Evidence manipulation probe expands

Colorado Bureau of Investigation missed chances to stop rogue analyst

DENVER – June 7, 2024 – The expanding probe into mishandled evidence at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation calls into question the agency’s leadership and its quality control, Defense Attorney Casey Krizman said today.

An internal investigation released this week reveals that the work of former forensic scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods had been questioned as early as 2014. But they failed to curtail their star analyst until an intern discovered anomalies in her work in 2023. She was then placed on leave pending an investigation and later resigned.

“The more they look into her work at the CBI, the farther back her manipulation goes, and the more CBI leaders are implicated,” said Krizman, who represents criminal defendants. “It’s good the independent investigators are now asking why CBI leadership missed their opportunity to stop her back in 2018. Who knows how many defendants were impacted because CBI leadership did not act sooner.”

The Kansas Bureau of Investigation was brought in to conduct the probe. Its report reveals that allegations against Woods were first reported to a CBI “technical leader” as early as 2014, and an internal investigation into her practices was conducted in 2018. Despite these red flags, Woods was reinstated and allowed to continue analyzing evidence in criminal trials following the 2018 investigation. CBI says it has called for an additional investigation into the circumstances surrounding that 2018 incident.

The 94-page report outlines several key findings, including Woods’ omission of material facts in official criminal justice records, tampering with DNA testing by altering or omitting test results, and violations of CBI’s Code of Conduct and laboratory policies. The report also acknowledges that Woods’ tampering went undetected by CBI’s existing review processes.

The CBI states that no evidence has been found that Woods falsified any DNA matches or fabricated DNA profiles.

But Krizman rejected that characterization. “The word ‘falsified’ must mean something different to the CBI than it does to the rest of us,” he said. “Elsewhere in their report summary, they say Woods ‘tampered with DNA testing by altering or omitting some test results from the case file.’ In other words, she created false records that were used in more than 600 criminal proceedings.”

Krizman criticized the CBI for not keeping defense attorneys informed of the extent of the tainted evidence. “People have been negatively impacted and we haven’t been clued into their findings. We have clients walking around as convicted felons, bearing the brunt of that scarlet letter, while we don’t know if the evidence for which they were convicted upon is any good.”

CBI Director Chris Schaefer said the bureau would review the results of all current and previous DNA scientists to ensure the integrity of the lab. He also called for a review of its testing protocols.

Krizman said he and his colleagues in the Defense Bar will continue to seek details from the bureau and district attorneys to see if any clients’ cases need to be revisited. “Now that the investigation is expanding to include the work of all DNA scientists at CBI, all we can say to our clients is, ‘hang tight. There is more to come.’” 

Video: Defense Attorney Casey Krizman intervewed on 9NEWS.