The following article appeared in The Couriier newspaper in Montgomery County Texas.

Man gets 80 years for sex assault of girl

By Jamie L. Bridges
Updated: 09.02.10
A 59-year-old Tennessee man will serve two 80-year prison sentences after being found guilty of sexually assaulting a 5-year-old family member in a case dating back to 2003.

Judge Michael T. Seiler, of the 435th state District Court, handed down the punishment Thursday for the first-degree felonies of aggravated sexual assault of a child.

While the sentences will run concurrently, Billy Don Ramage Sr. will have to serve at least 30 years in a Texas prison before he becomes eligible for parole.

“It appears as if he will die in prison and won’t have the opportunity to hurt any other children,” said Assistant District Attorney Jim Prewitt, chief prosecutor of the 435th District Court.

A jury found Ramage guilty Wednesday.

The case began after the victim told her mother about the incident.

“The child made an outcry to her mother when she was 5 years old,” Prewitt said. “Her mother took her to The Woodlands Memorial Hermann Hospital, where an exam showed evidence of injury.”

At the time of the exam, a sexual assault kit was taken and evidence was collected, Prewitt said.

“The evidence, through inadvertence, was not processed until 2008 when the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office Cold Case Squad sent the evidence from the kit to Sorenson Forensic Lab in Salt Lake City, Utah, where it was examined,” Prewitt said. “It was found that the defendant’s bodily fluids and other evidence were linked to the sexual assault.”

During the punishment phase of the trial, prosecutors were able to introduce Ramage’s nine prior felony convictions in Mississippi and Tennessee. Ramage previously had been incarcerated for burglaries, thefts and an aggravated robbery.

The victim of the aggravated robbery testified, as did two other witnesses who claimed they were sexually assaulted by Ramage when they were younger, Prewitt said.

“We believe that because he was a habitual offender and a violent offender and a sex predator deserving the maximum sentence, the jury verdict has sent a message,” Prewitt said. “If you engage in that conduct in this county, they will be punished severely.”

Jamie L. Bridges can be reached at jbridges@hcnonline.com.

Pat Reavy with the Deseret News filled the following story On July 29, 2010

A man who is charged with murdering a Utah County woman more than 20 years ago has been extradited back to Utah and was booked Thursday into the Salt Lake County Jail.

In June, Jose Ortiz-Garcia, 55, was charged in 3rd District Court with murder, aggravated robbery and three counts of aggravated sexual assault in the Nov. 10, 1989, death of Lela Rockwell.

Rockwell’s discarded nude body was found by a passer-by in a planter box under the old North Temple viaduct near 400 West. The cause of death was determined to be strangulation. Rockwell, 62, suffered broken ribs, head trauma and had multiple bite marks on her body from her head to her stomach, according to the charges.

Investigators determined Rockwell was also raped multiple times.

Well-preserved evidence and advances in DNA technology proved to be the break in the case. The Utah State Crime Lab and Sorenson Forensics helped investigators put the suspect’s DNA into a national database and Ortiz-Garcia came up as a match. Ortiz-Garcia was serving time in a federal prison in South Carolina on an unrelated charge.

Rockwell was a homeless person whose last known address was in Fairfield. Police had lost contact with her family over the years, but re-established a connection with them after the charges were announced last month.

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700051981/Suspect-in-20-year-old-murder-case-booked-into-jail.html

ht://www.cnbc.com/id/37549622tp

By: Business Wire | 07 Jun 2010 | 06:15 AM ET

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The crash claimed the lives of 92 passengers and 11 Afriqiyah crew members.

According to information provided by Afriqiyah Airline, the victims included at least 70 passengers from the Netherlands, and others from Austria, France, Germany, Libya, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The flight’s sole survivor, a 10-year-old Dutch boy, is in stable condition after receiving treatment at a Tripoli hospital for multiple broken bones in both legs.

“In the wake of this tragedy, we are honored to be included by Trimega Laboratories, to support the Libyan government in identifying the passengers of the recent crash in Tripoli,” said Tim Kupferschmid, executive director of Sorenson Forensics. “Though we cannot bring back those lost in the crash, we are grateful that our collective scientific experience coupled with advanced genetic analysis enables us to help bring closure and peace of mind to the family members and friends who survive them.” Trimega, which was assigned by the Libyan government to coordinate the genetic identification of the crash victims, invited Sorenson Forensics to join the scientific team. Sorenson Forensics has sent key staff to London to support the effort.

“We welcome Sorenson Forensics’ inclusion on our team and believe that its scientists’ tremendous expertise in genetic testing and analysis is important for this project,” said Avi Lasarow, CEO of Trimega Laboratories. “We have developed a close partnership working together on important international cases dating back to 2007, and have great confidence in one another’s capabilities.” Sorenson Forensics’ team assisted the Chechnyan government in identifying victims of the September 2004 elementary school bombings, and was the only private laboratory chosen by the Thai government to help identifying victims of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The Salt Lake-based company, an independent business unit of Sorenson Genomics, receives and analyzes forensic evidence for DNA testing from more than 100 law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Africa, and develops and delivers on-site laboratory improvement programs that strengthen forensic DNA laboratories worldwide.

About Sorenson Forensics Sorenson Forensics (www.sorensonforensics.com) is a leading provider of advanced forensic DNA services and offers industry-best casework assistance to federal, state and local crime laboratories, assists officers of the court in individual criminal cases, and offers comprehensive forensic DNA services to private industry clients. Sorenson Forensics provides such services as STR and Y-STR analysis; mitochondrial DNA sequencing; comprehensive biology screening; full serology testing, including blood, semen and other body fluid identification; DNA case consultation; expert testimony, validation services and laboratory optimization services. The Sorenson Forensics team consists of individuals internationally recognized for their extensive public and private crime lab experience and for their rigor in the exacting requirements of forensics casework. Sorenson Forensics has established an extraordinary record for helping to crack difficult-to-resolve cases, including previously unsolved “cold cases.” SOURCE: Sorenson Forensics CONTACT: Sorenson Forensics Public Relations Jacob Moon, 801-490-1017 jacob@methodcommunications.com Copyright Business Wire 2010 -0-

 Deseret News reporter Pat Reavy filed the following report: 

Sorenson Forensics Partners with Trimega Laboratories to Identify Passengers on Libyan Airline Crash  

• Trimega Laboratories, Appointed by Libyan Government to Lead the Identification Effort, Chooses Sorenson Forensics to Join Its Scientific Team in Identifying Victims of the May 12, 2010 Afriqiyah Airways Crash at Tripoli Airport
• Strategic Working Relationship between Leading Forensics Organizations Sorenson Forensics and Trimega Laboratories Dates Back to 2007
• Sorenson Forensics’ Advanced DNA Laboratory Helped Chechnyan  Government Identify September 2004 Elementary School Victims, Assisted Thai Government in Identifying Victims from 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami

LONDON and SALT LAKE CITY (June 7, 2010) – Sorenson Forensics today announced that it is collaborating with Trimega Laboratories as part of its expert scientific team to genetically identify victims of the Afriqiyah Airways Flight 771, who died May 12, 2010 when the airline’s Airbus 330-200 plane crash-landed at Tripoli Airport. The flight originated in Johannesburg, South Africa.   

The crash claimed the lives of 92 passengers and 11 Afriqiyah crew members. According to information provided by Afriqiyah Airline, the victims included at least 70 passengers from the Netherlands, and others from Austria, France, Germany, Libya, South Africa, the United Kingdom and Zimbabwe. The flight’s sole survivor, a 10-year-old Dutch boy, is in stable condition after receiving treatment at a Tripoli hospital for multiple broken bones in both legs.

“In the wake of this tragedy, we are honored to be included by Trimega Laboratories, to support the Libyan government in identifying the passengers of the recent crash in Tripoli,” said Tim Kupferschmid, executive director of Sorenson Forensics. “Though we cannot bring back those lost in the crash, we are grateful that our collective scientific experience coupled with advanced genetic analysis enables us to help bring closure and peace of mind to the family members and friends who survive them.”    

Trimega, which was assigned by the Libyan government to coordinate the genetic identification of the crash victims, invited Sorenson Forensics to join the scientific team. Sorenson Forensics has sent key staff to London to support the effort.   

“We welcome Sorenson Forensics’ inclusion on our team and believe that its scientists’ tremendous expertise in genetic testing and analysis is important for this project,” said Avi Lasarow, CEO of Trimega Laboratories. “We have developed a close partnership working together on important international cases dating back to 2007, and have great confidence in one another’s capabilities.”

Sorenson Forensics’ team assisted the Chechnyan government in identifying victims of the September 2004 elementary school bombings, and was the only private laboratory chosen by the Thai government to help identifying victims of the December 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami. The Salt Lake-based company, an independent business unit of Sorenson Genomics, receives and analyzes forensic evidence for DNA testing from more than 100 law enforcement agencies in the U.S., Europe, Asia and Africa, and develops and delivers on-site laboratory improvement programs that strengthen forensic DNA laboratories worldwide.

About Sorenson Forensics

Sorenson Forensics (www.sorensonforensics.com) is a leading provider of advanced forensic DNA services and offers industry-best casework assistance to federal, state and local crime laboratories, assists officers of the court in individual criminal cases, and offers comprehensive forensic DNA services to private industry clients. Sorenson Forensics provides such services as STR and Y-STR analysis; mitochondrial DNA sequencing; comprehensive biology screening; full serology testing, including blood, semen and other body fluid identification; DNA case consultation; expert testimony, validation services and laboratory optimization services. The Sorenson Forensics team consists of individuals internationally recognized for their extensive public and private crime lab experience and for their rigor in the exacting requirements of forensics casework. Sorenson Forensics has established an extraordinary record for helping to crack difficult-to-resolve cases, including previously unsolved “cold cases.”

# # #

Press Contact

Jacob Moon

Sorenson Forensics Public Relations

801.490.1017

jacob@methodcommunications.com

  •  Salt Lake City Training Site Prepares Forensic Leadership Group to Open Nigerian Police DNA Laboratory

•  Trainees Study Crime Scene Evidence from Unresolved Nigerian Homicide Cases as Part of Sorenson Forensics’ Real-World Educational Process—Have Identified a New Suspect in One High-profile Cold Case

•  Nigerians Tour FBI’s Mountain West Computer Forensic Facility, Utah State Crime Lab and Other Facilities

SALT LAKE CITY (June 2, 2010)—Sorenson Forensics today announced it is providing intensive forensic DNA training for Nigerian scientist-police officers to help them prepare for establishing and operating a law enforcement DNA laboratory in Africa’s most populous nation. The Federal Republic of Nigeria police laboratory will be the first DNA forensics facility in Nigeria.

The Nigerian visiting scientists have been working alongside teams of Sorenson Forensics scientists for eight hours per day beginning last January, and will finish training in July. The Nigerian police officers brought along crime-scene DNA evidence from open Nigerian homicide cases to examine as part of Sorenson Forensics’ real-world, hands-on educational approach, and identified a new suspect in a high-profile cold case.

As part of their training, Sorenson Forensics has arranged for the visiting scientist-police officers to tour a number of established law enforcement facilities, including the FBI’s Mountain West computer forensics facility, the Utah State Crime Laboratory, the Cache County Sheriff’s Office facilities and the Unified Police Department facilities in Salt Lake County.

“We appreciate learning how to use advanced forensic DNA technology from Sorenson Forensics, a highly respected organization among law enforcement agencies worldwide,” said Elias Uzoemeka, superintendent of police for the Nigerian national police force. “Today Nigeria is experiencing economic growth, which enables us to develop advanced law enforcement tools that promote justice and security for our citizens.”

Launched in 2006, Sorenson Forensics has grown rapidly in response to strong demand for advanced DNA identification services from law enforcement agencies throughout the world and from the U.S. legal industry. The Salt Lake-based company, an independent business unit of Sorenson Genomics, receives and analyzes forensic evidence for DNA testing from more than 100 law enforcement agencies across the country, and develops and delivers on-site educational programs that strengthen forensic DNA laboratories. In 2008 Sorenson Forensics set up the first DNA laboratory in Senegal, western Africa, and trained the scientists who operate it.

“We are proud to help educate scientists who will bring forensic DNA technology to Nigeria, the most populous country in Africa,” said Tim Kupferschmid, Sorenson Forensics executive director. “We have every advanced technique and technology available for forensic DNA testing at our facility and we are instructing our Nigerian visitors on all of them. We will continue to expand our relationships around Africa in order to share our expertise with those who have not yet benefitted from the unmatched ability of DNA to identify victims and to connect perpetrators with their crimes.”

About Sorenson Forensics

Sorenson Forensics (www.sorensonforensics.com) is a leading provider of advanced forensic DNA services and offers industry-best casework assistance to federal, state and local crime laboratories, assists officers of the court in individual criminal cases, and offers comprehensive forensic DNA services to private industry clients. Sorenson Forensics provides such services as STR and Y-STR analysis; mitochondrial DNA sequencing; comprehensive biology screening; full serology testing, including blood, semen and other body fluid identification; DNA case consultation; expert testimony, and validation services. The Sorenson Forensics team consists of individuals internationally recognized for their extensive public and private crime lab experience and for their rigor in the exacting requirements of forensics casework. Founded in 2006, Sorenson Forensics has already established an extraordinary record for helping to crack difficult-to-resolve cases, including previously unsolved “cold cases.”

# # #

Press Contact

Jacob Moon

Sorenson Forensics Public Relations

801.490.1017

jacob@methodcommunications.com

http://www.deseretnews.com/article/700035670/Sorenson-passing-forensics-knowledge-on-to-Nigerian-police.html

Deseret News Reporter Pat Reavy visited the Sorenson Forensic Laboratory.  He interviewed the three Nigerian Police Officers/Scientist that are in Utah as part of a six month DNA training program.  Now, Sorenson is passing on its knowledge to other police departments around the world.

The Reporter discovered “ that the three officers from Nigeria’s national police force have been in Utah learning how to collect and process DNA evidence. The goal for Sorenson officials is to travel to Nigeria in the fall and help that country build its first DNA forensics facility.”

 

http://www.ksl.com/?nid=148&sid=10943935

KSL TV Reporter Amanda Butterfield visited the Sorenson Forensic Lab on Thursday May 27, 2010.  During her visit she interviewed the 3 Nigerian Police Officers/Scientists that are being trained on the latest DNA technology as part of a six month training program in the US.

Suspect identified in Anna Palmer murder case

By Nicole Gonzales

SALT LAKE CITY — The Salt Lake City Police Department has made a break in the 11-year-old cold case death of Anna Palmer. They’ve matched the killer’s DNA to a prisoner in Idaho.

Anna Palmer was just 10 years old when she was killed; her mother found her dead on their porch. Now the news of a DNA match to her killer gives a chance for some sort of closure.

John Breck, suspect in 1998 murder of 10-year-old Anna Palmer

At the time of Palmer’s murder, in September 1998, the Salt Lake City Police Department took trimmings of the little girl’s fingernails and kept them for analysis. Recently, the Sorenson Forensics Lab was able to separate Palmer’s DNA from her killer’s.

With that accurate DNA profile, an FBI database called CODIS was able to match the killer’s profile with 31-year-old Matthew John Breck.

“Technology has come so far in the last 11 years, as far as DNA especially. It was a big break in this case. It was a big help as well, and led us to the suspect, and we were able to investigate further,” said Salt Lake City police Sgt. Robin Snyder.

Neighbors and family members said they feel a sense of relief with the findings.

“She can rest in peace now,” said former neighbor Becky Sterling. “And the families that have lived here since have always known there was something different about the house, and I think that can leave too.”

“It’s a great family, and they’ve been very supportive of the police department and always very willing, of course, to help us with this investigation,” Snyder said. “We’re just very happy that we’re able to bring it to an end for them, and hopefully they can have closure now.”

In the past couple months, detectives have re-interviewed family members, neighbors and other witnesses who were there that day. They said Monday they have additional evidence, besides the DNA, that points to Breck.

On Sept. 10, 1998, Palmer was sexually abused and stabbed fatally in the neck on her front porch near 1600 South and 300 East. Since then, the police department has worked 1,200 leads — none of which led to Breck.

“We have been working this case for a long time, and it’s great to finally have it closed,” Snyder said.

“Thank goodness for investigating and looking,” Sterling said. “I always had it in my heart that something would happen.”

Breck is currently serving time in the Idaho State Prison in Clearwater County for sodomy and lewdness on a minor — crimes he committed in 2000. He’s been in prison since 2001 and is supposed to serve a couple more years.

The Salt Lake County District Attorney’s Office will now try to extradite Breck, which could take anywhere from a month to a year.

In Utah, Breck will face three felony charges: aggravated murder, sexual abuse and child abuse.

Top-Tier Forensic DNA Laboratory Expands Facilities and Hires 10 Additional Scientists in Quest to Fill Unmet Needs of Expanding Industry that Collects, Tests, Analyzes and Presents DNA Evidence.

SALT LAKE CITY (Feb. 2, 2009)Sorenson Forensics today announced its gross revenues increased 240 percent in 2008 over the previous year. The independent business unit of Sorenson Genomics found increased profits by offering innovative programs to law enforcement, public crime labs, courts and private labs that helped these clients meet an increasing demand for timely and accurate forensic DNA services.

In business less than two-and-a-half years, Sorenson Forensics gained prominence in 2007 by providing advanced DNA identification services to Utah law enforcement that lead to a string of successful cold case prosecutions. Since that time, Sorenson Forensics expanded laboratory capacity, doubled the number of scientists on staff and is now regarded as one of the top private forensic DNA laboratories in the U.S.

In addition to processing DNA casework from overworked public agencies, Sorenson Forensics has developed two programs to strengthen their clients’ own ability to provide accurate DNA evidence. A one-on-one crime-scene DNA evidence collection class is now presented on-site for law enforcement officers, and expert laboratory validation services are provided to public crime labs. Validation ensures that laboratory equipment and protocols meet the latest industry standards.

The Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office was one of the first in the country to bring in Sorenson Forensics’ crime scene DNA evidence collection training for its officers. In its first year, the program was presented in eight states and is already scheduled for 12 more states in 2009. During this eight-hour workshop, front-line law enforcement personnel learn how to properly collect DNA evidence such as hair and touched items. Mock crime scene exercises help them consistently apply appropriate scientific techniques.

“I highly recommend Sorenson Forensics to any government agency,” said Detective Thomas Duroy of the Cold Case Homicide Squad at the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Office in Texas. “We had three private labs bid on our casework, and Sorenson Forensics had the best pricing. But what I really appreciate is their attention to detail and high level of service. If I need something, their customer-oriented staff responds quickly and often their laboratory director will answer my question personally.” Montgomery County is the seventh largest sheriff’s office in Texas, and has now solved several of the 116 cold cases it has begun investigating with DNA evidence.

Sorenson Forensics has developed a unique “collaborative forensics” approach to serving clients that is responsible for its increasing share of outsourced casework from public agencies, said Timothy Kupferschmid, executive director of Sorenson Forensics. “Our approach is that we work with all parties towards the common goal of reducing backlogs and solving crimes. Our scientific staff has decades of combined public and private forensic laboratory experience. We understand the dynamics of these organizations and the problems confronting them.”

Sorenson Forensics has been awarded contracts with many of the largest municipalities in the U.S. for its laboratory validation services and outsourced casework, and the Salt Lake-based company’s reputation now reaches across the globe. In September 2008, Sorenson Forensics was awarded a contract to set up western Africa’s first forensic DNA laboratory at the Center for Diagnostics and Research in Molecular Medicine in Dakar, Republic of Senegal.

About Sorenson Forensics

Sorenson Forensics is a leading provider of advanced forensic DNA services and offers industry-best casework assistance to federal, state and local crime laboratories, assists officers of the court in individual criminal cases, and offers comprehensive forensic DNA services to private industry clients. Sorenson Forensics provides such services as STR and Y-STR analysis; mitochondrial DNA sequencing; comprehensive biology screening; full serology testing, including blood, semen and other body fluid identification; DNA case consultation; expert testimony, and validation services. The Sorenson Forensics team consists of individuals internationally recognized for their extensive public and private crime lab experience and for their rigor in the exacting requirements of forensics casework. Founded in 2006, Sorenson Forensics has already established an extraordinary record for helping to crack difficult-to-resolve cases, including previously unsolved “cold cases.”

# # #

Press Contact

Jacob Moon
Sorenson Forensics Public Relations
jacob@sorensoncompanies.com
801.490.1017