Pete Ochoa
Steven’s played a video clip of witness Pete Ochoa. Ochoa is the man who lied on the stand in drama queen fashion saying that he will never forget the face of the attacker, saying it was Mark. Steven’s didn’t play, of course, the entire video clip of Ochoa’s testimony where he admitted lying on the stand since he really never saw the face of the attacker. Ochoa told not one but two police officers that the attacker had the hood of his jacket covering his head and not only could he not see his face; he couldn’t even tell the police what race the suspect was.
Any witness other witness or victim who lied on the stand were effectively impeached by Mark's attorneys.
Surveillance with white van while / crimes stopped
Stevens argued that the crimes stopped after Mark saw a white van parked in front of our house and realized he was under surveillance. The truth: Not a single office who participated in the surveillance testified that they used a white van, nor parked in front of our house. In fact, the lead surveillance officer testified that the last thing they want to do is let a suspect know they’re under surveillance so they would never be as obvious as Stevens stated. Moreover, he testified he was in a flatbed truck parked down the street and that the surveillance was called off after a few days due to “no suspicious activity.”
As for the crime’s stopping, that statement is just absurd. As if the police are going to call ongoing Baseline crimes after Mark’s arrest, Baseline crimes. The media, at least most of the reporters such as Michael Keifer of the Arizona Republic, only write what the police tell them. So even if the MO is the same as the Baseline crimes, police aren’t going to say that, nor will the media. Further, there is no way every single crime committed in the Valley since Mark’s arrest over the past 5+ years could be compared to the so-called Baseline crimes. With a backlog of cases in the 1000s Phoenix just does not have the resources to do comparisons of every single crime. As Judge Granville stated, making the statement that the crimes stopped “is a bridge too far.”
The conversation that never happened
Stevens also said in closing that Mark and I had a phone conversation about him knowing he was under surveillance. Five years of daily recorded conversations, 5 years of regular jail visit recorded conversation, nearly 2000 in all, the State did not produce a single recording, not one. The prosecution never produced a recording of that conversation. Because it never happened. Just more noise from a hissing gas bag.
The DNA
There are myriads of issues with the State’s so-called DNA evidence. Here are some of those issues as previously blogged:
- Let’s begin with the matter of the only DNA expert who obtained Mark “cannot be excluded” results, is Lorrain Heath of DPS. And btw “cannot be excluded” is the same as “cannot be included.”
- Every single result the City of Phoenix crime lab had EXCLUDES Mark as a contributor.
- The only DNA expert who told jurors one set of swabs was wet, in a baggie in a glass tube, was Lorrain Heath. She supposedly got results from these wet swabs. Heath’s testimony is in complete contradiction of the doctor and a detective who had both testified those swabs were dried and packaged in a paper envelope the way every other swab in this case was. But changes once in the hands of Heath. Not only is there the obvious swicheroo going on here, there is also the issue of mold developing and DNA degrading on wet swabs stored for 5 months in that condition.
- In 2007 there were 300 in the database, with the Goudeau Y as the only one. Now 2 more UNRELATED males in the 1,200 Y-DNA database whose DNA are IDENTICAL to Mark’s paternal Y-DNA. Can you imagine how many more identical Y-DNA profiles there will be as this database grows? If there are now 3 UNRELATED males with IDENTICAL Y-DNA profiles, how many more in say 1 million?
- DNA is water soluble which means it will dissolve or wash away in water. Only Lorrain Heath said she obtained Y-DNA results from a victim who was found face down in a bathtub full of water where she had been for hours. Heath would have a better chance of getting hit by lightening in her lab than she would getting any DNA results in this situation.
- That every single raw DNA sample swab was destroyed/consumed by Lorrain Heath leaving absolutely nothing for Mark’s lab to test.
- That once Alex Femania and Lorrain Heath found out Chromosomal Labs would do testing on Mark’s case for FREE, Heath destroyed every other remaining swabs, even those they already had results, needed no further testing. Even DNA extracts were destroyed.
- The only DNA expert at the so-called Baseline task team meetings with Alex Femenia was none other than Lorrain Heath. No other DNA experts were allowed although there were many, many other DNA analysts involved in the research and testing.
- And finally, Heath leaves the country shortly after Mark’s arrest.
Closing argument today by Rod Carter and Randy Craig, Mark’s defense team.
