Days before the trial for the murder of John Pernell was set to begin in Washington, prosecutors determined the evidence against the defendant, Kavon Young, was insufficient, leaving the victim’s family demanding answers. Pernell was shot in July 2010 during a robbery attempt while setting up for a Fourth of July barbecue. Initially, the investigation stalled until 2019, when a witness pointed authorities to Young. A DNA analysis indicated that DNA found under Pernell’s fingernails matched Young’s, with a probability of 1 in 3.4 billion that it belonged to someone else in the African American population.
However, just before the trial, prosecutors revealed that this DNA evidence was now deemed unreliable, without providing a clear explanation. Pernell’s daughters, Yolanda Pernell-Vogelson and Ayana Pernell, were informed two days prior to the trial by prosecutor Michael Spence that earlier DNA calculations were incorrect. They expressed frustration over the lack of transparency, feeling victimized by the legal process as well.
Court records revealed that the private lab, Bode Technology Group, had lost the evidence, rendering it impossible to retest. The judge indicated that the trial jury would be informed of this negligence regarding the lost DNA extract. Although prosecutors initially relied on the matching DNA results for over five years, they retracted their position just before trial. Young was released in April 2023. In response to the case, the Washington Deputy Mayor for Public Safety extended condolences to Pernell’s family and stated that authorities were investigating the circumstances surrounding the handling of the evidence.
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