'Arroyo Molester' trial nearing end

ALBUQUERQUE (KRQE) - The trial of Genaro Sandoval, the man accused by police of being the “Arroyo Molester,” is close to wrapping up.

Prosecutors called their last witness on Friday, a forensic biologist who told police in 2007 that Sandoval’s DNA match “don’t get no better than that.”

Sandoval was arrested in 2007 shortly after the DNA match was made.

The final witness, Ross Kirkendoll, handled a key piece of evidence on the witness stand: shorts that prosecutors say contain Sandoval’s semen. Kirkendoll outlined his involvement in testing the DNA while working at the Albuquerque Police Department crime lab.

But the defense has been trying to raise doubts about whether the DNA samples might have been tainted in APD’s evidence room. On Friday the defense zeroed in on unknown female DNA taken from a swab of the victim, saying the evidence could have been contaminated before it came into Kirkendoll’s hands.

“It could affect the reliability of your final report without you even knowing. Isn’t that true?” defense attorney Natalie Bruce questioned Kirkendoll.

“That’s possible, but I did not see anything to suggest to me that there were any errors made,” Kirkendoll said.

Prosecutors say they’ll rest their case on Tuesday when court resumes. That’s also when attorneys from both sides expect to present their closing arguments.

Sandoval is on trial for one of five cases in which he is accused of sexually assaulting young boys. The other four cases will be handled separately.