Southland meet Reality, Reality meet Southland (DNA backlog)

[mswas]

Last night’s Southland revolved around a DNA backlog going back literally years. I thought about setting up on this forum to ask whether or not that was a sensationalist.

I guess I didn’t have to.

Rape Kit Evidence Leads Police To L.A.'s Most Prolific Serial Killer

Rape Kit Evidence Leads Police To L.A.'s Most Prolific Serial Killer

A routine phone call gave police in L.A.‘s cold case unit a lead in the case. Thomas, a convicted felon, has served 12 years in prison for several burglaries involving sexual assault. In 1978 he was convicted of rape in went to prison until 1983. As a registered sex offender, Thomas is required to provide a DNA sample for the state’s database, but due to the backlog of cases - more on that here - he was not asked to come in to have his cheek swabbed until October, CNN reports. After running Thomas’ DNA through a database, law enforcement officials found that it matched rape kit evidence collected from Ethel Sokoloff, who was beaten and strangled in her home in 1972 when she was 68.

And in a side note, it’s a **BLACK **serial killer! Now Hollywood will have to stop making jokes about serial killing being a white man’s crime.

[mswas]

Damn, no one else is interested in this? Well, one bump and then I’ll let it die.

[Peanut_Gallery]

@mswas

Damn, no one else is interested in this? Well, one bump and then I’ll let it die.

How can one craft a response with no Puke Smiley?

I’m liking this show so far. I figured the episode was grounded in reality re: the backlog, but didn’t realize the case itself was too. The RL case… that guy is suspected of 20 more assaults, and was possibly doing it as early as the 50s. As important as it is that we keep up with the evidence, I think I’m more concerned by him being free after 5 years for rape, with priors (if I read that right).

And nice parallel to reality with the scene of her begging the reporter for media attention.

[mswas]

Yeah, it was pretty creepy. The DNA backlog seems like a very important criminal issue. Maybe we can take some of the DEAs budget and put it toward DNA backlogs.

[Yllaria]

@Peanut_Gallery

How can one craft a response with no Puke Smiley?

I’m liking this show so far. I figured the episode was grounded in reality re: the backlog, but didn’t realize the case itself was too. The RL case… that guy is suspected of 20 more assaults, and was possibly doing it as early as the 50s. As important as it is that we keep up with the evidence, I think I’m more concerned by him being free after 5 years for rape, with priors (if I read that right).

And nice parallel to reality with the scene of her begging the reporter for media attention.

You read that right. It also said:

“It just goes to show how things have changed over the years,” Chief Beck said. “Back then, a rapist might only get two years.”