Name: Carrie Rosana — Direct - Day 1 - Garcia–Magbanua
Uploaded: 2019-09-26
Description: FDLE forensic biologist Carrie Rosana testified that DNA swabs from Dan Markel's car door handles and garage doorknob yielded only limited profiles, insufficient for comparison — forensic biology produced no usable evidence linking or excluding any defendant.

FDLE forensic biologist Carrie Rosana testified that DNA swabs from Dan Markel's car door handles and garage doorknob yielded only limited profiles, insufficient for comparison — forensic biology produced no usable evidence linking or excluding any defendant.

Day 2 →

Direct Direct Carrie Rosana Georgia Cappleman

1 28:58

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Yes, sir. The state calls Carrie Rosana.

2 29:43

JUDGE HANKINSON: You face the clerk, raise your right hand, please, ma'am.

3 29:55

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Please introduce yourself and spell your name.

4 29:59

CARRIE ROSANA: My name is Carrie Rosana. C-A-R-R-I-E, R-O-S-A-N-A.

5 30:05

MS. CAPPLEMAN: Sorry, jumped again. How are you employed, Ms. Rosana?

6 30:07

CARRIE ROSANA: I work as a forensic examiner with the Virginia Department of Forensic Science in Richmond, Virginia.

7 30:13

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And where were you employed back in July of 2014?

8 30:16

CARRIE ROSANA: I was working with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement Crime Laboratory in their forensic biology section.

9 30:21

MS. CAPPLEMAN: How long did you work in that capacity with FDLE?

10 30:25

CARRIE ROSANA: As a crime laboratory analyst, I was with FDLE for three years.

11 30:28

MS. CAPPLEMAN: What about before that?

12 30:30

CARRIE ROSANA: Prior to that, I worked as a forensic technologist with FDLE and also in their DNA data bank.

13 30:36

MS. CAPPLEMAN: What is your training and education in the area of DNA analysis?

14 30:40

CARRIE ROSANA: I have a bachelor of science degree in biology with a minor in chemistry from the College of New Jersey, and I have a master of science degree in genetics from Pennsylvania State University.

15 30:50

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right, what were your duties in the crime lab at FDLE?

16 30:54

CARRIE ROSANA: My job was to examine items of evidence for the presence of biological materials, and then I performed DNA testing on those items. I also would perform DNA testing on samples known as standards, which are collected from known individuals, and then I would compare the results from those standards to the results from the evidence to see if that person could have contributed to any DNA found on the evidence.

17 31:15

MS. CAPPLEMAN: So the comparison process only comes into play if you find a DNA profile on the swabs from the items, correct?

18 31:23

CARRIE ROSANA: Yes, that's correct.

19 31:24

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. Were you provided any test swabs to test for the presence of DNA in reference to the death of Dan Markel?

20 31:31

CARRIE ROSANA: Yes.

21 31:32

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And can you tell us specifically whether you were provided any swabs from the car in the case?

22 31:42

CARRIE ROSANA: Yes. Yes, I was provided four swabs from different door handles from the car.

23 31:48

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And what testing did you perform on those swabs?

24 31:51

CARRIE ROSANA: The testing that I perform uses a process called PCR, which stands for polymerase chain reaction.

25 31:58

CARRIE ROSANA: And it's a way that I'm able to identify specific areas in the DNA that are known to vary from person to person. And I do that process on both evidence samples and known samples and then compare them.

26 31:58

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And what was the result of your testing of the DNA swabs collected from the car?

27 32:16

CARRIE ROSANA: For the DNA swabs collected from the car, I obtained limited results, which means I did not develop very many DNA types, and because of that I couldn't make any comparisons to those DNA results.

28 32:27

MS. CAPPLEMAN: And what, if assuming someone touched that car and shed some skin cells, what could interfere with your ability to collect enough data to make a comparison?

29 32:36

CARRIE ROSANA: So there are a number of factors to consider. If DNA had been deposited, then the UV light from the sun, or heat, or moisture can break down the DNA, which would result in limited results. Also, if someone touches a surface, it's not guaranteed that DNA will be left behind. So there are a couple of different things that can affect that, such as the length of time they touch it. If that's very brief, it's less likely; if they hold something for a long time, they're more likely to deposit DNA. Also the frequency — the last time they washed their hands. If they've just washed their hands, there's going to be less free DNA, potentially, than if it's been a while since they washed their hands. Also the force of the contact, the surface, whether it's smooth or rough — all of those can affect whether DNA is deposited if a surface is touched.

30 33:23

MS. CAPPLEMAN: So basically nothing of value from the car as far as DNA swabs?

31 33:28

CARRIE ROSANA: That's correct.

32 33:29

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. Let's move on to the doorknobs. What swabs were you given to test in reference to doorknobs?

33 33:37

CARRIE ROSANA: I had a swab of an exterior doorknob to the house from the garage.

34 33:40

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And what testing did you perform on that item?

35 33:45

CARRIE ROSANA: The same DNA testing as I previously described.

36 33:47

MS. CAPPLEMAN: All right. And with what result?

37 33:49

CARRIE ROSANA: Again, the result from that was limited DNA results. I couldn't make any comparisons to that.

38 33:55

MS. CAPPLEMAN: No further questions.

39 33:55

JUDGE HANKINSON: Cross.

40 33:55

MR. ZANGENEH: No cross from Mr. Garcia, Judge.

41 33:57

MR. DECOSTE: No cross, Your Honor. Thank you.

42 34:05

JUDGE HANKINSON: Any juror have a question? Do you need to keep her further?

43 34:11

MS. CAPPLEMAN: No, sir.

44 34:11

JUDGE HANKINSON: You're excused. Call your next witness.

Insights

Direct Carrie Rosana

FDLE forensic analyst Carrie Rosana testified that DNA swabs from Markel's car door handles and garage doorknob all yielded insufficient results for comparison, leaving no usable DNA evidence linking or excluding any suspect.

Case Significance

All tested swabs produced DNA profiles insufficient for comparison, so the results could neither include nor exclude a person from the tested surfaces.

Four car door-handle swabs and one garage doorknob swab all yielded limited DNA results insufficient for comparison
Neither defense team cross-examined Rosana

Highlights

“For the DNA swabs collected from the car, I obtained limited results, which means I did not develop very many DNA types, and because of that I couldn't make any comparisons to those DNA results.”

— Carrie RosanaCore negative finding: DNA swabs from the car yielded insufficient profiles for comparison, meaning physical evidence could neither link nor exclude any suspect from contact with the vehicle.Testimony

Rosana confirmed that all tested surfaces — four car door-handle swabs and one garage doorknob swab — produced limited DNA results insufficient for comparison, meaning forensic biology contributed no inculpatory or exculpatory physical evidence in this case.

“If DNA had been deposited, then the UV light from the sun, or heat, or moisture can break down the DNA, which would result in limited results.”

— Carrie RosanaRosana contextualized the negative results by explaining environmental factors that degrade DNA, offering the jury a framework for why the absence of evidence does not necessarily mean no contact occurred.Procedural

Neither Garcia's nor Magbanua's defense counsel cross-examined Rosana, leaving her negative findings and PCR methodology unchallenged by either defense team.

People Mentioned

Dan Markel

Evidence Mentioned

car door handle swabsgarage doorknob swab

Deep Analysis

Attorney Strategy

Prosecution preemptively explains absence of DNA evidence

Cappleman walked Rosana efficiently through her methodology and negative results, then elicited testimony on the factors that can prevent DNA deposition or cause degradation — framing the null result as scientifically unsurprising rather than a gap in the investigation.

Testimony Themes

Negative DNA findings at crime scene

All tested surfaces yielded insufficient DNA for comparison. Rosana explained the environmental and behavioral variables — UV degradation, moisture, contact duration, hand-washing frequency, surface texture — that make DNA recovery uncertain even when physical contact occurred.

Witness Role And Importance

Witness Role And Importance

Carrie Rosana was the FDLE forensic biology analyst who tested DNA swabs collected from Markel's car door handles and garage doorknob. Her role was to determine whether contact DNA could link a suspect to the crime scene. Her uniform negative findings — no usable profiles from any tested surface — meant forensic biology contributed nothing inculpatory or exculpatory to the case.

Summary

Carrie Rosana, a forensic examiner in FDLE's forensic biology section, testified under direct examination by prosecutor Georgia Cappleman about DNA analysis she performed on swabs taken from Dan Markel's vehicle door handles and the exterior doorknob of his garage. All five swabs — four from the car and one from the doorknob — produced limited DNA profiles that could not be compared to known reference standards. Rosana identified the conditions that commonly impede DNA recovery: UV exposure, heat, moisture, brief or glancing contact, recent hand-washing, and the texture of the surface sampled. Neither defense team cross-examined her. Her testimony closed out forensic biology as an evidentiary avenue, establishing that the swab results neither connected nor cleared any defendant.

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