Oct. 01--ELKHART -- An Elkhart County police detective didn't go far enough in evaluating fingerprint evidence in a murder case, Sheriff Brad Rogers said Monday.
Detective Dennis Chapman presented evidence in the 2005 trial of Lana Canen, who was convicted of the 2002 killing of Helen Sailor at Elkhart's Waterfall High Rise apartments. Chapman now says he made a mistake in the fingerprint analysis, and Elkhart County Prosecutor Curtis Hill wants the murder conviction to be overturned.
At a Monday press conference, Sheriff Rogers said Chapman has been disciplined, but declined to say how.
"It's confidential," he said.
Sequence of events
Rogers said Elkhart city police asked Chapman to look at fingerprints in the Sailor homicide case, in which Canen was a suspect.
The sheriff said Chapman conducted a "level-one basic comparison" on key similarities between a latent print -- one retrieved at the crime scene -- and fingerprints taken from Canen when she was taken into custody. According to the prosecutor, Chapman testified that a fingerprint recovered from a plastic pill container in the victim's home matched Canen's left small finger.
Rogers said that prior to a post-conviction relief hearing for Canen in August, Chapman saw evidence presented by a defense expert. That evidence depicted a higher level of analysis of the print, the sheriff said, and Chapman was convinced he made an error.
Chapman reported his error to his supervisor, and Rogers ordered an internal investigation.
"It was discovered Chapman conducted a basic comparison of the print based on his experience and training at that time, but the comparison did not go far enough," Rogers said. "Detective Chapman's analysis was in error."
Rogers said the sheriff's department has core values of integrity and fairness. He added that Chapman admitted his error openly in court and to Rogers' office on his own initiative.
"We as police officers are fallible," Rogers said. "I commend Detective Chapman for adhering to those core values, and I still consider Detective Chapman as an officer of integrity."
Canen was sentenced to 55 years in the Indiana Department of Correction following her conviction by an Elkhart Circuit Court jury. Prosecutor Hill said last week he no longer considers Chapman's testimony at Canen's trial to be credible, and he's seeking to have Canen's murder conviction vacated.
If Circuit Court Judge Terry Shewmaker vacates Canen's conviction, the murder charge against her will be reinstated.
According to Hill, Canen had been accused of being an accomplice in the beating, robbery and murder of Sailor. Co-defendant Andrew Royer was also convicted of Sailor's murder and is serving a 55-year prison term.
Cara Schaefer Wieneke, Canen's defense attorney since 2008, told The Goshen News last week that her client has always maintained her innocence.
Copyright 2012 - Goshen News, Ind.
