Colorado forensic scientist sentenced to 10 years for misreporting criminal evidence

Yvonne Woods, a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation forensic scientist, was sentenced to 10 years after pleading guilty to four felonies for misreporting DNA results in 53 cases between 2008 and 2023, including sexual assault, robbery, and murder investigations. She reported ‘no male DNA found’ in samples where male DNA was in fact present or should have been retested, causing some investigations to stall that might otherwise have led to charges.

The state has spent an estimated $11 million retesting samples and providing legal aid to address the fallout. Woods told investigators during a recorded interview she could not explain her own conduct beyond a vague ‘disconnect,’ while her attorney argued she was overloaded, handling more than 600 cases a year at the time, roughly six times her early-career workload.

Her work has already unraveled at least one conviction on appeal, with Juan Manuel Castorena pleading guilty to a lesser manslaughter charge after his murder conviction was vacated, and a 2012 case is now being revisited with the original defendant out on bond seeking dismissal.

The full dispatch is available from the source below.