September 29, 2009
Rape & Murder: Indiana Supreme Court Upholds Conviction of Molester on Murdered Baby's DNA Test Results
SOUTH BEND -- A majority of Indiana Supreme Court justices have ruled against a convicted child molester who claimed evidence presented in his case violated his Sixth Amendment rights. The decision comes on the heels of a recent controversial Supreme Court case that ruled lab technicians must appear in court, rather than send affidavits only. The local case centers on 40-year-old Richard Pendergrass, of South Bend, who was convicted of child molesting in 2007 for impregnating a female relative. A doctor determined the 13-year-old victim was pregnant after she became ill at school, according to court documents. The girl revealed to her mother that Pendergrass was the father and that the abuse started when she was 11. Shortly afterward, the teen had an abortion. An investigation led to the aborted fetus being sent for DNA testing, according to court documents, and examinations found that Pendergrass had a 99.9999 chance of being the aborted fetus' father. But during Pendergrass' trial, he objected to the court admitting documents detailing the DNA analysis, insisting that without the actual lab technicians, the paperwork was hearsay.Click Here For The Full Story......