'Strong' DNA link in Beairsto case, expert testifies

There are "strong indications" DNA collected from a cord used to bind the hands ofChrystal Beairsto is that of the man accused of killing her, an RCMP expert testified on Friday.

DNA analyst Jeff Modler, appearing at the first-degree murder trial of John David Rayner in Charlottetown, said he wouldn't call the DNA a "match" or give statistical odds that it belongs to Rayner, because the DNA police found was mixed with Beairsto's and separating the two is difficult.

Police took samples of DNA from the crime scene area — from Beairsto's body, her bike, a ballcap, a sandal and a tree branch. Modler then compared it against profiles of 90 people connected to the case, including Rayner.

Modler said there are "strong indications" that DNA found on the cord used to bind Beairsto's hands behind her back belongs to the 31-year-old defendant.

In fact, he said, in a group of a million people, Rayner's profile would be the most similar.

On cross-examination, Modler conceded that DNA showing up on an object is not necessarily of the person who handled it most recently, and DNA can stay on objects for years.

Much of the four weeks of testimony so far has dealt with the other suspects police investigated and why they were ruled out. There were no eye-witnesses to the crime and no murder weapon was found.

The doctor who did the autopsy on Beairsto, a 23-year-old mother of two, previously testified that she was strangled and stabbed and that she had bled to death.

Her body was found onJuly 28, 2002, in a wooded area off the Confederation Trail in the north of Charlottetown.

When the trial continues on Tuesday, another DNA expert will take the stand. He'll be the last witness for the prosecution.