INDIANA, Pa. -- A judge has rejected the appeal of a former state trooper serving life in prison for the slashing death of his live-in girlfriend's estranged husband in Indiana County.
Attorneys for 44-year-old Kevin Foley, of White Township, contend DNA samples under Blairsville dentist John Yelenic's fingernails were matched to Foley using "junk science." They also claim jurors improperly discussed the case before deliberations.
Three experts testified to the fingerprint match, but Foley's attorneys say the samples were contaminated by being stored in an unrefrigerated locker for a year before the tests were done.
Indiana County Judge William Martin rejected those appeals this week, so Foley's attorneys say they'll appeal to the Superior Court.
Foley killed Yelenic on April 13, 2006, a day before he was to sign papers in a divorce so acrimonious that Yelenic's attorney tried unsuccessfully to get the divorce decree issued after his death.
Previous Stories: - September 30, 2009: Ex-Trooper's Slaying Appeal Claims Jury Misconduct
- June 17, 2009: Ex-Trooper Appeals Murder Conviction For Girlfriend's Husband's Death
- June 1, 2009: Ex-Trooper Who Killed Girlfriend's Husband Gets Life Sentence, Lecture From Judge
- March 19, 2009: Trooper Found Guilty In Death Of Blairsville Dentist Plans Appeal
- March 19, 2009: Jury Reaches Guilty Verdict In Trooper's Murder Trial
- March 18, 2009: Trooper Accused Of Homicide Testifies 'Death Wish' Was Joke
- March 18, 2009: Blogging The Pa. State Trooper Trial: Jennifer Miele In Court (Week 2)
- March 17, 2009: Pastor Testifies On Pa. State Trooper's Behalf In Murder Trial
- March 17, 2009: Blogging The Pa. State Trooper Trial: Jennifer Miele In Indiana County
- March 16, 2009: Trooper's Defense Team Pushes Money As Possible Murder Motive
- March 13, 2009: Bloody Shoeprints, Sheetz Video Shown In Trooper's Murder Trial
- March 12, 2009: DNA Experts Claim Match In Pa. Trooper's Murder Trial
- March 11, 2009: Pa. Troopers Testify Against Their Own In Dentist's Slaying
- March 10, 2009: Dentist's Grisly Injuries Described At Pa. Trooper's Trial
- March 9, 2009: Dentist's Bloody Divorce Papers Shown At Pa. Trooper's Trial
- March 4, 2009: Jury Almost Complete; Pa. Trooper's Homicide Trial Stays Local
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