One key piece of evidence could make or break the Roy Russell murder trial.
There’s just one problem: No one knows which side it will help, the prosecution or the defense.
At issue is a small fragment of DNA found under Chelsea Harrison’s fingernail after she was found suffocated Nov. 2 in a shower at Russell’s Lincoln neighborhood home following a teenage drinking party. He’s charged with second-degree murder. His trial is set to begin Jan. 11.
Officials said the material came from a male but offered no other details. Further tests should provide more information. But the tests, being conducted by ReliaGene Technologies in New Orleans, aren’t complete and the results won’t be known until next week, prosecutors told Superior Court Judge John. P. Wulle during a Friday hearing.
Only rarely does a trial loom so close with so little known about the single most important piece of evidence. Neither side knows whether the tests will hurt or help their cause. Conceivably, prosecuting and defense attorneys could be preparing to argue both ways, to include or exclude the evidence at trial, depending on the results.
“The DNA everybody will see is a key piece of evidence,” James Senescu, deputy Clark County prosecuting attorney, said during the Friday hearing.
DNA, or deoxyribonucleic acid, is the building block for the human body, the U.S. Department of Justice said on its Web site. No two people have the same DNA, which is found in most cells and is the same throughout the body whether in the blood, skin, hair, saliva or bone. The ability to connect a DNA sample to one person is highly reliable and commonly used to both exonerate and convict criminal suspects.
Oral swabs were taken of the inside of Russell’s mouth shortly after his arrest. DNA samples were taken as well from at least two teenagers who attended the party that night.
Russell’s attorney, Jeffrey Barrar, seemed to be preparing for bad news. He told the judge he may move to exclude the DNA test because the results won’t be available until close to the trial’s start.
“Until the evidence is known to me,” he said, “how can I bring a motion to suppress? It can’t be done.”
The discussion, of course, was about what might or might not happen. Wulle, meanwhile, indicated that the test results, no matter what they are, probably will make their way before the jury.
“The people of the state of Washington deserve a fair trial, too,” he said. “I have a duty to make sure the jury has a complete picture.”
Officials have not described the nature of the material found under Chelsea’s fingernail. But Senescu revealed Friday that after Russell’s arrest, his left hand showed bruises consistent with a punch. Autopsy photos indicate Chelsea’s right eye had been blackened that night. Wulle ordered a handwriting sample from Russell to show whether he’s right-handed or left-handed.
