KGET 17 News Profile picture
Apr 26 125 tweets 35 min read Twitter logo Read on Twitter
The trial is back in session in the case of Trezell and Jacqueline West, accused in the deaths of adopted children Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3. Detective Thomas Hernandez, the lead investigator, is back on the stand. #WestsTrial
Hernandez has identified DNA swabs he took of Ralph Moseley and some of the other West children. Smith ended his questioning and defense is going to wait to cross-examine Hernandez because he's going to testify later in the trial. #WestsTrial
Dechelle Smith has been called to the stand. She works at the Kern Regional Crime Lab. #WestsTrial
Dechelle Smith said one of her duties is to process known reference samples of DNA. #WestsTrial
Dechelle Smith is explaining her job and the intricacies of DNA testing to prosecutor Eric Smith. #WestsTrial
Dechelle processed known reference samples for Trezell and Jacqueline West and some of their children. #WestsTrial
Alekxia Torres Stallings, lead attorney for Jacqueline West, has begun cross-examination. Dechelle told her they wait until the lab reports are complete before destroying samples. Dechelle has been excused. #WestsTrial
Mandi Van Buren has been called to the stand. She's the DNA technical leader at the Kern Regional Crime Lab. #WestsTrial
Prosecutor Eric Smith has displayed a document from LabCorp, a chart showing DNA profiles. #WestsTrial
Van Buren explained a couple charts and Smith ended his questioning. Torres Stallings is going to cross-examine her. #WestsTrial
Van Buren said she has previously testified for this case. Van Buren said there are 24 locations looked for in the testing of a sample. Three are male markers. #WestsTrial
Van Buren said for these two samples they only looked at the electronic profile, not an actual swab. #WestsTrial
It's not common to evaluate an electronic samples, Van Buren said. She has done it fewer than 10 times in six years. #WestsTrial
Van Buren said there is a technical review process that reviews the analysis done by others at the lab. #WestsTrial
If a profile is partial, the statistics could be affected, she said. #WestsTrial
Van Buren said she doesn't know if LabCorp has had past issues with the way they maintain DNA storage. Torres Stallings ended her questioning. #WestsTrial
Timothy Hennessy, lead attorney for Trezell West, is questioning her. Van Buren said they did accept certain items where they addressed how certain items were packaged. They didn't reject the items but only tested certain parts. #WestsTrial
There were areas of certain items that were uncovered when they received them from Cal City police, Van Buren said. They included the gardening tools. #WestsTrial
Van Buren has been excused. #WestsTrial
Jeehak Kim has been called to the stand. He's a criminalist at the Kern Regional Crime Lab. #WestsTrial
Kim is explaining what DNA is and how it can be left behind. #WestsTrial
The DNA analysis process consists of extraction -- breaking open cells in the process. The second is quantification, how much DNA is in sample. Amplification and fragment analysis are 3rd and 4th steps. #WestsTrial
Kim testified there are control tests, samples run alongside the DNA samples to make sure there was no contamination of the sample. They check to make sure the DNA Was amplified correctly. #WestsTrial
A "single source profile" means the profile consists of only one person contributing to the DNA profile, Kim said. #WestsTrial
DNA testing can't tell the circumstances or the time frame in which the DNA was left, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Touch DNA tends to degrade faster in "extreme" environments, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Kim testified he tested gardening tools, toothbrushes and known reference samples in the West case. #WestsTrial
Smith is displaying photos of items Kim tested. One is a shovel. Kim said he performed a test to screen the shovel for blood. It came up negative. #WestsTrial
A rake was also tested and the stains were negative for blood, KIm said. Another shovel was screened and the stains were negative. #WestsTrial
A third and fourth shovel were tested and the stains screened negative, Kim said. #WestsTrial
A toothbrush was swabbed for DNA, Kim said. The DNA profile he got was single source and from a female, he said. #WestsTrial
Another toothbrush -- both toothbrushes were described as kids' toothbrushes -- was also swabbed. Kim said a profile was partial and from a male. By partial, he means it was single source but several locations missing or not there. #WestsTrial
A paternity was performed to see if the biological parents' DNA profile was on the toothbrush. The contributor of the DNA profile was excluded as being the biological child of Ryan Dean and Charles Pettus or Ryan Dean and Ralph Moseley, Kim said. #WestsTrial
What that means is DNA from Orrin or Orson was not found on either toothbrush. #WestsTrial
A pair of gardening shears was screened for blood. The tests were negative, Kim said. #WestsTrial
A gray mattress cover was tested. Two cuttings were taken for DNA analysis, Kim said. The profile generated was a mixture of 2 contributors. #WestsTrial
Jacqueline West and one of the Wests' other children could not be excluded as contributors, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Both Orrin and Orson were excluded as potential contributors to the DNA profile, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Court is in recess for 15 minutes. #WestsTrial
The trial is back in session with Jeehak Kim resuming testimony. He said he tested a green, red and blue blanket for DNA analysis. #WestsTrial
A single source DNA profile was found, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Orrin and Orson West were excluded as having left the DNA, but another West child could not be excluded, Kim said. #WestsTrial
A blue mattress cover was tested. A single source male profile was generated, Kim said. Orrin and Orson West were excluded, but another West child could not be excluded. #WestsTrial
Another blue mattress cover was tested for DNA, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Two stains on the blue mattress cover were tested. For one of the stains, it was inconclusive as to whether Orson could have been a contributor, Kim said. #WestsTrial
A gray mattress cover was tested. Kim said 3 stains on it were tested. #WestsTrial
Orrin and Orson were excluded as potential contributors to each of the 3 stains tested, Kim said. #WestsTrial
A green, white and brown blanket was tested, Kim said. #WestsTrial
No stains were tested on that item. #WestsTrial
A gray mattress cover had 4 stains that were tested, Kim said. Orrin and Orson were excluded. #WestsTrial
A blue, gray and white blanket was tested. The 1 stain tested was positive but no further testing was done because they were focusing on stains found on the mattress covers, Kim said. #WestsTrial
One location on a blue mattress cover was tested for DNA, Kim said. Orrin could not be excluded as a contributor, he said. #WestsTrial
No stains came up on a blue, green and white blanket that were tested, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Swabs from the driver's side rear passenger door interior were tested. Kim said there was not enough evidence to draw a conclusion as to whether Orrin or Orson could be excluded. #WestsTrial
Swabs from the passenger side rear door interior of the Wests' van were tested. Kim said Orrin and Orson were excluded as potential contributors. #WestsTrial
The swabs from the rear door interior door handle were tested, Kim said. Orrin and Orson were excluded. #WestsTrial
Swabs from a car seat were tested. Orrin and Orson were excluded. #WestsTrial
Kim testified another car seat was swabbed and the swabs tested. Orrin could not be excluded, he said. There wasn't enough evidence to exclude Orson. #WestsTrial
Court is in recess until 1:30 p.m. #WestsTrial
The trial is back in session with Jeehak Kim back on the stand testifying to DNA tests performed on items taken from the West home and in their white van. #WestsTrial
A car seat from the van was tested. Orrin was excluded as being a contributor to the DNA profile but Orson could not be excluded, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Another car seat was tested. Orrin West was excluded as a contributor but Orson could not be excluded, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Two swabs were taken from a stick. Kim testified the stick had a mixture profile from at least 2 people. It was wrapped in black electrical tape. #WestsTrial
Jacqueline West could not be excluded as a potential contributor, Kim said. Neither could Trezell West, and some of the other West children. Orrin and Orson were excluded. #WestsTrial
A used diaper found in a trash bag was tested. A DNA profile of at least 2 contributors was found, Kim said. Orson was excluded. There was not enough statistical support to determine if Orrin was a contributor, he said. #WestsTrial
Two of the other children could not be excluded, Kim said. #WestsTrial
Kim is explaining how DNA is extracted from a sample. #WestsTrial
If there is leftover DNA extract it is usually destroyed as long as all the other tests are done, he said. #WestsTrial
Prosecutor Eric Smith ended his questioning. #WestsTrial
Alekxia Torres Stallings, lead counsel for Jacqueline West, has begun cross-examination. #WestsTrial
Kim said the profiles received of Orrin and Orson so they could compare them to DNA samples were electronic DNA profiles. Other samples came from buccal swabs. #WestsTrial
This is the first time he has used an electronic sample in a case, Kim said. Torres Stallings has noted the other samples came straight from the source. #WestsTrial
Kim testified a statistical calculation is given for a DNA profile showing the likelihood it came from a certain person. #WestsTrial
Under questioning by Torres Stallings, Kim said an inconclusive finding means they can't say whether someone is excluded or not -- they can't say for sure one way or another. #WestsTrial
Torres Stallings has referred to multiple blankets where no DNA testing was performed. Kim agreed, saying no stains were found so no testing was done. He said they were looking for saliva, urine and possible blood to test. #WestsTrial
Torres Stallings asked how else they could have tested the blankets. Kim said they could perform a "blind swab," just swab the entire blanket. They did not do that for those 2 blankets. #WestsTrial
Moving on to other items, Torres Stallings said one item had 7 stains and 3 were tested. Another item also had 7 stains and 1 was tested for DNA analysis. She asked why they didn't do more. #WestsTrial
Kim testified they tried to test clusters of stains that tested positive for saliva. #WestsTrial
Orrin and Orson could not be excluded from certain items in the bedroom, Kim said, meaning it can't be said with certainty whether their DNA was on the items. #WestsTrial
Kim testified he was not given 2 other toothbrushes to examine, nor was he given toys to examine. #WestsTrial
Only 1 used diaper was tested, Kim said. #WestsTrial
The lab does not do fingerprint comparisons, Kim said. The only ability they have with fingerprints is to collect them, no comparisons. #WestsTrial
Torres Stallings finished. #WestsTrial
Timothy Hennessy, lead attorney for Trezell West, is now questioning Kim. #WestsTrial
Kim is testifying to how the testing and analysis helps them determine the odds of a DNA profile being left by someone else. #WestsTrial
Kim found 1 item had a profile that may have come from a BPD officer on it. He said they try to catch contamination from "staff profiles" on items they receive. #WestsTrial
Hennessy ended his questioning. #WestsTrial
Kim has been excused. #WestsTrial
Court is in recess for 15 minutes. #WestsTrial
Judge Charles R. Brehmer said it's "highly likely" the jury will get the case around May 17. They're ahead of scheduled. #WestsTrial
Darren Wonderly has been called to the stand. He's an investigator with the DA's office. #WestsTrial
Wonderly does analysis of call detail records, among other things. #WestsTrial
Wonderly reviewed phone records in this case. He listed several numbers. #WestsTrial
Wonderly said he created PowerPoint presentations. #WestsTrial
One is for Trezell and Jacqueline West, the other for Ralph Mosely and Ryan Dean. #WestsTrial
Wonderly is pointing out what a call detail record contains: the length of the call, when it began and ended, the numbers involved, etc. #WestsTrial
Wonderly received both Sprint and T-Mobile records for the numbers. Sprint was taken over by T-Mobile in 2020. #WestsTrial
The records were in Coordinated Universal Time (UTC) and were adjusted by Wonderly to Pacific Standard Time. #WestsTrial
The UTC timeline is 8 hours ahead of Pacific Standard Time, Wonderly said. #WestsTrial
Wonderly said a number for Moseley was reviewed from 7/30/2020 to 10/30/2020. A map shows all the cell towers used for that number during that time period. The same number with the T-Mobile record went into 2021. #WestsTrial
Wonderly said he was asked to analyze any records in the California City or eastern Kern area. There were 6 different tower usages in Cal City for Moseley's number on Dec. 23, 2020. #WestsTrial
That was the only date on the T-Mobile record for Ralph Moseley's number in the Cal City area, Wonderly said. #WestsTrial
Records were examined from June 30, 2020 into 2021 and Dec. 23, 2020 was the only date his number used cell towers in that area, Wonderly said. That's 2 days after the boys were reported missing. #WestsTrial
A number associated with Ryan Dean -- the boys' biological mother -- was examined from July 17, 2020 to March 10, 2021, Wonderly said.
Asked to look for usages in eastern Kern, Wonderly found a tower usages southwest of California City on Dec. 23, 2020 from 11 a.m. to 5:38 p.m. Two other usages occurred on Jan. 2, 2021, he said. #WestsTrial
Neither Dean's nor Moseley's numbers used cell towers in the Cal City area on the day the boys were reported missing, according to Wonderly. #WestsTrial
Wonderly has moved on to call detail records for Trezell and Jacqueline West. #WestsTrial
For a number associated with Jacqueline West, on Sept. 11, 2020, it was associated with towers in California City around 12:36 p.m. There was a tower usage near Lotus Lane later the same day, Wonderly said. #WestsTrial
The Wests lived in an apartment on Lotus Lane before moving to Cal City. A phone call was made late on Sept. 12, 2020, Wonderly said. Ten records were captured on Sept. 13, 2020. #WestsTrial
On Sept. 14, multiple towers were used in the Bakersfield area, and on Sept. 15, 2020, there were 3 transactions captured by a tower in Cal City, Wonderly said. #WestsTrial
On Sept. 16 and 17, a tower near Lotus Lane captured multiple records, and on Sept. 18 a tower was used in Cal City in the morning, and later the number was found back in Bakersfield near Lotus Lane. #WestsTrial
On Sept. 19, 2020, 2 tower usages were found in the morning in Cal City, Wonderly said. At 4:28 p.m. the tower near Lotus Lane was used. 7 tower usages occurred in Cal City on Sept. 20 from late in the morning to late in the afternoon. #WestsTrial
For a number associated with Trezell West, on Sept. 11 2020, it used a tower in Cal City then later a number near Lotus Lane. On 9/12 there were usages near Lotus Lane. #WestsTrial
On 9/13 multiple towers were used in the Bakersfield area, some near Lotus Lane, others near Highways 38 and 43, then back to an area north of Lotus Lane. #WestsTrial
On 9/14, records began at 7:45 a.m. to the evening and all used a tower near Lotus Lane, and some to an area southwest. On 9/15 a tower in Cal City was used, as were towers between Mojave and Tehachapi. #WestsTrial
On 9/17, 5 records used the tower near Lotus Lane. There were also usages of a tower on Union Avenue. On 9/18, there were several records captured in the morning in Cal City. #WestsTrial
Also on 9/18, there were usages near Lotus Lane and for towers to the southwest. #WestsTrial
On 9/19, 2020, from 10:30 a.m. to 12:19 p.m., a tower in Cal City was used. On the same day, from 4:34 p.m. to 8:59 p.m., the tower near Lotus Lane was used. #WestsTrial
On 9/20 there were more usages in Cal City. #WestsTrial
For Jacqueline West on 12/21/20 a tower in the Bakersfield area was used near Potoma Avenue in the early evening and later. There was a 10-minute call late that evening. #WestsTrial
There were multiple records showing calls between 2 numbers on that date, Wonderly said. Smith ended his questioning. #WestsTrial
Hennessy is now questioning Wonderly. #WestsTrial
Hennessy ended and Torres Stallings is cross-examining Wonderly. He said the call detail records reflect phone calls and text messages, nothing else. #WestsTrial
Wonderly has been excused. #WestsTrial
Court is in recess and the trial will resume 9 a.m. on Monday. #WestsTrial

• • •

Missing some Tweet in this thread? You can try to force a refresh
 

Keep Current with KGET 17 News

KGET 17 News Profile picture

Stay in touch and get notified when new unrolls are available from this author!

Read all threads

This Thread may be Removed Anytime!

PDF

Twitter may remove this content at anytime! Save it as PDF for later use!

Try unrolling a thread yourself!

how to unroll video
  1. Follow @ThreadReaderApp to mention us!

  2. From a Twitter thread mention us with a keyword "unroll"
@threadreaderapp unroll

Practice here first or read more on our help page!

More from @KGETnews

Apr 25
Court is back in session with another witness testifying via Zoom. This witness is the sister of Jacqueline West. She now lives in Oregon, where she went to escape an abuser, she said. #WestsTrial
When she moved to Oregon the Wests had only their first two children, she said. #WestsTrial
The sister said she became aware her mother was fostering children, and she also became aware Jacqueline and Trezell became foster parents. #WestsTrial
Read 100 tweets
Apr 25
The trial of Trezell and Jacqueline West resumes this morning with testimony from Apryl Brown, a criminalist at the Kern Regional Crime Lab. #WestsTrial
The Wests are charged with murder and other crimes in the deaths of adopted sons Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3. Their bodies have not been found. #WestsTrial
Brown helped process the Wests van in December 2020. She was told to look for blood stains in the vehicle. #WestsTrial
Read 101 tweets
Mar 29
Officer Brian Hansen of the Cal City PD has taken the stand in the second day of trial for Trezell and Jacqueline West. The Wests are charged with murder and other offenses in the deaths of their adopted sons Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3. #WestsTrial
On Dec. 21, 2020, the day Orrin and Orson were reported missing, Hansen went to the Wests home. He had a police trainee, Joshua Flores, with him. #WestsTrial
Prosecutor Eric Smith is questioning Hansen about what he saw when he first arrived. The officer said he contacted Jacqueline and Trezell West. They told him Trezell was in the backyard gathering firewood while the children were playing. #WestsTrial
Read 137 tweets
Mar 28
The trial of Trezell and Jacqueline West -- accused in the deaths of Orrin, 4, and Orson, 3 -- is scheduled to begin at 9 a.m. The Wests were the adoptive parents of the boys, who were reported missing in December 2020. #WestsTrial
The Wests are charged with 2nd-degree murder, involuntary manslaughter, child cruelty, falsely reporting an emergency and conspiracy. It's also alleged they induced a minor to commit a crime. #WestsTrial
Prosecutors have said Orrin and Orson died three months before the Wests reported them missing but have remained tight-lipped on what evidence they have the boys are dead. Their bodies have not been found. A gag order bars attorneys from speaking about the case. #WestsTrial
Read 135 tweets

Did Thread Reader help you today?

Support us! We are indie developers!


This site is made by just two indie developers on a laptop doing marketing, support and development! Read more about the story.

Become a Premium Member ($3/month or $30/year) and get exclusive features!

Become Premium

Don't want to be a Premium member but still want to support us?

Make a small donation by buying us coffee ($5) or help with server cost ($10)

Donate via Paypal

Or Donate anonymously using crypto!

Ethereum

0xfe58350B80634f60Fa6Dc149a72b4DFbc17D341E copy

Bitcoin

3ATGMxNzCUFzxpMCHL5sWSt4DVtS8UqXpi copy

Thank you for your support!

Follow Us on Twitter!

:(