Uncle on Trial: How Much Can a 2021 Re-Read of 2018 DNA Data Prove in Paitin Fields' Case? | Pt 31

The State Crime Lab put David Prevatte's DNA and Paitin Fields' on the same items for the first time in this trial. Both results came out of the lab in 2021, and one is a software re-read of 2018 data. How much can that carry? After Day 6, I walk through all three lab analysts and the two questions the day left me with. State of North Carolina v. David Wesley Prevatte, on trial in Pender County, North Carolina. Paitin Fields was five when she died in November 2017. Her uncle, David Prevatte, is charged in her death plus two other charges and has pleaded not guilty. The State is not seeking the death penalty. He is presumed innocent. My Day 6 reflection (Thursday, Oct. 8, 2026), with the courtroom cut in. Mehnaz Chowdhury, the lab's biologist in 2017 and 2018, decided what went on for DNA. Three boxer spots screened positive for possible blood and went on, as did an earbud cord swab. On the couch bedding she circled spot after spot; asked if those went on for testing: "In this case it was not." The bedding didn't go to DNA until 2021. Why the wait? On cross she agreed she can't say when that blood got there. Kristin Meyer, the 2018 DNA analyst, found only David under his own fingernails. On the boxers and the earbud cord, David was the strongest profile she could read; the rest was too faint. On the hot glue gun cord, the main profile was a person she couldn't name, David and Paitin excluded. On cross she made no association with Paitin's profile in anything she could interpret. On redirect: the faint parts can't be read either way. Shane Wilcox ran Meyer's 2018 earbud cord data through STRmix software in June 2021. He never touched the cord: "I strictly use the data." The re-read put David first and Paitin second, at least 1.61 billion times more likely, a third part inconclusive. On the Christmas lights cord it read Savannah and Paitin, David excluded; on the hot glue gun cord, the part he could read best fits Savannah. I'm not saying the software is wrong; it's the same 2018 data, read differently three years later. In 2021 Wilcox also swabbed the Dickies work pants from that bedroom for skin cells, not fluids. Inside the waistband: David, Paitin and Haley Fawcett. Inside the zipper area: David first, Paitin second. On cross, Mr. Britt asked if Wilcox was told Paitin soiled David on the way to the hospital; he was, at some point. That's the defense's account, put in a question. The waistband was swabbed as one area, so no front, back or side. When and how did her DNA get on those pants? The swab can't tell you. Mr. Britt's last point: very few items had David and Paitin together; Wilcox called that a reasonable statement. The State expects a witness from Charlotte, then an out-of-state analyst last, and to rest Monday or Tuesday at the latest. No court Friday; the jury is back Monday, Oct. 12, at 9:30 a.m. --- CHAPTERS 0:00 - What this video is, and a preview 0:22 - Intro 1:22 - Video starts: Day 6, the lab day 2:59 - Mehnaz Chowdhury: what went on for DNA, and what waited 5:02 - Kristin Meyer's 2018 DNA results 6:53 - Shane Wilcox's 2021 re-read of the earbud cord 8:17 - The Christmas lights cord and the hot glue gun cord 8:50 - The Dickies work pants and the defense's question 10:53 - Mr. Britt's last point: very few items together 11:42 - Where Day 6 leaves it CASE BACKGROUND REPORT: https://justiceisaprocess.com/nc-v-da... Complete case overview including the charges, the timeline, the key players, and the legal questions this trial raises. State of North Carolina v. David Wesley Prevatte. Pender County Superior Court in Burgaw, North Carolina. Prevatte is charged with first-degree murder in the 2017 death of his five-year-old niece, along with other charges. Jury selection began on September 28, 2026. He is presumed innocent unless and until the State proves each charge beyond a reasonable doubt. LATEST ARTICLE: https://justiceisaprocess.com/desk-20... PLAYLISTS AND RESOURCES Website: https://justiceisaprocess.com/coverag... Full Trial Live Broadcasts:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Full Trial Live Broa...   No Breaks Edition:    • NC v. David Prevatte: No Breaks Edition   Trial Analysis Podcast:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Case Story Trial Pod...   Key Moments and Testimony:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Key Moments & Testimony   Commentary:    • NC v. David Prevatte: Commentary   Subscribe for Daily Coverage:    / @justiceisaprocess   FAIR USE AND EDUCATIONAL PURPOSE This content is produced under Fair Use (17 U.S.C. 107) for news reporting, criticism, and educational purposes. We provide transformative commentary on public court proceedings, advancing public understanding of the judicial process through timestamps, analysis, and educational context. #JusticeIsAProcess #DavidPrevatte #PrevatteTrial