Forensic Analyst ‘Surprised’ By Murder Weapon Test Results In Ware Trial

(Juneau) Monday is day six of the two-week jury trial for a Fox Lake murder suspect. Laverne Ware Jr. is charged with shooting his girlfriend and first cousin Sesalie Dixon on December 3, 2016. Ware allegedly fired three, nine-millimeter rounds into Dixon’s head. The body was found in Ware’s pickup truck at a home that was purchased by the defendant for his mother Marjorie Jones. The defense argues that the 56-year-old Jones is the actual perpetrator of the crime. They maintain that Jones was upset because Dixon had stolen money, pills and her 59-year-old, live-in boyfriend.

During testimony Friday, former Wisconsin State Crime Lab Forensic DNA Analyst Kaitlyn Perry testified that she had conducted DNA testing on several items belonging to Ware. That includes his pickup truck and both a black and a pink handgun that were recovered from the scene. While the black firearm was covered in blood, it was the punk gun that was identified as the murder weapon through matching shell casings.

While being questioned by District Attorney Kurt Klomberg, Perry said this development surprised her. Perry testified that Dixon was the primary DNA source on the trigger of the pink gun and that Ware’s father was the primary DNA contributor on the pistols slide. By contrast, most testing on the pink gun turned up only minor genetic information and did not support comparisons.