ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the forensic and legal applications of evolutionary genetics. We begin with the example of how information in personal ancestry databases broke the Golden State Killer case. The perpetrator in this case was identified because he shared DNA information with distant relatives who were in such databases. We discuss how patterns of genetic relationships can be used to make these inferences and the genetic privacy ramifications of this and similar cases. Next, we examine how population genetics played a role in debates during the early days of DNA fingerprinting. Phylogenetic analysis of DNA sequence information can be used to infer patterns of pathogen transmission. Such inferences have been used in court cases where people have been accused of willingly transmitting pathogens to others. Analysis of DNA information can be used to determine the composition of microbes in a dead body; in turn, this information can be used to estimate time of death.
