Read Article
Steven Downs, left, appears in the 8th District Court in Lewiston in 2019 with lawyer James Howaniec. Downs was facing extradition to Alaska to stand trial for a 1993 murder. Sun Journal file photo
Andree Kehn/Sun Journal
A supervisor at the Alaska Crime Lab testified Wednesday that in 1993, when a native Alaskan woman was raped and murdered, crime scene investigators may not have worn gloves, wouldn’t have worn masks, and cigarette smoking was routine during autopsies.
“So you want to protect talking over the evidence, touching the evidence without gloves on, because that will transfer low amounts of DNA,” Jennifer Foster said during a videoconference hearing.
Fairbanks
Alaska
United-states
Pitkas-point
Alaskan
Sophie-sergie
Jennifer-foster
James-howaniec
University-of-alaska-at-fairbanks
Alaska-crime-lab
Cece-moore
Genetic-detective
Read Article
Steven Downs, right, leaves the courtroom with his attorney, James Howaniec, after bail was denied in Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn in March.
Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal file photo
The former girlfriend of an Auburn man charged in the rape and murder of an Alaska native woman in 1993 said Thursday that Steven H. Downs never owned a gun in the four years they dated while students at the University of Alaska at Fairbanks.
Attorneys for Downs, 46, called Katherine deSchweinitz Lee on Thursday to testify in Fairbanks Superior Court via videoconference as a witness in support of a motion to dismiss the indictment charging Downs with murder and sexual assault.
Fairbanks
Alaska
United-states
Maine
Pitkas-point
James-mccann
Sophie-sergie
Schweinitz-lee
Thomas-temple
James-howaniec
Jenna-gruenstein
Fairbanks-superior-court
Troopers admit errors in affidavits for search warrants of Maine man charged in Fairbanks cold case Author: Christopher Williams, (Lewiston, Maine) Sun Journal Updated: February 4 Published February 4
Steven Downs, right leaves the courtroom with his attorney, James Howaniec after bail was denied at Androscoggin County Superior Court in Auburn, Maine on Wednesday, March 20, 2019 after his extradition hearing. Downs has been charged by Alaska authorities with the 1993 sexual assault and murder of 20-year-old Sophie Sergie at the University of Alaska Fairbanks. (Russ Dillingham/Sun Journal via AP)
Share on Facebook
Print article Investigators relied on misinformation for warrants to search a Maine man’s home for a gun and collect his DNA to bolster their case against him in the 1993 rape and murder of an Alaska woman, according to testimony given this week.
Maine
United-states
University-of-alaska-fairbanks
Alaska
Pitkas-point
Schweintz-lee
Sophie-sergie
Thomasi-temple
James-howaniec
Randel-mcpherron
Auburn-police-department
Alaska-state-troopers
vimarsana © 2020. All Rights Reserved.