| |
Professional Experience
| 12/01-present |
Director and Senior Scientist , QuestGen Forensics, LLC, 1046 Olive Drive
Suite1, Davis, CA |
| 4/96-11/01 |
Scientist, Celera AgGen, 1756 Picasso Avenue, Davis, CA |
| 1/89-4/96 |
President, Zoogen, Inc. 1756 Picasso Ave, Davis, CA |
| 1/87-12/88 |
Post-doctoral Researcher, University of California, Davis, CA |
| 7/81-12/86 |
Veterinary clinician, veterinary hospitals in Canberra, Australia and Sacramento, CA |
Education
| Year |
Degree |
Institution |
Specialization |
 |
| 1985 |
Masters |
University of California, Davis, CA |
Veterinary Epidemiology |
| 1981 |
Doctorate |
University of California, Davis, CA |
Veterinary Medicine |
| 1976 |
Bachelor |
University of California, San Diego, CA |
Biology |
Professional Memberships
| American Academy of Forensic Science |
| American Veterinary Medical Association |
| Association of Avian Veterinarians |
| International Society of Animal Genetics |
| J. Halverson, C. Basten. 2005. A PCR multiplex and database for forensic
DNA identification of dogs. Journal of Forensic Science 50(2):352-363. |
| S. Denise, E. Johnston, J. Halverson, K. Marshall, D. Rosenfeld, S. Mckenna,
T. Sharp, J. Edwards. 2004.Power of exclusion for parentage verification and
probability of match for identity in American Kennel Club breeds using seventeen
canine microsatellite markers. Animal Genetics. 35(1): 14-17. |
| C. Vila, C. Walker, A. Sundqvist, O. Flagstad, Z. Andersone, A. Casulli, I.
Kojola, H. Valdman, J. Halverson, H. Ellengren. 2003. Combined use of maternal
paternal and bi-parental genetic markers for the identification of wolf-dog
hybrids. Heredity 90(1): 17-24. |
| J. Halverson, L. Spelman. 2002. Sex determination and its role in management.
in Komodo Dragons - Biology And Management, Smithsonian Institution Press, 2002.
pp.165-177. |
| D. Eason, C. Millar, A. Cree, J. Halverson, D. Lambert. 2001. A comparison of
five methods for assignment of sex in the Takahe (Aves:Porphyrio Mantelli).
Journal of Zoology, 253(3):281-292. |
| C. Millar, G. Taylor, P. Moore, J. Halverson, D. Lambert. A novel restriction
fragment length polymorphism for petrels or tube-nosed birds. Molecular Ecology
9(11):1915-1917. |
| A. Carmichael, A. Fridolfsson, J. Halverson, H. Ellengren. 2000. Male-biased
mutation rates revealed from z and w chromosome-linked ATP synthase alpha-subunit
(ATP5a1) sequences in birds. Journal of Molecular Evolution, 50(5): 443-447. |
G. Shutler, P. Gagnon, G. Verret, H. Kalyn, M. Korkosh, E. Johnston, J.
Halverson. 1999. Removal of a PCR inhibitor and resolution of DNA STR types in
mixed human-canine stains from a five year old case. Journal of Forensic Science
44(3) :623-626. 1999. |
| J. Halverson, J. Dvorak, T. Stevenson. 1995. Microsatellite sequences for
canine genotyping. United States Patent Application, Registration No. 36,377. |
| J. Halverson, G. Sverlow. 1994. Methods and compositions for the diagnosis of
flea allergies. United States Patent Application, Serial No. 08/333,952. |
| J. Halverson, J. Dvorak. 1993. Avian sex identification probes. United States
Patent Serial No. 08/194,131. |
| A. Fridolfsson, H. Cheng, N. Copeland, N. Jenkins, Liu Hsiao-Ching, T.
Raudsepp, T. Woodage, C. Bhanu, J. Halverson, H. Ellengren. 1998. Evolution of
the avian sex chromosomes from an ancestral pair of autosomes. Proceedings of the
National Academy of Sciences of the United States Of America, 95(14):8147-8152. |
| C. Millar, C. Reed, J. Halverson, D. Lambert. 1997. Captive management and
molecular sexing of endangered avian species: an application to the Black Stilt
(Himantopus novaezelandiae) and hybrids. Biological Conservation 82(1):81-86. |
| T. Fleming, J. Halverson, J. Buchanan. 1996. Use of DNA analysis to identify
sex of Northern Spotted Owls (Strix Occidentalis Caurina). Journal Of Raptor
Research 30(3):118-122. |
| C. Millar, D. Lambert, S. Anderson, J. Halverson. 1996. Molecular sexing of
the communally breeding Pukeko - an important ecological tool. Molecular
Ecology5(2):289-293. |
| T. Sabo, R. Kesseli, J. Halverson, I. Nisbet, et al.1994. PCR-based method
for sexing Roseate Terns (Sterna Dougallii). Auk111(4):1023-1027. |
| J. Halverson, J. Dvorak. 1993. Genetic control of sex determination in birds
and the potential for its manipulation. Poultry Science72(5):890-896. |
| J. Dvorak, J. Halverson, P. Gulick, K. Rauen, et al. 1992. cDNA cloning of a
Z-linked and W-linked gene in gallinaceous birds. Journal Of Heredity83(1):22-25. |
|
| J. Halverson and C. Basten. The impact of canine inbreeding on likelihood
calculations for the significance of DNA matches in forensic investigations.
International Society of Animal Genetics. Tokyo, Japan. September 2004. |
| J. Halverson. 2002. Canine mitochondrial haplotyping and its use in criminal
investigations. Cambridge Healthtech Institutes Fifth Annual DNA Forensics
Meeting, Washington, Dc. June 2002. |
| J. Halverson, E. Johnston, L. Bickel, T. Sharp, J. Edwards. 2000. The AKC
breed study: STR polymorphism at 17 loci in 91 AKC-registered breeds.
International Society of Animal Genetics. Minneapolis, Minnesota, USA. July 2000. |
| J. Halverson, M. Malandro. 2000. The utility of mitochondrial hypervariable
regions (Hv1 And Hv2) as forensic tools of feline and canine identification.
Plant and Animal Genome Viii, San Diego, California. January 2000. |
| J. Halverson, J. Edwards. 1998. Microsatellite polymorphism in major dog
breeds. International Society of Animal Genetics. Auckland, New Zealand. July
1998. Abstract in Animal Genetics 29 (Suppl.1) |
| J. Ziegle, Weller, J. Kuiper,M, M. Neff, J. Halverson, S. Bates. 1996. AFLP
map of the dog genome. International Society of Animal Genetics. Tours, France.
July 21-25, 1996. Abstract In Animal Genetics 27(Suppl.2) |
| D. Fantin, M. Bozzini, C. Gaiser, J. Halverson, S. Bates, J. Ziegle. 1996.
Automating canine parentage and identification. International Society of Animal
Genetics. Tours, France. July 21-25, 1996. Abstract in Animal Genetics 27(Suppl.2) |
|
| J. Halverson. 2005 Canine hair - linking victim to suspect. Forensic Hair
Analysis Seminar, DePaul University, Chicago, IL. (invited) |
| J. Halverson, 2005. Hanging by a hair - animal trace evidence in forensic
investigations. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Science. New
Orleans, LA. |
| J. Halverson, 2004. Hanging by a hair - animal-derived trace evidence in
criminal investigation. Combined meeting of the Midatlantic Association of
Forensic Scientists, the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, the
Southern Associations of Forensic Scientists, and the Canadian Society of
Forensic Scientists. Orlando, FL. |
| J. Halverson, 2004. Animal DNA- a forensic tool. Animal forensics workshop at
the biannual meeting of the International Society of Animal Genetics. Tokyo,
Japan. (invited) |
| J. Halverson, 2004. Forensic DNA identification of feline hairs: Casework and
a mitochondrial database. Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Forensic
Science. Dallas, TX. |
| J. Halverson, A. Perroud, C. Gaiser. 2003. Forensic identification of canine
hairs: is heteroplasmy significant? Promega 14th International Symposium on Human
Identification. Phoenix, AZ October 2003 (Invited) |
| J. Halverson, N. Dvorak, A. Carrera, A. Kahn, A. Basten, C. Gaiser. Canine
DNA testing and its use in criminal investigations. 2003. Bi-Annual Meeting of
the European Academy of Forensic Science, Instanbul, Turkey September 2003.
(Invited) |
| J. Halverson. 2002. Animal DNA and its application to homicide investigations.
Virginia Homicide Investigators, September 30-October 2, 2002, Williamsburg, VA
(Invited) |
| J. Halverson. 2000. DNA typing of animal-derived evidence in human crimes.
Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Fourth Annual DNA Forensics , May 31-June 2,
2000. Springfield, VA (Invited). |
| J. Halverson. 1997. DNA testing in animals-from discovery to high-throughput
application. Cambridge Healthtech Institute's Impact of Molecular Biology on
Animal Health and Production Research, March 10-11, 1997. Baltimore, MD
(Invited). |
|
| Forensic Hair Analysis Seminar, DePaul University, Chicago, IL. March, 2005. |
| Annual Meeting of the American Academy Of Forensic Science. New Orleans, LA.
February 2005. |
| Combined meeting of the Midatlantic Association of Forensic Scientists, the
Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, the Southern Associations of
Forensic Scientists, and the Canadian Society of Forensic Scientists. Orlando,
FL. September, 2004. |
| Hair Examination for DNA Analysts Workshop. Combined meeting of the Midatlantic
Association of Forensic Scientists, the Midwestern Association of Forensic
Scientists, the Southern Associations of Forensic Scientists, and the Canadian
Society of Forensic Scientists. Orlando, FL. September, 2004. |
| International Society of Animal Genetics. Tokyo, Japan. September, 2004. |
| FBI DNA Auditor Workshop. Combined meeting of the Midatlantic Association of
Forensic Scientists, the Midwestern Association of Forensic Scientists, the
Southern Associations of Forensic Scientists, and the Canadian Society of
Forensic Scientists. Orlando, FL. September, 2004. |
| Annual Meeting of the American Academy Of Forensic Science. Dallas, TX
February 2004. |
| Promega 14th International Symposium on Human Identification. Phoenix, AZ
October 2003. |
| Biannual Meeting of the European Academy of Forensic Science, Istanbul,
Turky. September 2003. |
| Annual Meeting of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Pittsburgh, PA.
August 2003. |
| Annual Meeting of the American Academy Of Forensic Science. Chicago, ILl.
February 2003. |
| Annual Meeting of the Association of Zoo Veterinarians, Milwaukee, WS.
October 2002. |
| Annual Meeting of the Association of Avian Veterinarians, Monterey, CA.
August, 2002. |
| DNA Forensics (5th Annual Meeting), Cambridge Healthtech Institute,
Washington, DC. June 2002. |
| Biannual Meeting of the International Society of Animal Genetics.
Minneapolis, MN, USA. July 2000. |
| DNA Forensics (4th Annual Meeting), Cambridge Healthtech Institute,
Springfield, VA. May 2000. |
| Plant And Animal Genome Viii Conference, San Diego, CA. January 2000. |
| Plant And Animal Genome Vii Conference, San Diego, CA. January 1999. |
| Canine Health Foundation/American Kennel Club Canine Genetic Health
Conference, St. Louis, MO. November 1999. |
| Biannual Meeting of the International Society of Animal Genetics. Auckland,
New Zealand. July 1998. |
| Canine Health Foundation/American Kennel Club Molecular Genetics and Canine
Genetic Health Conference, St. Louis, MO. November 1997. |
| Canine Health Foundation/American Kennel Club National Parent Club Canine
Health Conference, St. Louis, MO. October 1997. |
| Impact Of Molecular Biology on Animal Health and Production Research,
Cambridge Healthtech Institute, Baltimore, MD. March 1997. |
| Biannual Meeting of the International Society of Animal Genetics. Tours,
France. July 1996. |
| American Kennel Club Parent Club Genetics Conference, Florham Park, NJ.
October 1995. |
| American Kennel Club Parent Club Genetics Conference, Florham Park, NJ.
October 1994. |
|
State of Illinois v. Cecil Sutherland, 2004
Sutherland was retried for the abduction, rape and murder of 10-year old Amy
Shultz. He had been convicted before but had appealed based on an incompetent
defense. Mitochondrial typing of a human hair found on Amy was matched to
Sutherland and excluded the other suspect in the case. Numerous dog hairs found
on Amy's clothing matched Sutherland's dog Babe. The frequency of Babe's
haplotype in QuestGen's database is 2.6% and the resulting likelihood ratio
is 34.3. |
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Patrick Ramsey, 2003
An elderly woman, Mildred Hauser, was sexually assaulted and murdered in her home.
Four dog hairs were recovered at the crime scene. Patrick Ramsay was arrested
after using Hauser's credit card; some of her jewelry was in his possession. A
STR profile (13 loci with allelic dropout in one locus) of one of the hairs
matched a dog living in Ramsay's household. The likelihood ratio for the match
was 1.4X 1010 and very strongly supported the prosecution's case that
someone from Ramsay's household was involved in Hauser's murder. The District
Attorney, Francis Schultz wrote "…we were able to show that the killer of
Mildred Hauser was connected to the residence in Pittsburgh where the dog lived…
The dog hair evidence was an important piece of evidence that boxed the defendant
into a corner." Ramsay pled guilty to first degree murder and was sentenced to
life in prison. |
Regina v. Daniel McGowan, Leeds, United Kingdom, 2003.
Brian Keating was beaten and abducted from his home while his family was held at
gun point. He was found beaten to death the next day. Numerous dog hairs were
found on his clothing. The West Yorkshire Police believed that he had been
transferred during the night to a van owned and driven by Daniel McGowan. A STR
profile with 16 STR loci and minor allelic dropout matched the dog owned by
Daniel McGowan. The likelihood ratio for the match was 5.3 X 1014 and
very strongly supported the prosecution's case that McGowan had been involved in
the abduction and murder. He and three other defendants were convicted. |
State of Iowa v. Ben O'Donnell, 2003
Tracy Carson disappeared following a birthday party in a local bar. Her body was
found 6 months later; she had been strangled, wrapped in a bolt of fabric,
partially burned and then buried in a creek bed. Spring flooding unearthed her
body. Examiners noted animal hairs on the fabric. Ben O'Donnell had "partied"
with Tracy the night she disappeared and was the primary suspect. Police
conjectured that the fabric wrapping the body had been taken from the home of
O'Donnell's grandmother. Mitochondrial haplotypes of cat hairs found on the
fabric (a common type with a frequency of 28.5% and an uncommon type with a
frequency of 1.3%) did not exclude the three household cats. These frequencies
are independent and can be combined to produce a likelihood ratio of 239. Other
evidence was developed when investigators used luminol to find blood traces with
matching DNA profiles to Tracy Carson in the truck of O'Donnell's car. He
pleaded guilty to second-degree murder. |
State of Florida v. Brent Robert Huck, 2003
April Misty Morse was kidnapped and murdered. Her body, bound with duct tape, was
found in a coastal river. Several dog hairs were found on the duct tape. Police
suspected an ex-boyfriend, Brent Robert Huck, had murdered her on his boat. The
mitochondrial haplotype of the dog hairs matched that of Huck's dog. The
frequency of the type was common at 10.4%; the likelihood ratio is 8.5. Brent
Huck was convicted on both counts of kidnapping and murder. |
Dog Attacks in Cook County, 2003
A woman was attacked and badly injured by two dogs in a park in Cook County,
Illinois. Police searching for the dogs found a second female victim who died
within a few hours. A dog approached the police threateningly was killed; tissue
from the second victim was found in its stomach. Police trapped a number of dogs,
including second dog whom they strongly suspected based on the description of the
surviving victim. In order to reassure the public, police needed to confirm that
this dog was the second attacker. Dr. Halverson tested the clothing of the two
victims for canine DNA. Mitochondrial types from both dogs, along with the types
of two dogs owned by the victims, accounted for all DNA profiles found on the
clothing. |
People vs. Jeanette Slover, Michael Slover Sr., and Michael Slover Jr.
A young woman, Karyn Hearn, disappeared from Decatur, Illinois. A few weeks later,
local fisherman recovered trash bags from a local lake; the bags contained her
dismembered body. The police found a dog hair on the tape used to close the bags.
The police theory of the crime was that the family of her ex-husband, Michael
Slover Jr., had murdered her because she planned to move to another state with
their young son. The dog hair from the tape was tested by mitochondrial and STR
typing and compared to a dog owned by the Slovers. The mitochondrial type matched
and all alleles seen in a partial DNA profile from the hair were consistent with
the defendants' dog. The defendants were convicted. |
Shasta County, California v. Joshua Lee Davis, 2002.
The defendant was charged with animal cruelty for the vicious stabbing death of
a dog. A STR profile (9 loci) from a knife in the defendant's possession did not
exclude the dead dog. The likelihood ratio for the match was 2.5 X 108
and very strongly supported the prosecution's case that the suspect had killed
the dog. The defendant pleaded guilty to one felony count of cruelty to animals. |
Commonwealth of Pennsylvania v. Stephen Treiber, 2002.
The 2-year old daughter of Stephen Treiber died in a house fire in Mill Creek,
Pennsylvania. During the investigation of the fire, Treiber showed police a
threatening letter made by gluing words cut from newspapers to a sheet of paper.
The trace evidence examiner noticed a dog hair encased in the glue with just the
root end protruding. Alleles from a partial STR profile (7 loci with significant
allele dropout) from the hair did not exclude one of Treiber' dogs. Ironically,
this dog also died in the fire but its body was not consumed. The likelihood
ratio for the match was 575 and strongly supported the prosecution's case that
Treiber had fabricated the letter. He was convicted on all counts. |
State of California v. David Westerfeld, 2002.
Seven year-old Danielle Van Dam was abducted from her home and murdered. Her body
was found two weeks later. Danielle had been very close to the family's Weimeraner
dog. The police suspected the Van Dam's neighbor, David Westerfeld, and searched
his house and motor home. The mitochondrial type from dog hairs found in the motor
home, on a quilt, and in the lint-trap of his dryer matched the Van Dam's dog. The
frequency of the type was common at 9%; the likelihood ratio is 9.9. This was the
first trial in the United States to admit canine mitochondrial DNA analysis as
evidence. David Westerfeld was convicted on all counts. |
People vs. Laykham, Ventura County, California 2002.
A small dog's determined barking alerted his elderly owner to the presence of an
intruder. The suspect, Soum Laykham, attempted to rape the victim and fight off
the Shih Tzu dog. A telephone call caused the suspect to flee. Dog hairs found
on the suspect's clothing and in his closet matched the victim's dog by both
mitochondrial typing and STR typing (9 loci). The likelihood ratio for the match
was 7.7 X 108 and very strongly supported the prosecution's case that
the hairs on the suspect's clothing had come from the victim's dog. |
OCDA File #01F08374 People v. Richard David Ramirez, Javen Anthony
Cervantes, and Stanley Cruz, Orange County, California, 2001.
The defendants were convicted of murdering Guillermo Carvajal, a resident of a rival
gang area. His body was found wrapped in a blanket with numerous dog hairs. A STR
profile of 12 STR loci with some allelic dropout matched a dog owned by one of the
defendants. The likelihood ratio for the match was 3.8 X 107 and very strongly
supported the prosecution's case that the defendant had been involved in the murder.
Defense counsel stipulated to the canine DNA evidence and the defendants were
sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole. |
City of Tulsa vs. Michael Ohman & Vanessa Sorja, 2000.
Two pitbull-like dogs attacked an elderly woman, Wanda Cox, in her front yard
after an early morning walk. Neighbors came to her aid and beat the dogs away.
She was seriously injured in the attack and was permanently handicapped as a
result. Despite the presence of several witnesses, the owners, Michael Ohman and
Vanessa Sorja, claimed their dogs had not been the attackers. These same dogs had
been involved in previous incidents but elderly witnesses had misidentified
similar dogs from photos. STR profiles (10 loci) from hair from the victim's
socks matched the defendants' dog. The likelihood ratio for the match was
1.4 X 109 using the Zoogen database (n = 558) and 2 X 108
using allele frequencies from a small pit bull database (n =24) and very
strongly supported the prosecution's case that the hair came from the suspects'
dog. They were found guilty of harboring a vicious animal. |
New Jersey Division of Fish and Game Case#4-244-99/#5-244-99, 1999.
The tiger was alleged to have escaped from a private facility in New Jersey; the
owner of the facility claimed the tiger had come from a nearby safari park. The
evidence sample was a clump of fur found within the perimeter fence of the private
facility. Domestic cat STR markers were used to profile the case samples and 20
tiger samples provided by Dr. Stephen O'Brien as a small database for the case.
The clump of fur matched the deceased tiger. The facility has lately been closed
and the tigers moved to a reserve in Texas. |
Twelfth Judicial District State of New Mexico. State vs. Charles Martinez
(Cause No. CR-99-108) and State vs. Chris Faviel (Cause No. CR-98-64), 1998-1999.
A woman's body was found in the New Mexico desert. The woman had been harassing
a former boy friend and police suspected that the ex-boyfriend and his new lover
had murdered her. A partial canine STR profile (8 loci with some allele dropout)
from a single hair found on a sock of the victim did not exclude the dog owned
by one of the suspects. The likelihood ratio for the match was 7.6 X 103
and very strongly supported the prosecution's case that the hair came from the
suspect's dog. The lover, Charles Martinez, was tried and convicted. The
ex-boyfriend, Chris Faviel, pled guilty. |
Office of the Prosecuting Attorney of King County Washington, 1998. The
State Vs, Leulualahi (97-C-08256-9) and State vs. Tuilefano (97-C-01391-3) for
the murder of Jay Johnson and Raquel Rivera.
Gang members looking for drug money murdered a young couple during a home invasion.
The couple's dog Chief attacked the invaders at the door and was shot twice at
short range; he died later in surgery. The suspects were still wearing their
blood-spattered clothing when arrested later that day. Canine STR profiles (10
loci) from bloodstains found on the clothing of the suspects did not exclude
Chief. The likelihood ratio supporting the prosecution's hypothesis that the
blood spatters were from Chief was 4.8 X 109. The use of the canine
DNA results was successfully appealed in 2003 based on the lack of an
admissibility hearing and the lack of peer-reviewed publications on the canine
STR markers used at that time of the appeal. Since then, several reports have
been published in peer-reviewed forensic journals. |
Tom O'Connor vs. Irish Coursing Club, 1998.
Dr. Halverson worked with Pat Dalton, a prominent breeder of racing greyhounds,
to vindicate Tom O'Connor of misrepresentation in the registration of a litter
of puppies. In 1993, Serology Ltd., the Club's DNA testing laboratory, had
purported that one puppy in the litter was excluded to the dam. DNA testing by
four other laboratories worldwide, including Zoogen, Inc. had found no evidence
of exclusion. Dr. Halverson testified at the 1998 hearing. Serology LTD was
found to be in error. Tom O'Connor was awarded substantial financial
compensation. |
Royal Canadian Mounted Police Detachment File Number 91-0693 (reference:
Schraeder, Daniel Fred-Murder of), 1996-1997.
Daniel Schraeder, an elderly man in Vernon, British Colombia, was murdered by
blunt force trauma along with his small dog. Mixed-specie bloodstains on the
suspect's jeans were not amenable to the RFLP methods available at the time.
The case was reopened in 1996 and canine STR profiles from the non-human blood
on the jeans matched the victim's dog. The evidence was used by the Canadian
Royal Counsel to assign murder charges against the primary suspect. In September
1997, the suspect filed a guilty plea. |
|
Contact Information
Joy Halverson, DVM, MPVM
QuestGen Forensics
1046 Olive Drive Suite1
Davis, CA 95616
Phone: (530) 758-4254
Fax: (530) 750-5758
Email address: halverjl@hotmail.com
|
