Joyce Gilchrist facts for kids

Joyce Gilchrist (born January 11, 1948 – died June 14, 2015) was an American forensic chemist. She worked for the Oklahoma City Police Department for 21 years and was involved in over 3,000 criminal cases. Later, she was accused of making evidence seem different than it was, which helped prosecutors. Her work was used in cases where 23 people were sentenced to death, and 12 of them were executed.

About Joyce Gilchrist

Joyce Gilchrist was known as "Black Magic." This nickname came from her special ability to find DNA evidence that other experts couldn't. She was also very good at speaking in court and convincing juries, which helped get people convicted.

In 1994, Gilchrist became a supervisor after working as a forensic chemist for nine years. But soon after, some of her co-workers started to worry about her work.

The Jeffrey Todd Pierce Case

The first serious concerns about Gilchrist's work came up in 1986. A man named Jeffrey Todd Pierce, a landscaper, was convicted based on her evidence. However, he had a clean criminal record and a strong alibi (meaning he could prove he was somewhere else).

Pierce was a husband and a father of two young children. He was wrongly identified in a police line-up. He willingly gave hair and blood samples to the police to show he was innocent. But he was arrested anyway. Gilchrist said his hair samples "matched" hairs found at the crime scene.

In 2001, after 15 years in prison, Pierce was finally cleared of the crime. This happened when DNA evidence was looked at again. After his release, Pierce sued Oklahoma City. He asked for $75 million, saying that Gilchrist and a former district attorney, Bob Macy, worked together to create false evidence against him. In 2007, the lawsuit was settled for $4 million. An Oklahoma City councilman noted that the city could have had to pay much more.

Why Was She Dismissed?

Joyce Gilchrist was fired in September 2001. The reason given was "flawed casework analysis" and "laboratory mismanagement." This means there were problems with how she analyzed evidence and how the lab was run.

Gilchrist always said she did nothing wrong. She was never charged with any crime.

What Happened After?

Many cases where Joyce Gilchrist's evidence was important are still being reviewed in courts.

The State of Oklahoma looked at over 1,700 cases where Gilchrist's evidence was a big part of the conviction. Gilchrist's lawyer once said that the criticism of her was second only to that of Timothy McVeigh (a famous criminal). After she was fired, Gilchrist sued for $20.1 million. She claimed her firing was actually done out of revenge.

An episode of the TV show Law & Order from its 12th season, called "Myth of Fingerprints," was inspired by Gilchrist's case.

Her Death

After she was dismissed, Joyce Gilchrist moved to Houston, Texas. She worked for a company that made candles. She died in Texas on June 14, 2015.

See also

In Spanish: Joyce Gilchrist para niños

• Hair analysis, a forensic method used by Gilchrist