{"id":2721,"date":"2026-06-24T12:04:06","date_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:04:06","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2721"},"modified":"2026-06-24T12:04:06","modified_gmt":"2026-06-24T12:04:06","slug":"former-state-cbi-analyst-pleads-guilty-in-dna-testing-scandal-faces-up-to-16-years-in-prison","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2721","title":{"rendered":"Former state CBI analyst pleads guilty in DNA testing scandal, faces up to 16 years in prison"},"content":{"rendered":"
\n

GOLDEN<\/strong> | A former forensic analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felony counts stemming from accusations that she manipulated and omitted data to speed up the DNA testing process, calling into question the validity of hundreds of criminal cases.<\/p>\n

Yvonne \u201cMissy\u201d Woods entered guilty pleas to committing a cybercrime, perjury, attempting to influence a public servant and forgery. Dozens of other counts were dismissed as part of a plea agreement.<\/p>\n

Woods was set to stand trial later this year. Instead, she\u2019ll face between 8 and 16 years in prison when she\u2019s sentenced in September.<\/p>\n

Woods and her attorneys declined to talk to reporters after Tuesday\u2019s hearing.<\/p>\n

<\/div>\n

Authorities accused Woods, who resigned in 2023 after a decades-long career, of altering data to conceal tampering, deleting data that showed she failed to troubleshoot issues within the testing process and not thoroughly documenting tests performed in case records.<\/p>\n

The investigation into Woods\u2019 misconduct began in September 2023 after an intern at the bureau discovered missing information in a case that Woods handled in 2018. According to an arrest affidavit, Woods allegedly told investigators at one point that she had changed data to complete cases more quickly.<\/p>\n

Problems with the scientist\u2019s work were found in cases involving homicide, sexual assault, robbery and other crimes, according to a law enforcement affidavit. Prosecutors were forced to review hundreds of cases.<\/p>\n

At least one murder conviction was overturned as a result of Woods\u2019 misconduct. Michael Clark was released from prison in 2025 after his lawyers argued that DNA evidence in the case was mishandled by Woods, but prosecutors are seeking to retry him.<\/p>\n

In at least two cases, both homicides, the defendants received lesser sentences under plea deals than they could have faced if they went to trial because prosecutors were afraid Woods\u2019 involvement could lead to acquittals.<\/p>\n

Convictions in other cases also are being challenged in courts across Colorado.<\/p>\n

State officials have said that the response to Woods\u2019 actions could end up costing more than $11 million.<\/p>\n

The state investigation bureau in a statement issued Tuesday described Woods\u2019 actions as intentional criminal fraud and said it didn\u2019t reflect the bureau\u2019s practices.<\/p>\n

\u201cThis moment is not about moving on, for CBI it\u2019s about moving forward,\u201d said Armando Saldate, bureau director. \u201cToday\u2019s guilty plea is an important moment of accountability.\u201d<\/p>\n

The bureau said it has been making changes and is committed to following best practices used nationwide in forensic science.<\/p>\n

Read more What to Stream: Paul Simon, \u2018In the Hand of Dante,\u2019 \u2018Avatar: The Last Airbender\u2019 and Star Fox<\/a><\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n<\/p>\n

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Read more Spring Sports All-Aurora 2026: Full Aurora Sentinel All-Aurora Boys Swim Teams<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

GOLDEN | A former forensic analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felony counts stemming from accusations that she manipulated and omitted data to speed up the DNA testing process, calling into question the validity of hundreds of criminal cases. Yvonne \u201cMissy\u201d Woods entered guilty pleas to committing a cybercrime, […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2720,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[19],"tags":[4417,4418,4419,4420,4421],"class_list":["post-2721","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-metro","tag-armando-saldate","tag-daily-camera","tag-marty-caivano","tag-michael-clark","tag-yvonne-missy-woods"],"yoast_head":"\nFormer state CBI analyst pleads guilty in DNA testing scandal, faces up to 16 years in prison - Denver Moving Chronicle<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/denvermovingchronicle.com\/?p=2721\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Former state CBI analyst pleads guilty in DNA testing scandal, faces up to 16 years in prison - Denver Moving Chronicle\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"GOLDEN | A former forensic analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation pleaded guilty Tuesday to four felony counts stemming from accusations that she manipulated and omitted data to speed up the DNA testing process, calling into question the validity of hundreds of criminal cases. 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