DNA and fingerprints left inside a taxicab helped police identify a man accused of shooting a cab driver last month.
The Broward man was arrested in connection with the shooting after detectives found a Mountain Dew bottle and a baseball cap inside of the cab. Police said they used DNA found on the mouth of the bottle and fingerprints from the hat to identify the suspect.
Police said the suspect has a "violent criminal history" and was released from prison 10 months ago. He was arrested December 12 on a charge of attempted murder in connection with the cab driver's shooting.
DNA evidence is a powerful tool used by prosecutors to convict people accused of crimes. I believe that DNA and fingerprint evidence - also known as physical evidence - can be even stronger and more compelling to a jury than testimonial evidence, or evidence in the form of witness testimony.
However, most cases do not involve physical evidence. Many cases are slapped together on the testimonies of witnesses and that's it. Witnesses, however, can be mistaken. People can be misidentified.
A case is significantly stronger when physical evidence is involved.