Pensacola DNA Consultant’s Questioned Methods Trigger Reviews of Hundreds of Cases

Local and international scrutiny of forensic work tied to a Pensacola-area DNA consultant has prompted officials to review hundreds of cases and alerted defense attorneys across northwest Florida.

Background

From 2004 through 2016, Candy Zuleger operated Trinity DNA Solutions out of an East Milton industrial park. Shortly after opening, she contracted with the Bermuda Police Service and is estimated to have participated in roughly 450 of that agency’s cases, often appearing as a prosecution witness. Bermuda reporting led by the Royal Gazette says Zuleger was paid nearly $3 million over about a decade.

Allegations and Key Turning Point

Investigative reporting and legal review in Bermuda concluded that Zuleger used methods described as "not allowed in any reputable and accredited forensic DNA laboratory." The controversy intensified in 2024 when Julian Washington — who had been serving a life sentence for murder and attempted murder — was released after investigators and advocacy groups demonstrated that DNA evidence presented at his trial was inaccurate.

At trial, Zuleger testified there was a "1 in 46 million" chance that Washington was not a contributor to DNA on bullet casings; later reviews called that figure unreliable and said the evidence could not be relied upon.

The Death Penalty Project, which assisted Washington’s appeal, said an appeal originally scheduled for June 2024 was halted after Bermudan government lawyers conceded the forensic evidence was flawed. The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council — Bermuda’s highest court — granted Washington permission to appeal, and he was subsequently released.

Local Response in Florida

After Washington’s release, Bermuda’s director of public prosecutions reviewed 273 other Trinity DNA Solutions cases and reportedly found at least two additional instances where convictions may have relied on evidence now considered potentially tainted. Concerned by those developments, Bridgette Jensen, chief assistant state attorney for Florida’s First Judicial Circuit, notified local law-enforcement agencies and defense attorneys that Zuleger’s work was under scrutiny and provided documents under Brady/Giglio disclosure obligations.

The State Attorney’s Office sent a memo on Oct. 25 alerting recipients that Candy Zuleger and/or Trinity DNA Solutions had been listed as witnesses in their cases and that Bermuda’s government called her analysis into question. The disclosure was framed as compliance with Brady/Giglio rules that require prosecutors to reveal information affecting a witness’s credibility.

Past Cases, Credentials and Business Status

Zuleger has testified in several high-profile Florida cases. In the 2020 conviction of Donald Hartung, known locally as the "blue moon" killings, she testified briefly for the defense about transfer DNA analysis; prosecutors had objected to opinion testimony about an unvalidated test, but the judge allowed limited testimony. Zuleger also testified in a 2009 Bay County murder trial in which Wesley Williams was convicted despite Zuleger’s testimony that Williams’ DNA did not match material on tape used in the suffocations.

Zuleger holds a master’s degree from the University of West Florida and previously spent eight years as a crime-lab analyst with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement. Trinity DNA Solutions surrendered an accreditation with the American National Standards Institute in 2018. Company records show Trinity DNA Solutions filed its last annual report in 2021 and was dissolved in September 2022; a new limited liability company, Trinity DNA, with Zuleger as president, was registered in February 2023 and remains active in state records. Her current professional listings describe consulting, training for attorneys, and preparation of cross-examination questions and testimony.

Potential Impact

Advocates and prosecutors have warned the Washington case could prompt broader reviews and inquiries into possible miscarriages of justice where the same lab or methods influenced outcomes. Florida prosecutors have begun notifying parties who may have relied on Zuleger’s analysis so defense teams and courts can evaluate whether further action is warranted.

Note: The News Journal was unable to reach Candy Zuleger for comment for the reporting that formed the basis of this article. Royal Gazette coverage and the Death Penalty Project statements are among the principal sources for the developments described here.

This article originally appeared in the Pensacola News Journal under the headline: "Candy Zuleger Trinity DNA Analysis Debunked" (Death Penalty Project).