Its way beyond wasted tax dollars. Due to budget cuts, The state crime labs that process DNA samples are so backlogged with crime scene samples that the delays in suspect ID confirmations by DNA often occur at least 10 years after the trials and convictions of these prime suspects.

Since some of these convictions end up not being the person whose DNA was collected at the scene, they end up being exhonerated and released after serving a decade or more in prison, and, you guessed it- they sue the state for millions of dollars for wrongful conviction and imprisonment.

A recent high-profile case in Milwaukee involved a serial killer who raped and killed around 8 women during a ~10 year period. He was out and about because the wrong person was convicted (and later exonerated) for the murder of the first woman. The true perp was not caught until the last murder and his DNA confirmed that he killed all 8 women. It was during this same time period that this turtle DNA took priority in the crime lab, over actual murder cases. And people still wonder why there is so much contempt for the government and legal system.

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