MIA ZAPATA Murder Trial: DNA Link Challenged

March 9, 2004

Christine Clarridge of the Seattle Times reports that jurors in the trial of Jesus Mezquia — charged with killing THE GITS singer Mia Zapata in 1993 — may have to decide whether Mezquia's DNA, which authorities say was found in bite wounds on her body, is enough to convict him of murder.

In opening statements before a courtroom packed with friends and relatives of Zapata, Deputy Prosecutor Tim Bradshaw said the case is an example of the triumph of advanced DNA technology as a tool for solving old cases.

"This case took a decade to solve, and not every question will be answered," said Bradshaw. "But the evidence that was previously left in the darkness has now been illuminated in a laboratory and will be seen in the light of this courtroom."

Zapata, 27, was last seen alive at 2 a.m. on a July morning by a girlfriend, who told police Zapata had planned to take a cab to her Rainier Valley home. Her body was found by a passer-by 75 minutes later on a dead-end street. [Read more]

Find more on

Prev More News Next

Comments Disclaimer And Information

BLABBERMOUTH.NET uses the Facebook Comments plugin to let people comment on content on the site using their Facebook account. The comments reside on Facebook servers and are not stored on BLABBERMOUTH.NET. To comment on a BLABBERMOUTH.NET story or review, you must be logged in to an active personal account on Facebook. Once you're logged in, you will be able to comment. User comments or postings do not reflect the viewpoint of BLABBERMOUTH.NET and BLABBERMOUTH.NET does not endorse, or guarantee the accuracy of, any user comment. To report spam or any abusive, obscene, defamatory, racist, homophobic or threatening comments, or anything that may violate any applicable laws, use the "Report to Facebook" and "Mark as spam" links that appear next to the comments themselves. To do so, click the downward arrow on the top-right corner of the Facebook comment (the arrow is invisible until you roll over it) and select the appropriate action. You can also send an e-mail to blabbermouthinbox(@)gmail.com with pertinent details. BLABBERMOUTH.NET reserves the right to "hide" comments that may be considered offensive, illegal or inappropriate and to "ban" users that violate the site's Terms Of Service. Hidden comments will still appear to the user and to the user's Facebook friends. If a new comment is published from a "banned" user or contains a blacklisted word, this comment will automatically have limited visibility (the "banned" user's comments will only be visible to the user and the user's Facebook friends).