Fred Zain
Encyclopedia
Fred Zain was a disgraced forensic lab technician in West Virginia
and Bexar County, Texas
, USA.
He was employed as a trooper
in the West Virginia crime lab based on a false resume. He claimed to have a chemistry
degree from what is now known as West Virginia State University
, when in fact he had an English
degree and had received a "D" grade in the only two science courses he had taken. No one with the West Virginia State Police
ever checked his resume in over 20 years of employment, nor was he ever subjected to double blind quality control reviews.
Zain participated in "framing" hundreds of innocent people in West Virginia, Texas and Hawaii.
After it was found that Zain had falsified evidence reports, there were questions regarding the convictions of more than 100 people. For example, Glen Woodall
had been convicted and sentenced to more than 200 years in prison based on blood evidence Zain processed. It was later determined that Woodall could not possibly have committed the crimes because DNA
evidence cleared him. Furthermore, Zain could not have possibly conducted the tests he claimed because his lab did not have the capability to perform them. Several dozen persons were released after Zain's nefarious activities were uncovered.
West Virginia
West Virginia is a state in the Appalachian and Southeastern regions of the United States, bordered by Virginia to the southeast, Kentucky to the southwest, Ohio to the northwest, Pennsylvania to the northeast and Maryland to the east...
and Bexar County, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, USA.
He was employed as a trooper
Trooper (police rank)
Trooper is a rank used by several civilian police forces in the United States. In its plural form, troopers, it generally refers to members of state highway patrol or state police agencies, even though those officers may not necessarily be of the rank of trooper.For example, in the Louisiana State...
in the West Virginia crime lab based on a false resume. He claimed to have a chemistry
Chemistry
Chemistry is the science of matter, especially its chemical reactions, but also its composition, structure and properties. Chemistry is concerned with atoms and their interactions with other atoms, and particularly with the properties of chemical bonds....
degree from what is now known as West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University
West Virginia State University is a historically black public college in Institute, West Virginia, United States. In the Charleston-metro area, the school is usually referred to simply as "State" or "West Virginia State"...
, when in fact he had an English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
degree and had received a "D" grade in the only two science courses he had taken. No one with the West Virginia State Police
West Virginia State Police
The West Virginia State Police is a paramilitary organization, state law enforcement agency in the United States that provides statewide police services to the 1.83 million residents in West Virginia...
ever checked his resume in over 20 years of employment, nor was he ever subjected to double blind quality control reviews.
Zain participated in "framing" hundreds of innocent people in West Virginia, Texas and Hawaii.
After it was found that Zain had falsified evidence reports, there were questions regarding the convictions of more than 100 people. For example, Glen Woodall
Glen Woodall
Glendale "Glen" Woodall was a victim of a miscarriage of justice in West Virginia. He was an itinerant grave digger and handyman, who was sent to prison for a crime that DNA evidence has subsequently cleared him of....
had been convicted and sentenced to more than 200 years in prison based on blood evidence Zain processed. It was later determined that Woodall could not possibly have committed the crimes because DNA
DNA
Deoxyribonucleic acid is a nucleic acid that contains the genetic instructions used in the development and functioning of all known living organisms . The DNA segments that carry this genetic information are called genes, but other DNA sequences have structural purposes, or are involved in...
evidence cleared him. Furthermore, Zain could not have possibly conducted the tests he claimed because his lab did not have the capability to perform them. Several dozen persons were released after Zain's nefarious activities were uncovered.