectation of privacy means an expectation at the
time of the search, not after police have completed the search.") Because
Patterson did not have a reasonable expectation of privacy in his blood sample,
the reuse of his validly obtained DNA sample in a subsequent unrelated criminal
investigation did not trigger Fourth Amendment protections. Smith v. State, 734 N.E.2d
706 (Ind. Ct. App. 2000). Therefore, there was ample evidence of probative
value to support the trial court's denial of Patterson's motion to suppress.
See footnote
2.
Expert Testimony
At trial, the State called Lisa Black ("Black") of the Indiana State Police
Laboratory and Grosswiler of Cellmark to testify about the DNA tests that were
performed. When asked what their findings were, Patterson's counsel objected, arguing that
the scientific principles behind the calculation of match probabilities were unreliable. The
trial court overruled his objection, and the expert witnesses were allowed to testify.
Black testified that the DNA profile obtained from the evidence was consistent with
the DNA profile in the sample obtained from Patterson, an Afro-American. She
also testified that the frequency with which the DNA profile from the evidence
would occur in the Caucasian population was 1 in 2,600,000,000 and 1 in
55,000,000 in the Afro-American population. Grosswiler testified that the match probabilities were
1 in 17,000,000,000 in the Caucasian population, 1 in 7,000,000,000 in the Afro-American
population, and 1 in 8,100,000,000 in the Western Hispanic population.
On appeal, Patterson argues that the trial court erred in admitting evidence of
match probabilities. Specifically, Patterson argues that the science behind match probabilities is
unreliable, and that he was prejudiced because the jury was allowed to hear
numbers of this magnitude from experts who were not trained in the techniques
of population statistics. The State argued that the trial court did not
abuse its discretion by admitting this evidence. Specifically, the State argued that
the experts testified about how their statistical analyses were approved by experts in
population statistics and that their methods were generally accepted within the scientific community.
We review a trial court's admission of scientific evidence and the determination of
its reliability for an abuse of discretion. Ingram v. State, 699 N.E.2d
261 (Ind. 1998); Patterson, 729 N.E.2d 1035. Indiana Rule of Evidence 702(b)
provides that "[e]xpert scientific testimony is admissible only if the court is satisfied
that the scientific principles upon which the expert testimony rests are reliable."
Our supreme court has held that DNA evidence is not admissible per se,
but that the trial court must employ the following three-part test to determine
admissibility: "(1) [that] the scientific principles upon which the expert testimony rests are
reliable; (2) the witness is qualified; and (3) the testimony's probative value is
not substantially outweighed by the dangers of unfair prejudice." Id. at 262.
We recognize that the topic of match probabilities has been controversial. This
was particularly true in 1992, when the National Research Council ("NRC") issued a
report recommending the use of the "ceiling-principle." National Research Council, DNA Technology
in Forensic Science, 1992. The "ceiling-principle" is a statistical method of reducing
the risk of error when calculating match probabilities across ethnic groups. Id.
It was recommended because "not enough was known about DNA sequences to
make an accurate calculation of the frequency with which particular sequences appear in
various ethnic groups." Karyn Hede George, DNA Fingerprinting Gets a Reprieve, Technology
Review, Nov/Dec. 1996, at 15-16. However, in 1996, the NRC issued a
second report that quieted the debate. Eliot Marshall, Academy's About-Face on Forensic
DNA, Science, May 10, 1996, at 803. The NRC concluded that the
"technology for DNA profiling and the methods for estimating frequencies and related statistics
have progressed to the point where the reliability and validity of properly collected
and analyzed DNA data should not be in doubt." National Research Council,
supra. In that report, the NRC issued recommendations regarding the estimation of
random match probabilities. Recommendation 4.1 is particularly relevant to this case.
It states, "[I]f the race of the person who left the evidence-sample DNA
is known, the database for the person's race should be used; if the
race is not known, calculations for all the racial groups to which possible
suspects belong should be made." Id. Therefore, because the calculation of
match probabilities is now based on empirical scientific research, and not unsubstantiated estimates,
its presentation and admission into evidence need not constitute error. Patterson, 729
N.E.2d 1035.
In this case, we find that the trial court did not err by
admitting the experts' testimony about match probabilities. Both Black and Grosswiler testified
that the principles upon which the statistical calculations were made are reliable.
Black testified that random DNA samples were collected from blood banks in the
Midwest, and that they were separated into groups of 200 Caucasian and 200
Afro-American samples. A statistical projection then estimated the frequency with which the
different DNA characteristics would occur in the general population. Grosswiler also testified
that Cellmark's samples were collected randomly, and they were placed into groups of
approximately 100 to 200 samples representing Caucasians, Afro-Americans, and Western Hispanics. Both
experts testified that their respective laboratories hired population geneticists to validate the methodology
used and the randomness of their samples. Black testified that the procedures
used by the Indiana State Police are used throughout Indiana and are similar
to those used by the F.B.I. and other labs around the country.
The record also shows that Patterson's race was not known at the time
of the tests, and that the match probabilities were calculated across multiple racial
groups.
Concerning Black and Grosswiler's qualifications, Patterson did not object, and we find that
Black's and Grosswiler's knowledge, training, education, and experience qualified each as an expert
in the field of DNA analysis. See Patterson, 729 N.E.2d 1035.
Black testified that she has a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry and has been
employed with the Indiana State Police laboratory since 1985. Black has been
assigned to the DNA Unit since 1995 and has completed DNA analysis training.
She has also received additional training from the F.B.I. and Promega Corporation.
Black testified that she has given her opinion as a DNA analyst
in court on approximately 92 occasions, and has performed thousands of tests on
various DNA samples. Black is also a member of the Midwest Association
of Forensic Scientists and is a provisional member of the American Academy of
Forensic Sciences. She also stated that the Association of Crime Laboratory Directors
accredits the State Police Laboratory.
Grosswiler testified that she also has a Bachelor's degree in biochemistry, and that
she has been employed with Cellmark since 1987. She has begun work
on her Master's degree in forensic sciences and stated that she has given
her opinion as a DNA analyst in court on approximately 36 occasions.
Grosswiler stated that she also receives routine training in DNA analysis and has
performed over 400 RFLP and PCR tests. She also testified that the
American Association of Blood Banks and the American Society of Crime Laboratory Directors
accredit Cellmark.
See footnote
We also find that the probative value of the expert testimony outweighed the
danger of unfair prejudice to Patterson. As noted above, the technology involved
in DNA analysis has advanced beyond the point where the reliability of match
probabilities is called into question. It is based on empirical scientific research
and not on unsubstantiated estimates. The fact that the probabilities are extremely
high demonstrates the strength of DNA analysis and does not prejudice Patterson.
Therefore, the trial court did not abuse its discretion in admitting expert testimony
concerning match probabilities.
3.
Exhibits in the Jury Room
During the trial, the State admitted a pair of tennis shoes, photographs of
shoe prints, and a plaster cast of a shoe impression into evidence.
Detective Larry Biggs ("Detective Biggs") collected the evidence. When asked whether the
soles of the shoe were consistent with the impressions at the scene, Detective
Biggs responded, "Yes they are." (R. 203). Patterson's counsel objected and
examined the detective to determine whether he was qualified to make that determination.
The detective testified that he did not have any training in comparing
shoe prints. When the State attempted to ask the detective whether he
could make a reasonable opinion based on everyday knowledge, the trial court stated,
"Then if that's the case, the jury is going to make that determination.
The jury will disregard any opinion this witness had about the comparison
about those shoes and the cast and the photographs." (R. 207).
At the close of evidence, the trial court allowed the exhibits to go
with the jury into the jury room. After judgment of conviction was
entered, Patterson filed the sworn affidavit of Clinton Powell ("Powell"), a juror.
In the affidavit, Powell states that some of the jurors attempted to match
the pattern on the sole of the shoes to the pattern in the
photograph by laying the shoes on the photograph. Powell states that the
"measurements and the comparison results were considered by myself and my fellow jurors
in rendering our verdict." (R. 86).
Patterson argues that the trial court erred by allowing the exhibits to go
into the jury room. Specifically, he argues that because the detective was
not qualified to give his opinion, the submission of the exhibits could not
aid the jury in its deliberations. Patterson also argues that the jury
conducted improper experiments that allowed it to consider evidence not introduced at trial.
We note that the submission of materials to the jury room is governed
by statute and case law. Ind. Code § 34-36-1-6; Robinson v. State,
699 N.E.2d 1146 (Ind. 1998). However, our supreme court has held that
the statute only applies to cases where the jury expresses an explicit disagreement
concerning testimony at trial. Id. In this case, the trial court
submitted the exhibits to the jury prior to deliberations, and there is no
evidence of disagreement. Therefore, we apply case law.
We apply the following standard when determining whether materials can
properly be submitted to the jury room.
(a) The court in its discretion may permit the jury, upon retiring for deliberation,
to take to the jury room a copy of the charges against the
defendant and exhibits and writings which have been received in evidence, except depositions.
(b) Among the considerations which are appropriate in the exercise of this discretion are:
(1) whether the material will aid the jury in a proper consideration of the
case;
(2) whether any party will be unduly prejudiced by submission of the material; and
(3) whether the material may be subjected to improper use by the jury.
Robinson, at 1149-1150.
In this case, Patterson states that "all three of the consideration[s] warrantied [sic]
against providing the jury with Patterson's shoes and the prints found at the
scene of the crime." Patterson's Brief at 11. Patterson claims that
the jury came to the improper conclusion that the pattern on the soles
of the shoes matched the photograph. His argument is based upon the
fact that Detective Biggs could not conclude it was a match. Further,
Patterson argues that the exhibits were subject to improper use by the jury
because they could make comparisons.
We find no error in the trial court's decision to send the exhibits
to the jury room. It is well settled that it is within
the jury's province to determine facts from the evidence, and judge the credibility
of those facts. Thornton v. State, 712 N.E.2d 960 (Ind. 1999).
Because Patterson did not object to the admission of the shoes, photographs, or
the plaster cast, the jury did nothing more than examine the evidence admitted
at trial.
4. Improper Jury Experiment
Finally, we consider whether there was improper experimentation by the jury when it
measured and compared the shoes and shoeprint in evidence. "[A]n experiment by
the jury is improper where it amounts to additional evidence supplementary to that
introduced during the trial." Bradford v. State, 675 N.E.2d 296, 304 (Ind.
1996). In Bradford, the defendant was convicted of arson and murder.
During the trial, the jury was permitted to visit the scene of the
crime. At trial, a detective gave testimony concerning experiments in which he
timed how long it took him to walk to various spots and pour
gasoline inside the house. During deliberations, the jury conducted experiments that involved
walking through the motions of pouring gasoline and timing how long it took.
After Bradford was convicted, several jurors signed an affidavit to this affect.
On appeal, Bradford claimed this was in improper jury experiment, but we
disagreed. We held that the jurors considered only the evidence admitted at
trial, therefore, there was no error.
Likewise, the jurors in this case only considered the evidence admitted at trial.
Biggs testified that he surveyed the property and observed shoeprints on the
inside and outside of the property. He testified that he took photographs,
made a plaster cast of one of the impressions, and took custody of
a pair of Patterson's shoes. All these items were admitted into evidence.
The jury's measurement and comparison of the shoes with the photographs was
not an improper experiment.
We affirm.
FRIEDLANDER, J., and KIRSCH, J., concur.