LAKEPORT, Calif. On Thursday the jury in the trial of a Lakeport man accused of stabbing his neighbor to death heard from DNA and fingerprint experts and a criminologist about the testing of evidence found at the crime scene. <\/p>\n
California Department of Justice criminologist Richard Waller, DNA expert Stephanie Carpenter and latent fingerprint expert Terry Hamlin testified Thursday in the murder trial of 34-year-old Ivan Garcia Oliver. <\/p>\n
Oliver is charged with murder, burglary, elder abuse and several special allegations for the stabbing death of 67-year-old Michael Dodele on Nov. 20, 2007, at Western Hills Mobile Home Park on Lakeshore Boulevard outside of Lakeport. <\/p>\n
The prosecution is alleging that Oliver killed Dodele after finding out he was listed as a sex offender on the Megans Law Web site. Oliver mistakenly believed Dodele had molested children, which he hadnt, although he had done prison time for raping an adult female victim. <\/p>\n
The trial began last week. On Wednesday the jury heard an audiotape of a jailhouse interview in which Oliver allegedly admitted to killing Dodele. <\/p>\n
Thursdays testimony included DOJ criminologist Richard Waller, who was able to match a footprint made in blood in Dodeles kitchen to one of the shoes Oliver was alleged to have been wearing. <\/p>\n
Afternoon testimony, which totaled about an hour, included DOJ DNA expert Stephanie Carpenter, who analyzed blood spots on the pants and sweatshirt Oliver allegedly was wearing at the time of Dodeles death. She also tested blood spots on a knife, bleach bottle, a bathroom water knob and a white rug. <\/p>\n
Dodeles blood was found on Olivers sweat shirt, with Olivers blood found on the other items, according to testimony. <\/p>\n
Carpenter offered the jury an explanation of what DNA is and how testing is conducted. <\/p>\n
DNA is essentially a set of instructions that tells your body how to grow and develop, she said. <\/p>\n<\/p>\n
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\nDNA, fingerprint experts take stand in Oliver trial<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"