Once an issue with gun evidence in an ongoing murder investigation was identified, the Rhode Island State Crime Laboratory stopped some gun forensics.
In a statement delivered on Monday to state and local police departments, state officials stated that they had stopped the work on “firearms and tool marks” at the state crime lab located on the University of Rhode Island’s Kingston campus on August 20.
Guns, ballistics, and other tools discovered at crime scenes are analysed by firearm and tool mark examiners to assist law enforcement in solving crimes. Ballistic testing linked to a murder case from 2021 is the evidence in dispute, state officials said.
Attorney General Peter Neronha of Rhode Island said on Monday that his agency is currently investigating if this was a singular incident or if it could have an impact on any other criminal cases.
“This office is working expeditiously to identify all cases where a firearms examination involving tool marks analysis was performed so that we can determine whether retesting of evidence by an outside, independent, accredited laboratory is necessary and understand the full scope of any impact, or whether this was an isolated incident,” Neronha said in a statement.
Neronha stated in an interview that they will first need to assess about fifty cases that are now pending before moving on to more established instances that have previously been decided.
In a letter to police, Crime Lab Director Dennis Hilliard stated that this might also imply that the collection of firearm evidence in ongoing investigations could be delayed.
“Together with the attorney general’s office and the crime lab commission, we are actively identifying alternative laboratories and qualified consultants to assist with casework needs in this discipline,” Hilliard wrote. “This process may result in delays of analysis and reporting.”
“Every effort will be made to provide analysis in a timely manner with a continued emphasis on quality,” he added.
According to Hillard, the employee of the crime lab who handled the evidence that was under investigation has been removed from performing any more casework. The worker’s identity is unknown.
According to Neronha, the quantity of cases that need to be examined will depend on how many that employee was involved in.
“We’re going to be going back as far certainly as far as the individuals who are doing this testing at the lab,” he said.
The relevant evidence dates back to 2021, when Karel Martinez-Scarlet was detained by the police and charged with the murder of Keshaudas Spence, a Massachusetts resident. Spence was found by Pawtucket police shot many times while riding in an automobile on George Bennett Industrial Highway.
At Rhode Island Hospital, he was later declared deceased.
Four months later, Martinez-Scarlet, a Providence resident, was charged with murder, conspiracy, and several gun-related offences. The R.I. Superior Court is still hearing his case. April has been set aside for the trial. An inquiry for comments was not immediately answered by his lawyer.
According to Neronha, the Rhode Island Police Chiefs Association and the presiding justice of the Superior Court were both informed about the problem.
“This office will work with the defense bar to identify and address any potentially impacted case as necessary,” Neronha said.
