
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: TUESDAY, August 23, 1994                   TAG: 9408230099
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: LOS ANGELES  NOTE: LEDE                                 LENGTH: Medium

SIMPSON LINKED TO SCENE

In the strongest evidence to date, prosecutors revealed Monday that O.J. Simpson's blood has the same genetic makeup as blood drops leading from the slashed bodies of his ex-wife and her friend.

But a major battle likely will be waged over the statistical odds that the crime-scene blood drops came from Simpson.

The prosecution released its findings in court papers, saying it would be useless for the judge to allow the defense to conduct its own sophisticated DNA tests because the results won't clear Simpson.

``The defendant will not be able to show that the evidence has apparent exculpatory value because the DNA tests conducted so far implicate the defendant,'' prosecutors wrote.

The DNA evidence is expected to be the crux of the prosecution's case since there are no known eyewitnesses to the June 12 deaths of Nicole Brown Simpson, 35, and Ronald Goldman, 25. Simpson, 47, is set to go to trial Sept. 19 on murder charges.

Meanwhile, prosecutors must persuade Superior Court Judge Lance Ito to admit the DNA tests despite defense claims that the evidence is tainted. And they also need to show what the odds are that the blood is Simpson's and not someone else's.

The prosecution papers filed Monday suggested blood matches, but did not include a breakdown of the statistical odds of such matches.

Prosecutors have alleged Simpson left blood at the murder scene when he cut his finger during a struggle. Defense attorneys have provided a variety of explanations for the cut.

UCLA law professor Peter Arenella called the test results released Monday ``very significant evidence.''

But Arenella noted that the prosecution has two major hurdles ahead: persuading the judge to allow the evidence into trial, and convincing a jury there is an extreme likelihood the crime-scene blood is Simpson's and not somebody else's.

Lawyers for Simpson will likely argue that the population sample used to calculate the frequency of Simpson's blood type could indicate there are other people with the same genetic markers - perhaps even another killer.

by CNB