Quote:
Originally Posted by ratbastid
Also, there's really no such thing as a DNA partial match. Fingerprints can be partial, but DNA's either a match or it's not. They could ask you if a close relative was in Florida 15 years ago, but the DNA is either yours or it's not.
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Not true. The quality of DNA evidence linked to a crime can be very poor. They may have only fragments of the supposed criminal's genome, which could match up with the corresponding fragments of your genome.
Also, we're shedding DNA all the time. What's the probablility that you shed a hair on the person who sat next to you on the bus, or that the next customer in your booth at a restaurant picked up some of your dead skin cells by accident? Your DNA is in a lot of places, some of which you've never been to, some of which may be or become crime scenes.
This is similar to talking to police and your right to remain silent (see my first blog post). Evidence that you provide, including DNA, can be used to convict you when you're innocent.