Prominent DNA expert Richard Eikelenboom was barred on Thursday from providing testimony for an upcoming sexual assault case in Denver after a district court in Denver found that Eikelenboom had committed a number of errors and had inadequate training.
Eikelenboom has previously given expert testimony in a number of prominent cases, including Casey Anthony's murder trial. His testimony was also a key part of the defense that successfully overturned former Indiana State Trooper David Camm's conviction in 2013 in the deaths of his wife and two children.
MORE | Acquitted ex-Indiana trooper sues police, prosecutors
Denver's District Attorney Office got Eikelenboom to admit that, "He had no direct DNA extraction or analysis experience, that he operates a lab that has not been accredited, that he personally failed his basic proficiency tests in 2011 and 2012, and admitted that he was ‘self- trained’ in running DNA profiles," the office said in a statement.
Anthony was acquitted of murdering her 3-year-old daughter. Eikelenboom gave his opinion on DNA samples found on duct tape attached to the daughter's body.
Eikelenboom also gave testimony in the murder case involving Timothy Masters. Masters was released in 2008 after serving nearly a decade incarcerated for the 1987 murder of Peggy Hettrick.
Attorney Richard Kammen, who represented Camm in his successful appeal, said the issue is more "nuanced" than the Denver District Attorney's Office suggests.
In looking looking at the articles about the Denver trial, it is as I suggested, a much more nuanced episode than the press release suggests," Kammen said in a written statement to Call 6 Investigates. "My guess is that the Denver prosecutor, having obtained a favorable ruling under Colorado law now seeks to demean Richard nationally."
After his acquittal and release, Camm reached a $450,000 wrongful conviction settlement with Floyd County. He currently works as a case coordinator for the non-profit wrongful conviction advocacy organization Investigating Innocence.
