People v. Pike

104 So. 3d 97 (2012)

Study Aids
Case Briefs Overview
Casebooks
Case Briefs
P
From our private database of 46,300+ case briefs, written and edited by humans—never with AI.

People v. Pike

Illinois Appellate Court
104 So. 3d 97 (2012)

Facts

Rashon Pike (defendant) was charged with armed robbery by firearm. Two victims identified Pike as being involved in the robbery. At trial, the State of Illinois (plaintiff) presented testimony from forensic scientist Lisa Fallara about DNA testing conducted on swab samples from a handgun connected to the robbery. Fallara analyzed the samples using Y-chromosome short tandem repeat (Y-STR) analysis, which looks at locations on the male Y chromosome. Fallara explained that Y-STR testing is generally accepted by the scientific community and that it is a way to obtain a DNA profile from a swab sample with a small amount of DNA. Fallara testified that she found a mix of two males’ DNA on the swabs from the handgun. When she compared the DNA profile from the swabs to Pike’s DNA profile, she could not exclude Pike as a contributor to the DNA mixture. However, Fallara could not identify him specifically as the contributor. She calculated that the DNA profile from the swabs was consistent with one in every two Black males, Caucasian males, and Hispanic males. Fallara explained that, in other words, this meant that 50 percent of the population could have contributed to the mixed DNA profile in the sample, and Pike was a member of that group. The jury ultimately convicted Pike, and he appealed to the Illinois Court of Appeals.

Rule of Law

Issue

Holding and Reasoning (Pucinski, J.)

What to do next…

  1. Unlock this case brief with a free (no-commitment) trial membership of Quimbee.

    You’ll be in good company: Quimbee is one of the most widely used and trusted sites for law students, serving more than 805,000 law students since 2011. Some law schools—such as Yale, Berkeley, and Northwestern—even subscribe directly to Quimbee for all their law students.

    Unlock this case briefRead our student testimonials

  2. Learn more about Quimbee’s unique (and proven) approach to achieving great grades at law school.

    Quimbee is a company hell-bent on one thing: helping you get an “A” in every course you take in law school, so you can graduate at the top of your class and get a high-paying law job. We’re not just a study aid for law students; we’re the study aid for law students.

    Learn about our approachRead more about Quimbee

Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:

  • Written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students. 46,300 briefs, keyed to 988 casebooks. Top-notch customer support.
  • The right amount of information, includes the facts, issues, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents.
  • Access in your classes, works on your mobile and tablet. Massive library of related video lessons and high quality multiple-choice questions.
  • Easy to use, uniform format for every case brief. Written in plain English, not in legalese. Our briefs summarize and simplify; they don’t just repeat the court’s language.

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership
Here's why 805,000 law students have relied on our case briefs:
  • Reliable - written by law professors and practitioners, not other law students
  • The right length and amount of information - includes the facts, issue, rule of law, holding and reasoning, and any concurrences and dissents
  • Access in your class - works on your mobile and tablet
  • 46,300 briefs - keyed to 988 casebooks
  • Uniform format for every case brief
  • Written in plain English - not in legalese and not just repeating the court's language
  • Massive library of related video lessons - and practice questions
  • Top-notch customer support

Access this case brief for FREE

With a 7-day free trial membership

Casebooks

Evidence

Key Terms