A judge has ruled that Jamie Snow is not entitled to DNA testing on evidence in his 2001 murder conviction in the shooting death of a Bloomington gas station attendant.
In a 4-page ruling issued Friday, Schuyler County Judge Kevin Tippey denied Snow’s request for forensic testing on blood, bullets, fingerprints and clothing from the victim, Bill Little.
Lawyers for Snow argued at a February court hearing that the DNA test results could provide new evidence to support Snow’s innocence claim. Advancements in forensic testing and the opportunity to perform tests for the first time on some evidence were the basis of the defense request.
The judge ruled that the testing “would not be exculpatory in nature based upon the trial evidence.” Prosecutors at Snow’s trial relied on witnesses who identified Snow as a suspect years after the 1991 armed robbery. Many of the witnesses have recanted their testimony or been deemed unreliable by the defense.
Tippey also determined that the evidence “has speculative probative value due to the nature of the crime scene (a gas station) and other circumstances.”
Testing on fingerprints from the door of the business is unlikely to yield new information beyond what was gleaned from the single print that was tested, said the judge, because multiple people may have left their prints on the door.
The judge similarly dismissed testing on bullets that were cleaned with bleach during previous testing and the victim’s clothing because no evidence of a struggle could be confirmed.
Lawyers for Snow are expected to file an appeal with the Fourth District Appellate Court.
