AIKEN - For more than two years, the parents of Aiken teen Jessica Carpenter waited anxiously without knowing the identity of their daughter's killer. It wasn't until a DNA match was made from a database of samples taken from convicted felons in Georgia that a suspect, former deliveryman Robert Atkins, was identified and arrested.
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Had Mr. Atkins, who is awaiting trial, been arrested for burglary in South Carolina instead of Georgia, his name might never have crossed their radar screen, authorities have said. At the time of his arrest, South Carolina maintained DNA samples of only violent criminals.
That changed this month, and 40,000 convicted felons imprisoned or under probation in South Carolina are now required to submit blood samples for a state-maintained database. State officials say the Carpenter case was instrumental in passing the legislation.
"This is a victory for the state,'' said Aiken Department of Public Safety Chief Pete Frommer, who, like other Aiken authorities, is barred by a gag order from commenting on the Carpenter case. "It's a great tool for law enforcement. The ultimate goal is a national database, because criminals don't stay in one state."
According to Lt. Ira Jeffcoats, the supervisor for the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division's DNA lab, 32 states now require DNA testing for convicted felons, and all states have some form of DNA testing required for sex offenders or violent criminals. Georgia passed a law requiring DNA from convicted felons in 2000.
The SLED lab already has 42,000 samples taken from violent offenders and sex offenders and expects that approximately 20,000 new samples will be taken in from new offenders within a year. Another 20,000 samples could come from "retroactive" samples, which must be taken from convicted felons already in the system before they leave.
Aiken County Sheriff Mike Hunt has DNA from several unsolved crimes in the pipeline for new testing and believes the expansion of samples quickly will reap benefits.
"I think within a year's time, as the database builds up, statewide you'll see a lot of unsolved cases solved,'' the sheriff said. "DNA is just something you cannot deny, and it can seal up a case very quickly.''
It can exonerate as well as convict, 2nd Circuit Solicitor Barbara Morgan noted.
"It's a sword and a shield,'' she said.
DNA has become the fingerprint of the 21st century and is becoming accepted by juries, officials say.
"I think we've learned from some of the cases we've had here that are presently ongoing that DNA is a powerful tool," Ms. Morgan said.
Reach Stephen Gurr at (803) 648-1395, ext. 110, or stephen.gurr@augustachronicle.com.
Robert Atkins: Man was arrested after a DNA match was made in Georgia. He is accused of the slaying of Aiken teen Jessica Carpenter.
