Trial focuses on DNA

PROVO — In a scene worthy of a "CSI" episode, forensics expert Pilar Shortsleeve testified to a Provo courtroom Wednesday about the intricate importance of DNA to crime scene investigations.

"We have all the same building blocks," Shortsleeve explained to jurors picked for the Robert Steven Hatch murder trial in 4th District Court. "The arrangement of them is different depending on the individual. In forensics, we are more concerned with the differences."

Particularly, prosecutors are concerned about a speck of blood discovered on a shoeless Robert Hatch's sock following his arrest in the murder of his estranged wife, Sharee Hatch, who suffered fatal wound to her face and shoulder after being shot by an intruder while her boyfriend, Mike Pino, searched in a nearby closet for a gun.

While attorney David Wayment has insisted that DNA testing confirmed the speck to be Sharee Hatch's blood, Shortsleeve did not broach the topic during her testimony Wednesday. Shortsleeve is expected to address the topic during continued testimony Friday when the trial resumes.

Instead, Wednesday's proceedings focused on tedious testimony — blood spatter and DNA analysis, which help establish crime-scene scenarios and link potential suspects to crimes.

While the specks on Hatch's white sock are allegedlya DNA match with Sharee Hatch's blood, other possible connections fell short, including what appeared to be a footprint on the door to the victim's bedroom.

"I am not even sure if there are footmark impressions. The characteristics of the shoe do not match any of the impressions on the door," testified Utah State Crime Lab technician Kevin Patrick, who said he received a shoe confiscated by police from a trash receptacle in Spanish Fork Canyon to compare with marks on the door, which prosecutors say Robert Hatch kicked in.

Defense attorneys, however, continue to contend that Pino is responsible for the murder, pointing to inconsistencies in the crime — including a white robe found draping Sharee Hatch's leg — as evidence of Pino's guilt.

Patrick confirmed the robe's awkward placement, pointing to bloodstains on the robe as an indication it had been moved from its original location.

"There were bloodstains there, but they were not connected to a source of blood," Patrick explained, referring to the photo. "Obviously, at one time they had been close to an area of a lot of blood and then they had been moved."

Questions regarding the murder weapon — allegedly a sawed-off shotgun — also surfaced during Patrick's questioning. Since the gun bore no blood spatter, Patrick suggested that it could have been cleaned following the crime.

"If it (blood) was still fresh, it could be washed off easily with water," Patrick said. "Because of the mass injuries and the massive amounts of blood, that gun could have picked up blood anywhere in the room."

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E-mail: lwarner@desnews.com