Twin Linked to Rape Case With New DNA Test

By Sara Morrison

Boston.com Staff

September 16, 2014 7:42 AM

New DNA test technology that can distinguish between identical twins has linked one Dedham man to two 2004 rapes, the Suffolk County District Attorneys office announced on Monday.

Dwayne McNair, 33, and Anwar Thomas, 32, were accused of raping two women in 2004. Thomas pled guilty to the crimes in 2011 after a DNA test linked him to one of the rapes, but McNairs case was more complicated. The DNA test couldnt distinguish between McNair and his identical twin.

Now theres a new DNA test that claims it can detect genetic differences between identical twins. Prosecutors said the test did link McNair to the crime with a reasonable degree of certainty (hes two billion times more likely to be the source of the DNA than his brother, the DAs office said). He was arraigned in Suffolk Superior Court on Monday and held on $500,000 bail. He faces eight counts of aggravated rape and two counts of armed robbery.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

If the trial goes forward, it will be the first time the new DNA test, which was developed in late 2013, has been used in the state. Jake Wark, spokesperson for the Suffolk County DAs office, told Boston.com last week that the new test could be a breakthrough in prosecuting identical twins.

Continued here:
Twin Linked to Rape Case With New DNA Test