DNA expert confirms blood found on Doll's coveralls came from Benaquist

BATAVIA, NY -- DNA expert Ellyn Colquhoun testified today in the murder trial of Scott Doll and confirmed that the blood found on Doll's coveralls, in and on his van and on his shoes was that of his friend and business associate Joseph Benaquist.

Colquhoun is a forensic biologist with the Monroe County Public Safety Lab in Rochester.

Assistant District Attorney Will Zickl went through, methodically and thoroughly, more than two dozen blood samples that were tested at the lab and introduced each sample -- noting its evidence number and location it was found -- and asking Colquhoun to confirm the nature of the evidence and what she found.

Presenting charts that compared the DNA markers of each sample with that of a sample taken from Benaquist's autopsy, Colquhoun confirmed the samples where that of Benaquist.

One sample -- the blood found on Doll's cheek -- contained both Benaquist's and Doll's DNA, Colquhoun testified.

At the lunch break, Doll's attorney Paul Cambria said, "We don't dispute that it's Benaquist's blood," indicating that during the afternoon cross examination of Colquhoun will be limited.

The process of blood evidence introduction was careful and precise, with Zickl using the same set of questions for each new sample. Still, even some of the jurors who are normally the most attentive were finding it hard to stay riveted to the process. And Juror 8, who has previously been admonished about apparently falling asleep during proceedings, struggled to sit up straight and keep his eyes open.

Another forensic biologist, Stephanie Honeycutt, was on the stand first. It was her job to first receive the blood evidence, analyze it and do the initial tests to confirm that it was human blood. All of the blood samples were human, she said.