Yesterday, jury selection for the trial of police officers accused of raping an East Village woman was supposed to begin, but the prosecution asked that it be delayed for two weeks in order to present evidence to a grand jury. A judge agreed to it—grudgingly, noting, "I'm not sure why it took this long to figure this out"—and one of the cops' lawyers crowed, "They simply overlooked a piece of evidence that we believe is very favorable to the defendants in this case." more ›

In 1983 Brooklyn mechanic Godfrey Agius was fatally stabbed by a home intruder. His body was discovered by a mailman, evidence was recovered from the scene, and well, that was that. Even though the case remains unsolved, Godfrey's brother Reginald Agius has visited the 69th Precinct stationhouse every few months to check on the investigation. But on December 22nd, he was told that police had thrown out all evidence of the case 15 years ago. Reginald Agius told the Daily News, "What right does the Police Department have to throw away evidence on a murder case? They know murder cases are never closed. There's no statute of limitations....I want justice." more ›

Attorneys representing Al Qaeda-linked attempted murder suspect Aafia Siddiqui shocked a Manhattan courtroom today when they unveiled video evidence showing that two purported bullet holes in the wall of an interrogation room were there the day before their client allegedly picked up a rifle and shot at U.S. personnel. "The government says you can't press 'pause' in this case, but you can, because we have the video and we pressed 'pause,'" said lawyer Linda Moreno, as jurors looked at a still frame from a televised news conference after Siddiqui's arrest. more ›

Law enforcement agencies throughout the state will soon be allowed to use partial DNA matches to track down criminals—or people who are related to criminals, according to opponents of the new rules. Under the old rules, police could only pursue a suspect using DNA found at a crime scene if the recovered DNA is an exact match with one of the 343,000 genetic profiles contained in a state database of convicts. But starting this spring, police will be allowed to pursue suspects if DNA found at a crime scene is a partial match with someone already on file, meaning that innocent people whose relatives are in the database could come under investigation. more ›

In cities such as San Francisco and DC, and here in New York, condoms have been used as evidence against alleged prostitutes. (In DC, police have been accused of claiming that suspects carrying three or more condoms have an intent to sell sex in "Prostitution Free Zones.") Change.org asserts that the practice has had a chilling effect on safe-sex in the sex industry, with some undergound brothels refusing to keep condoms on premises. And the website also cites anecdotal reports that regular businesses have been reluctant to distribute NYC's free condoms because they can also be used as evidence of "maintaining a premises for prostitution." more ›

It's a story that Dick Wolf would approve of: A receptionist helped the cops catch a career criminal by setting aside a paper cup he used—all thanks to the armchair detective knowledge she acquired from watching crime dramas like Law & Order: SVU! Of course, the cops initially declined to take evidence—Detective Eliot Stabler would totally rage out about that. more ›

After trying to parachute off of the Empire State Building in 2006, Jeb Corliss found himself in front of a judge; at first the charges were dismissed, but earlier this year he was charged with reckless endangerment. The misdemeanor could turn the daredevil into a caged bird for up to one year. more ›

Yesterday, a NYPD trajectory expert testified about the fatal 2006 shooting of unarmed man on his wedding day. Crime scene detective Michael Cunningham, only called to examine the evidence seven months after the incident, testified he was unable to determine some trajectories because measurements supplied by the crime scene unit team were inaccurate. more ›

Attention turned to the car that Sean Bell and his friends were sitting in and a gun that was instrumental in his death at the trial of three police accused of killing him. Cops at the scene accuse Bell of striking one of the detectives with the Nissan Altima in an attempt to flee the scene, initiating a barrage of gunfire that mortally wounded the driver and seriously injured his two passengers. The bullet riddled sedan was thus examined closely during the trial to decipher whether evidence substantiated officers' claims or disputed them. more ›

The Sean Bell trial progresses, with recent attention falling on a bruise below the right knee of Detective Gescard F. Isnora. It was allegedly sustained when Isnora was struck by the car driven by Sean Bell. more ›