DNA-by-Stealth Leads to Murder Conviction
From Times Wire Reports
DNA evidence gathered by police trickery led to a murder conviction Wednesday in the 1982 strangulation death of a 13-year-old girl.
Defendant John N. Athan, now 35, was 14 when Kristen Sumstad was strangled with a bathrobe belt.
Police sent Athan a letter last year from a mock law firm saying he was eligible for money in a bogus class-action lawsuit over parking tickets.
DNA in the saliva on the return envelope matched a sample found on Sumstad’s body, testimony showed.
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