83% boost in DNA matches due to law
Governor: Katie’s Law linking more suspects to unsolved crimes
Gov. Susana Martinez is expected to announce today that the expansion of a DNA testing law named after a college student whose killers Martinez once prosecuted is implicating a growing number of suspected felons in unsolved crimes.
Martinez plans to host a news conference in Carlsbad this afternoon to discuss an 83 percent increase in DNA matches as a result of a law that requires DNA testing for all people arrested on felony charges.
The testing law, named Katie’s Law after 22-year-old Katie Sepich, has matched 746 felony suspects to 764 cases, including crimes like murder, rape and sexual assault, breaking and entering and burglary, according to a news release from the governor. Sepich was raped and murdered, and Martinez, when she was the 3rd Judicial District Attorney, prosecuted and convicted the killer.
The man was identified with DNA evidence after being convicted of a different crime.
“DNA evidence is an absolutely indispensable tool for our law enforcement professionals to hold criminals accountable and get justice for victims and their families,” Martinez said in a news release. “I’m proud that New Mexico continues to be a national leader in collecting DNA samples from felony (suspects), and I will continue to do all I can to encourage other states to make use of these tools to help make families and communities safer.”
The original law, passed in 2006, required DNA samples from suspects arrested for violent felonies such as murder, kidnapping, robbery and sex offenses. A 2011 revision expanded the testing requirement to all felonies.
Sepich’s mother, Jayann Sepich, thanked the governor, law enforcement officials and forensic investigators for enforcing the law.
“It’s such an important tool for New Mexico’s law enforcement community, and victims and their families as well, and progress like this will help save more innocent lives and put more violent criminals behind bars,” she said in a statement.