Arizona v. Youngblood
United States Supreme Court
488 U.S. 51 (1988)
Relevant factsFree
Police collected a sexual-assault kit and the victim's clothing after a kidnapping and assault but didn't test the clothing for semen until two years later, by which point it hadn't been refrigerated and useful DNA identification was no longer possible; Youngblood (defendant) argued this negligent failure to preserve potentially exculpatory evidence violated due process, and the court of appeals agreed and reversed his conviction.
IssueFree
Whether the failure of a state to preserve physical evidence that could be useful to a criminal defendant is a violation of due process.