Bloody knife 'one-in-170-trillion match' to slain dad: DNA expert
Last Updated: Thursday, November 20, 2008 | 3:05 PM MT
CBC News
Related
Internal Links
Audio
- Scott Dippel reports: DNA expert testifies at trial (Runs: 1:13)
- Play: Real Media »
A knife and clothing found in the same truck as a man accused of killing a southern Alberta family were stained with the blood of victims, an RCMP expert testified on Thursday.
Blood on the knife found in the truck was the same as that of the slain father, according to testimony Thursday from Robert Schimpf, a molecular genetics expert based at the RCMP's forensic lab in Edmonton.
Schimpf called it a "one-in-170-trillion match."
Jeremy Steinke, 25, is charged with three counts of first-degree murder in the 2006 stabbing deaths of a couple and their son, 8, in their Medicine Hat home.
The Crown is trying to prove that Steinke plotted with his girlfriend, then 12, to kill her family and run away together.
Members of the slain family can't be named to protect the identity of the daughter under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
Authorities located Steinke and the girl in a Mazda B4000 pickup truck in Leader, Sask., the day after the slayings.
A bag of Steinke's clothing found in that same truck yielded a number of other DNA matches, said Schimpf. The victims' blood was found on some jeans, shoes, a hooded sweatshirt, and bandana, while both the father's blood and Steinke's blood were also detected on a mask.
In one sample, DNA from a blood stain came from the eight-year-old boy. The chance of finding another person with that same DNA is one in 510 trillion, said Schimpf.
The DNA expert also said that two knives found inside the house had the boy's blood on one of the blades and the dad's on the other.
The girl, who was found guilty last year of three counts of first-degree murder, is serving a maximum 10-year sentence for young offenders.
If convicted, Steinke faces a life sentence with a minimum of 25 years in prison.
With files from Bryan Labby, Scott DippelShare Tools
Latest Calgary News Headlines
- Alberta radar running again after breakdown
- Predicting severe weather patterns is still presenting a challenge for local weather watchers after four Environment Canada Doppler radars stopped working properly this week. more »
- Inquiry rules on death of troubled Alberta teen
- A fatality inquiry into the death of a mentally troubled Alberta teenager is recommending hospitals tighten rules on all outings for psychiatric patients. more »
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Around 60 new ambulances will soon be whizzing across the province thanks to a large purchase by Alberta Health Services. more »
- Suspicious death in S.E. investigated
- A man was found dead in southeast Calgary early Friday morning in what police are calling suspicious circumstances. more »
Top News Headlines
- Aylmer triple stabbing leads to first-degree murder charges

- The estranged partner of a young mother who was stabbed to death along with her parents at their home in Aylmer, Que., has been charged with first-degree murder Friday. more »
- Wildfires, high winds put northeastern Ontario on alert
- It's going to be a tense weekend in northeastern Ontario where strong, shifting winds have been fuelling a forest fire that has blanketed the Timmins area with smoke and ash. more »
- Labrador fire out of control
- A forest fire continues to burn out of control in Happy Valley-Goose Bay today, according to provincial firefighting officials. more »
- The risks and responsibilities of taking on Mt. Everest

- The deaths of five climbers last weekend on Mt. Everest, with more summits underway this weekend, fuels the debate about the risks and responsibilities of high altitude climbing. more »
- Former MLA questions need for Alberta Party
- Inquiry rules on death of troubled Alberta teen
- Alberta radar running again after breakdown
- Police couldn’t stop double fatal crash, judge says
- Alberta readies 60 new ambulances for service
- Suspicious death in S.E. investigated
- TEDxYYC brings passionate speakers to Calgary today
- Calgary woman who killed mother gets 5 years
- Beltline attack leaves man critically injured

