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Independent Case Review
Technical review of laboratory reports, electropherograms, quantification data, and STRmix / TrueAllele probabilistic genotyping outputs.
South Carolina DNA Mixture Expert
Paul F. Meeh, Forensic DNA Consultant
Former SLED DNA analyst providing independent forensic DNA review, STRmix and TrueAllele analysis, and expert testimony for criminal defense counsel.
Independent analysis. Clear explanation.
Paul F. Meeh is a forensic DNA consultant based in Chapin, South Carolina. He spent thirteen years as a Senior Forensic Scientist in DNA Analysis and Serology with the South Carolina Law Enforcement Division (SLED), performing forensic DNA casework under ANAB ISO/IEC 17025 accreditation, from evidence screening and serology through DNA extraction, quantification, amplification, capillary electrophoresis, and interpretation of single-source and complex mixture profiles. He qualified and testified as an expert witness in DNA analysis and serology in state and federal courts, and validated and implemented the probabilistic genotyping software STRmix at SLED.
Paul holds a Certificate in Forensic Genetic Genealogy from the University of New Haven, a Master's degree in Biomedical Sciences / Molecular Biology from the University of South Carolina, and a Bachelor's degree in Biology from USC Columbia. He has served as a forensic genetic genealogy consultant with Bode Technologies and as a Molecular Biologist with DPX Technologies, developing DNA isolation methods for high-throughput workflows.
Today Paul works with defense counsel, providing independent technical review of DNA evidence, evaluation of mixture interpretation and statistical models, assessment of laboratory procedures, consultation on cross-examination strategy, and clear, scientifically rigorous expert testimony.
Services for defense counsel
Focused, technically rigorous review that helps counsel understand what the DNA evidence supports, where its limits lie, and which questions matter.
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Mixture Interpretation Evaluation
Allele drop-out and drop-in, stochastic effects, and whether the statistical models applied to the evidence are appropriate.
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Laboratory Procedure Assessment
Collection, storage, extraction, and amplification procedures reviewed for contamination, inhibition, or other reliability concerns.
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Written Opinions & Strategy
Clear written opinions and consultation on cross-examination of the state's DNA analyst.
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Expert Testimony
Qualified testimony explaining the DNA science, the limitations of the evidence, and alternative interpretations to judges and juries.
Free attorney resources
Practical guides for funding an independent DNA expert and securing the underlying laboratory material needed for meaningful review.
How to Get Your DNA Expert Funded by the Court
A practical guide for South Carolina defense attorneys
Read full guide
How to Get Your DNA Expert Funded by the Court
A practical guide for South Carolina defense attorneys
How to Get Your DNA Expert Funded by the Court
A practical guide for South Carolina defense attorneys
In many criminal cases, DNA evidence is the centerpiece of the prosecution, and the part of the case the defense understands least. An independent DNA expert can find limitations, alternative explanations, and reliability problems in the state's analysis. In South Carolina, indigent defendants have a constitutional and statutory right to state-funded expert assistance. Here is how to secure it.
1
Know the legal basis.
In Ake v. Oklahoma, 470 U.S. 68 (1985), the U.S. Supreme Court recognized that an indigent defendant is entitled to state-funded expert assistance when the expert's subject is a significant factor at trial. Ake itself concerned a psychiatrist, and courts have applied its principle across disciplines. In South Carolina, funding runs through S.C. Code § 17-3-50: subsection (B) provides that upon an ex parte finding that expert services are reasonably necessary, the court authorizes counsel to obtain them and orders payment from the Office of Indigent Defense, capped at $500. Subsection (C) permits payment above that cap only if the court certifies, in a written order with specific findings of fact, both that the higher payment is necessary to provide compensation adequate to ensure effective assistance of counsel and that the services were reasonably and necessarily incurred. One caption note from SCCID's drafting guidelines: include "AIKEN v. BYARS" in the caption only if yours is an Aiken-implicated case, meaning a juvenile life-without-parole resentencing matter. Otherwise, leave it out.
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Get the funding order BEFORE the expert starts.
This is the rule that matters most: the court must authorize funding before the expert is hired. If prior written approval is not obtained, no fees will be paid, no exceptions. Start the funding process as soon as you decide you need DNA review, and tell your expert the engagement begins when the order is signed.
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File an ex parte motion and proposed order.
File an ex parte motion with a proposed order (or a proposed order signed "I So Move"), and ask that it be filed under seal to protect defense strategy. The motion should include: the expert's name and the type of expert retained; the expert's background, education, and experience (attach the CV); a description of the work to be performed; the requested hourly rate and the estimated total cost; and an explanation of why the services are reasonable and necessary, and why the request exceeds the $500 statutory cap.
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Get your expert's materials early.
The motion requires the expert's credentials and rate up front, so contact your expert before you file. A good expert will get you a CV and rate sheet the same day. (Need one? Contact Paul F. Meeh, CV and rate sheet provided same-day for your funding motion: (803) 312-5504, paulfmeeh@gmail.com.)
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What the order should say.
Ask the court to include: the authorized hourly rate and total amount; a finding that the funding is reasonable and necessary; a requirement that counsel seek prior court approval before exceeding the authorized amount; and direction to submit vouchers under SCCID's Voucher Payment Policy.
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Upload the signed order within 15 days.
Counsel must upload a copy of the signed funding order through the SCCID website within 15 days of signature. Calendar it.
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How the expert invoices.
The expert bills in tenths of an hour, with the date, task description, and time for each task, at least monthly. SCCID pays through the defender's office. Keep the initial authorization modest, around $3,000 (roughly 20 hours) fits SCCID's typical patterns, and seek a supplemental order if the case needs more.
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Questions?
Questions about vouchers or payment go to the SCCID voucher payment office. SCCID publishes official drafting guidelines and a CLE deck on requesting experts at sccid.sc.gov.
DNA Discovery Checklist for Defense Attorneys
What your expert needs to review the state's DNA evidence
Read full guide
DNA Discovery Checklist for Defense Attorneys
What your expert needs to review the state's DNA evidence
DNA Discovery Checklist for Defense Attorneys
What your expert needs to review the state's DNA evidence
A lab report alone is never enough for a thorough independent review. The report gives you the lab's conclusions; the underlying data shows whether those conclusions are supported. Before retaining an expert, or as soon as you do, request the complete DNA discovery packet below.
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Complete laboratory report and case file
all analytical reports, chain-of-custody forms, internal laboratory tracking logs, and analyst notes.
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Electropherograms
raw electronic data files (e.g., .hid) and printed or PDF electropherograms for every evidence item, every known reference sample, and all associated blanks and controls (extraction blanks, amplification controls, allelic ladders).
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Quantification data
quantitation results (Qubit or real-time PCR) for all extracts, including input volumes and dilutions.
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Amplification and thermal cycling logs
the amplification kits used, target template amounts, and thermal cycler logs.
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Probabilistic genotyping inputs and outputs
for TrueAllele, STRmix, or any other system: the electronic case files and configuration parameters; run logs, settings, mixture weights, degradation parameters, and number-of-contributor assumptions; and the complete analytical and administrative reports, including match statistics (likelihood ratios) and drop-out / drop-in evaluations.
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Laboratory SOPs
the standard operating procedures in effect at the time of testing for DNA extraction, quantification, amplification, and capillary electrophoresis, plus the laboratory's local guidelines and validation documents for its probabilistic genotyping implementation.
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Quality assurance and contamination records
contamination logs, freezer and refrigerator logs, staff proficiency test records, and any corrective-action reports or audit findings for the laboratory covering the testing window.
Gaps in the file are themselves informative, missing data can reveal reliability problems. Send the complete packet to your expert as early as possible; the sooner review begins, the sooner you know what the DNA really shows. Questions about DNA discovery in your case? Contact Paul F. Meeh, Forensic DNA Consultant, (803) 312-5504, paulfmeeh@gmail.com.
Discuss a case
For independent DNA case review, expert consultation, or testimony, contact Paul directly.