Prosecuting Cold Cases Using DNA 2024

The Office of the Queens County District Attorney (QDA) will utilize this funding to prosecute violent crime cold cases where DNA from a suspect has been identified, and to decrease the number of violent crime cases awaiting prosecution. QDA is responsible for the investigation and prosecution of all criminal conduct that occurs in Queens County, New York. QDA is staffed with approximately 385 assistant district attorneys and an additional 472 investigators, paralegals, and other support personnel. In 2020, QDA created a unit devoted exclusively to prosecuting cold cases. The Cold Case Unit is the first unit ever in Queens County dedicated entirely to investigating and solving the county’s oldest and most challenging unsolved homicide cases. The unit uses groundbreaking forensic testing and cutting-edge investigative techniques to examine unsolved crimes to bring long-awaited justice to victims and their families. The overall goals and objectives of this project are to increase the number of cold case prosecutions where a suspect’s DNA has been identified; increase QDA’s capacity to investigate and close violent crime cases; decrease the number of unresolved cold cases where suspect DNA has been identified; enhance inter-agency cooperation through data sharing with partner agencies; and increase the participation of Queens residents in assisting the law enforcement community. Achieving these goals and objectives will increase the overall quality of criminal justice in Queens County.