Briana Denison disappeared on January 20, 2008 from a friends house near the campus of the University of Nevada, Reno and her nude body was found in a field the following month on February 15, 2008 where it was determined she had been raped, strangled to death with a pair of thong panties, and discarded.
Reno Murder Trial:
Its May 12, 2010 and the trial is just getting started over two years after the murder. The jury selection process began on May 10th for Michael Biela who is accused of kidnapping and murdering Briana Denison, a former Reno high school graduate who was attending college at Santa Barbara Community College and also two other rapes which occurred before the abduction.
The case garnered national attention and the F.B.I also became involved in the search for a killer who had Reno residents scared witless and demanding justice. The vicious and callous nature of this abduction, rape, and murder has been traumatic for the local community, a community based largely on tourism.
DNA Evidence:
Solid DNA evidence links the suspect Biela to the crime and also to another unsolved rape case. He is also being charged with a third rape without the benefit of DNA evidence due to the crime initially going unreported, so the prosecution will have to rely solely on the victims testimony. Biela is believed to be a serial rapist who escalated to murder.
Both surviving rape victims claim Biela stole their panties after the rapes and also two pairs of panties were found at the dump site near Denison’s remains, one of which was later identified as the murder weapon.
According to news reporter Martha Bellisle of, "The Reno Gazette Journal" incriminating DNA evidence was voluntarily supplied by Biela’s girlfriend from their young son and analized by a DNA expert who works for the Washoe County crime lab which proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that a blood relative of the boy had left DNA at both the abduction site and dump site. Link to story.
This allowed the police and Washoe County prosecutor to get a court order to obtain a sample of Biela’s DNA. He had refused to cooperate with authorities regarding DNA testing and still maintains his innocence
The defense wants a change of venue claiming Biela could not possible get a fair trial in Reno due to the publicity and high profile nature of the case but protocol requires that the judge attempt to seat a jury and be unsuccessful before a change of location can be entertained.
If convicted Biela will assuredly face the death penalty. Much of the current jury selection is centered around posturing by both the prosecution and the defense in weeding out jurors who they feel would or would not support the death penalty.
Jim Osborn - http://bigcasinosplace.blogspot.com I'm a Freelance Writer from Reno, Nevada. I have degree's in Business Administration and ...
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