DNA from old razor helped solve two cases of rape and murder from 40 years ago in California - Joziah German

With DNA found on the razor of a killer and rapist, police have gained momentum on a case once forgotten. In California, almost four decades ago, Arthur Rudy Martinez raped and killed two women. His DNA matches what was left at both the crime scenes in the late 1970s. Arthur died in 2014 at a prison in Washington, where he was serving for robberies and two other rapes. One of the victims, Jane Morton Antunez, was found dead in the backseat of her car. She had been sexually assaulted, found with her throat slit. Apparently, she was on her way to her best friends house, but she never made it. Patricia Dwyer was found stabbed to death and sexually assaulted at her home. For years, both of these cases were left unsolved, this year though, the Department of Justice's Familiar DNA Search team helped crack the code. The connection between the murders was linked when authorities received belongs from the suspect's girlfriend. The lead was found by getting a DNA profile comparison and other evidence. Many questions still remain, like whether he knew the victims before the murder.

This article produced by Madeline Holcombe, CNN, was published on Friday, recently after police had cracked the case. I had no prior knowledge about this article either. This current event reminds me of when the first person used DNA profiling to solve a case. Dr. Alec Jeffreys, in September of 1984, discovered genetic fingerprinting when studying hereditary diseases in families. His variations could be used to establish the identity of a person. He demonstrated that each fingerprint is specific to each individual, and their patterns do not belong to any other person on earth. Without Dr. Jeffreys discoveries, the forensics apart of Martinez case would never have been able to find fingerprints based on the DNA from a razor. This article was written for those still wondering, and wanting justice, for the person who killed these two women. This piece gave them the relief that the person who killed these girls has been identified, and no longer is a threat. The purpose and importance of this article is that with advancements in DNA technology, police will be able to zero in on subjects easier with less and less evidence. In the future, this technology will be used for more complex and confusing incidents. Hopefully leading to a decrease in unsolvable cases, and therefore, fewer criminals being free of no consequences.

https://www.cnn.com/2019/04/19/us/cold-case-dna-razor/index.html