DNA sample is key to solving the 1994 Colombian crime.

Marina Koppel, a 39-year-old Colombian woman, was found dead by her husband in an apartment in Marylebone, England, where she worked as a masseuse and sex worker. The events that occurred in 1994 were chilling because the victim was stabbed more than 140 times.

The prime suspect was Sandip Patel, who was charged with murder by investigators after his foot was found to match a bloody footprint left on a baseboard in the room where the victim was attacked. Patel was only 21 years old at the time. His fingerprints were also found on shopping bags that were at the crime scene, but this was ruled out at the time because Patel’s father owned a store a few blocks from the victim, and this suggested that perhaps the contact occurred prior to the murder.

Years later in 2008, investigators found a hair on a ring that Marina was wearing at the time of her death. The hair did not match Marina, but at the time DNA technology was not sufficient to obtain a genetic profile; however, the hair was preserved until 2022, when it was tested again and matched Patel’s DNA.

Almost 30 years after Mrs. Marina Koppel was murdered, investigative work supported by DNA evidence has provided authorities with tools to clarify this case and find the culprit.

Patel, who was 51 at the time of his trial in 2022, was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 19 years, applying the guidelines in effect at the time of the murder in 1994.

The United Kingdom is one of the countries that has had a comprehensive database law since 1995 that allows cross-referencing information between the genetic profile of suspects and crime scenes.

Countries with established DNA databases regularly solve crimes that occurred decades ago, either by finding the perpetrator or identifying a miscarriage of justice.

By genetically profiling criminals at the time of their arrest, charge or conviction, many nations have developed large DNA databases which are then constantly compared to genetic samples from old and new crime scenes.

Once again, advances in scientific research techniques and DNA technology help in the search for the truth for victims and support with judicial evidence the relevance of the “Justicia Forense – DNA Latin America” project.