Rhode Island Public Defender Collin Geiselman has concerns about the uncertainty surrounding the validity of toolmark testing on firearms submitted as evidence in gun cases after a pause on testing at the state crime lab. (Will Steinfeld/Rhode Island Current)
More than a month since the Rhode Island State Crime Lab suspended firearm examinations, the state’s chief public defender says his office is still in the dark about what happened, leaving cases slated to go to trial in the next couple of weeks in limbo.
“Unfortunately, at this time we have little, or no more information, than the press has,” Collin Geiselman said in an email to Rhode Island Current. “ Besides being of public concern, this information is necessary for defense attorneys who are preparing to defend cases where the state is attempting to use toolmark evidence.”
Toolmark analysis, or how examiners determine if a cartridge or shell is fired from a specific gun, halted Aug. 20 after casings matched to a gun allegedly used in a crime in Pawtucket matched a different firearm in possession of the Boston Police Department. The pause was made public on Sept. 3 by the Rhode Island Office of Attorney General.