A former DNA scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation faced a court proceeding on Thursday, grappling with criminal charges linked to data manipulation, which have cast doubt on the integrity of over 500 investigations.
The allegations detail mismanagement in a variety of serious cases, including homicides, sexual assaults, and robberies, as highlighted in a law enforcement document.
In connection with at least two homicide cases, defendants received reduced sentences through plea agreements instead of going to trial, as prosecutors feared that Yvonne “Missy” Woods’ involvement could potentially result in acquittals.
Woods was once considered a “star analyst” by a former colleague, yet internal reports suggested she often rushed her work and lacked thoroughness. Although no evidence of wrongful convictions has been discovered so far, prosecutors statewide are undertaking an extensive review of affected cases.
On Thursday, after voluntarily surrendering the previous day, Woods appeared before a judge via video link from a suburban Denver correctional facility. She had retired in 2023 and previously testified in trials regarding DNA evidence. Judge Graham Peper expressed serious concerns about the implications of these allegations, emphasizing their potential impact on public trust in science, law enforcement, and the judicial system.
According to police records, Woods reportedly admitted to investigators that she altered data to expedite her workload. She is facing a total of 102 charges, including 52 counts of forgery and 48 counts of attempting to influence a public servant, stemming from her activities between 2008 and 2023.
The ramifications of her alleged actions are still emerging. In a recent development, Michael Shannel Jefferson received a 32-year prison sentence for the 1985 home invasion murder of Roger Dean, which he was linked to through DNA evidence identified in 2021. Following the allegations against Woods, prosecutors offered Jefferson a plea deal for conspiracy to commit first-degree murder rather than murder, enabling him to potentially secure release in eight years. He continues to assert his innocence.
Tamara Dean Harney, the daughter of the murder victim, attended the hearing, expressing her disbelief at Woods’ apparent disregard for the repercussions of her actions on numerous lives and cases.
The inquiry into Woods’ misconduct commenced in September 2023 after an intern discovered discrepancies in a case she managed in 2018. This led to an investigation revealing that she might have manipulated data, omitted critical troubleshooting steps, and failed to accurately document her testing processes.
A report from the Colorado Bureau of Investigations last year indicated that questions regarding Woods’ work had emerged over a decade ago. In 2014, there were already concerns raised about her handling of evidence, and in 2018 she was pulled from DNA assignments due to accusations of data manipulation.
In a previous case thought to be influenced by Woods’ work, Garrett Coughlin was given the opportunity to plead guilty to second-degree murder last year because Woods could not be called to the stand in a case heavily reliant on circumstantial evidence. Coughlin was originally implicated in the killing of three individuals in 2017, but his conviction was later overturned due to juror misconduct during selection. The plea deal allowed him to evade a life sentence.
Woods was permitted to post bail through a bonding company rather than providing the full $50,000 in cash after returning to Colorado upon learning of the charges. Her attorney declined to make any statements following the hearing.
The charges against Woods concern misconduct in 58 criminal cases; however, it remains unclear why no charges have been pressed for others under scrutiny. State officials confirmed that the fallout from Woods’ alleged actions has incurred over $11 million in costs.
Among these expenses, the Colorado Department of Public Safety requested $7.5 million from the Legislature for an independent laboratory to retest up to 3,000 DNA samples and enable district attorneys to reconsider potentially affected cases. Furthermore, state officials recently announced the hiring of a consulting firm to assess the state’s forensic practices, as part of efforts to enhance accountability within the agency following the serious allegations against Woods.
