"As with all successful SAKI [Sexual Assault Kit Initiative] cases and trials supported by the Bureau of Justice Assistance (BJA) over the past decade here in Dallas, BJA's backing enables our Office to conduct trauma-informed and victim-centered investigations and prosecutions of sexual offenses. The specialized members of the Dallas County DA SAKI Team would not exist without BJA SAKI funding." — Leighton D'Antoni, Assistant District Attorney for Cold Case Homicides and Sexual Assaults in the Dallas County District Attorney's Office
In August 2024, Dallas County Criminal District Attorney John Creuzot announced that Christopher Michael Green would spend the rest of his life in prison after a Dallas County jury found him guilty of aggravated sexual assault. The 52-year-old defendant was charged in a 2005 cold case attack on a young mother whom he sexually assaulted at knifepoint. This case marks the first jury trial in Dallas County history to utilize investigative genetic genealogy (IGG) as an investigative tool to help identify the suspect.
Law enforcement first identified a suspect DNA profile in one of these cases back in 2001. Over the next 15 years, the same DNA profile appeared in five more cases. However, without a prior felony conviction, Mr. Green's DNA was not in the national DNA database, precluding a match.
IGG, also called forensic genetic genealogy, is a relatively new investigative tool that combines the genetic analysis of crime scene samples with the mining of information in publicly available genetic genealogy databases and traditional genealogical records. This practice substantially increases the pool pf people from which law enforcement can search for leads.
IGG provided a breakthrough, enabling investigators to link unknown offender DNA profiles to familial connections, ultimately leading them to Green. Although IGG serves as an investigative lead and not as trial evidence, it helped put Green on the investigators' radar. Four of the six survivors identified Green in a photo lineup, but Detective Carlos Cardenas sought further confirmation and obtained a search warrant for Green's DNA via a buccal swab. The DNA was a perfect match in all six cases.
"Our support from BJA not only helped us achieve a conviction and life sentence in the Green case, but it also provided a national network of SAKI expertise and resources that all SAKI sites across the country benefit from. SAKI Dallas not only benefits from the expertise and experiences from other SAKI sites across the country but can spend time and effort helping our fellow SAKI sites," said Leighton D'Antoni, Assistant District Attorney for Cold Case Homicides and Sexual Assaults in the Dallas County District Attorney's Office.
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