DNA technology allows investigators to match up evidence of old crimes as well as contemporary ones.
Recently the Dallas Morning News reported on how investigators say a state prisoner has admitted to raping two women at gunpoint during a robbery in 2005.
The prisoner in question is William Thomas Beane, a 36-year-old who is currently in the Bill Clements Unit in Amarillo. He is serving a 65-year sentence after being convicted of breaking into a woman’s home and raping her as he pointed a gun at her son and husband nearby in March 2005.
Reports at the time said he initially demanded money, according to court testimony. Then Beane forced the woman to the floor and sexually assaulted her as he pointed the gun at her husband and the 7-year-old boy throughout the attack.
Two similar assaults in the same year went unsolved when a stranger kicked in the door of an apartment in Wimbelton Way in Buckner Terrace. The intruder then raped two women at gunpoint.
The Dallas Morning News reported on how a DNA sample from that crime matched Beane’s, which was put into a state database after he went to prison.
On June 24 detectives from Dallas went to Amarillo to get another DNA sample and talk to Beane. The report stated he admitted to the two additional rapes
Police will now file two counts of aggravated sexual assault against Beane.
No DNA evidence was recovered from the original crime scene in March 2005, according to reports and Beane denied the sexual assault.
Long jail terms are common in sexual offenses. Although DNA evidence is the most reliable form of forensic evidence, errors can occur if samples are damaged or contaminated due to improper handling, the Washington Post reports.
Sexual Assault, more commonly referred to as “rape,” is one of the most stressful allegations to be faced with, particularly if the allegation involves a child. Forensic evidence is not always available in these cases and often the State will proceed to trial on the uncorroborated statement of an alleged victim and the trial boils down to a “he said/she said” case. However, convictions are very common, particularly when the victim is a child.
