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DNA used to build case in slayings
By CANDACE RONDEAUX
Published July 29, 2005
TAMPA - It's a far cry from the thrill of watching CSI, but forensic science could make or break the case against William Deparvine. In the fifth day of testimony Thursday, attorneys for both sides spent hours parsing the merits of DNA evidence.
A convicted felon, Deparvine, 53, is accused of fatally shooting Richard and Karla Van Dusen, 49, almost two years ago. Prosecutors say DNA evidence in the couple's blood-splattered Jeep linked Deparvine to the slayings.
Florida Department of Law Enforcement crime lab analyst Suzanna Ulery told jurors Thursday that about 75 items were submitted for DNA analysis, but only some were tested. Ulery said she found a DNA match between blood found on the Jeep's steering wheel and a sample taken from Deparvine.
Deparvine's attorney, assistant public defender Deborah Goins, tried to chip away at Ulery's analysis, pointing to wrinkles in the expert's conclusions. Goins noted that parts of Ulery's DNA analysis indicated similarities between Deparvine's and Karla Van Dusen's DNA profiles.
Ulery, however, disputed the defense's view on the DNA tests, saying the profiles, considered as a whole, rule out the possibility of other suspects. She said statistical analysis indicated there was a high probability that blood found on the Jeep's steering wheel was Deparvine's.
Defense attorneys continued to try to establish a connection between the murders and Deparvine's St. Petersburg neighbor, Henry Sullivan. He was not charged in connection with the murders and has denied any involvement.
Nonetheless, Deparvine's attorneys tried Thursday to link two 9mm guns found in Sullivan's home. Shell casings and bullet fragments found in the couple's bodies came from a 9mm gun, said FDLE firearms analyst Erica Henderson.
But Henderson also said that ballistics tests ruled out one of the guns found in Sullivan's home and proved inconclusive on the other.
The trial continues today.
Candace Rondeaux can be reached at 813 226-3337 or rondeaux@sptimes.com
[Last modified July 29, 2005, 00:50:07]
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