Soria Sr. has arraignment today in Douglas

MINDEN - Thomas Robert Soria Sr., charged with the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of 9-year-old Krystal Steadman and the sexual assault of a 15-year-old girl, is expected to plead not guilty in both cases when he appears for his arraignment 9 a.m. today at Douglas District Court, one of his defense attorneys said.

Steadman's body was found March 20 down an embankment off Highway 50 and Clear Creek Road, about two miles west of Highway 395. The case involving the 15-year-old stems from a separate incident in October.

If Soria is convicted, State prosecutors reserve the right to seek the death penalty.

During Soria's preliminary hearing, which took place May 8 and 9 at Douglas County District Court, his defense attorneys contended that the DNA testing procedures used by the Washoe County Crime Lab are different than those approved by either the Nevada State Supreme Court or the U. S. federal courts.

Soria's defense attorneys also pointed out that in two court cases across the country the method used in this case was found inadequate.

"We're going to contest admissability of the (DNA) tests based on decisions of other courts in the United States," defense attorney Michael Roeser said Monday.

Renee Romero, DNA technical leader for the Washoe County Crime Lab, said the newer "state-of-the-art" DNA test, in use at the lab since May 1999, is superior to the older tests.

"The advantage to the technique we're using right now is that we can look at smaller samples - a single hair root, sweat, washed stains - and we can get DNA results," she said. "With the first technique you needed a blood stain about the size of a dime at least to get a DNA result. It was very good, but needed a certain amount of DNA. So (now) we get higher levels of discrimination with smaller samples."

Before the Washoe County Crime Lab DNA instituted the new DNA test last year, a nine month trial period was conducted by the lab, Romero said. Since May, the new test has led to convictions in six separate cases.

"Every government lab that's doing DNA is going towards this technology," Romero said. "The advantage to that is that we can compare results .... and search it against a national computer database."

Currently 25 states, including Nevada, are linked to the national computer database also known as "Combined DNA indexing system' or CODIS. Romero said that Washoe County Crime Lab is the Nevada's official DNA collection site.