what year was morrisey district attorney of denver co

by Duane Nienow 4 min read

Mitch Morrissey was the elected District Attorney for the 2nd Judicial District (JD), from 2005 to 2017. Prior to 2005, Mitch was a trial lawyer in the Denver District Attorney's office beginning in 1983.

Where did Morrissey go to law school?

Who is Mitch Morrissey?

Who is the first district attorney to use familial DNA?

About this website

Ex-Denver DA Using Familial DNA to Heat Up Cold Murder Cases - Westword

Mitch Morrissey served as Denver district attorney from 2005 to early 2017, and since leaving office, he's largely avoided the spotlight.But he's still going after criminals. He's both the chief ...

DNA FAQs and common misconceptions: different case, but helpful in ...

[from /u/straydog77-- source]:. The Golden State Killer case used SNP profiles derived from the suspect's semen, which was found at the scene. In the Ramsey case, we have a 10-marker STR profile deduced from the minor component of a DNA mixture, which barely meets the minimum requirements for CODIS.

McCann talks about her salary increase, goals for DA's office

Denver District Attorney-elect Beth McCann will receive 2 percent salary hikes in each of the last two years of her four-year term, similar to other salary increases given to her metro-area and statewide colleagues under state statutes.. Denver City Council approved an ordinance Tuesday, Jan. 3, that set McCann’s incoming salary at $219,606, the current amount paid to outgoing DA Mitch ...

Hickenlooper backs McCann for Denver DA | News | coloradopolitics.com

Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper has endorsed Democrat Beth McCann in her race against independent Helen Morgan for Denver district attorney. The winner in the Nov. 8 general election will succeed

About

Mitchell R. Mitch Morrissey is the elected District Attorney of Colorado's Second Judicial District in Denver Colorado. A Democrat Morrissey was elected in November 2004 and was sworn into office on January 11 2005.

Biography

Mitchell R. Mitch Morrissey is the elected District Attorney of Colorado's Second Judicial District in Denver Colorado. A Democrat Morrissey was elected in November 2004 and was sworn into office on January 11 2005.

How many years did Morrissey serve?

Morrissey's twelve years in office are among the most eventful of any DA in Denver's history. Over that span, he earned national attention for his office's use of DNA in prosecutions.

Who is Morrissey's successor?

A few weeks before Beth McCann, Morrissey's elected successor, is scheduled to take charge, Morrissey participated in an extended, wide-ranging interview with Westword. He talks at length about his proudest accomplishments and the future of DNA before taking on his critics with no holds barred.

Who was the first Denver District Attorney?

The Denver District Attorney's Office has a storied history. One of Denver's first District Attorneys, Isaac Stevens, made a name for himself when he successfully prosecuted Dr. Thatcher Graves for poisoning a patient who was visiting Denver. She became ill and subsequently died after taking some medicine the doctor had mailed to her.

What is the Denver District Attorney's Office?

The Mission of the Denver District Attorney's Office is to professionally and completely prosecute crimes and investigate potential crimes on behalf of the people of the State of Colorado and in doing so, do justice, advocate for victims' rights and advise and consult in the deterrence and prevention of crime; to ensure the open, evenhanded and humane administration of justice.

What is the Denver DNA Burglary Project?

While DNA testing has not been routine in property crimes such as burglary, research shows habitual burglars commit on average about 240 burglaries a year. The purpose of the Burglary DNA Project was to identify biological evidence at burglary crime scenes and develop DNA profiles that would help catch and later convict these serial criminals. While the hypothesis was strong, the results were astounding:

How many burglars were caught in Denver?

More than 95 prolific burglars in the Denver area were caught and convicted. The burglary rate in Denver dropped 26%. Defendants that were convicted with the aid of DNA evidence received an average prison sentence of 14 years. Annual savings to citizens in Denver are estimated at more than $29 million to date.

What amendment gave Denver its own judicial district?

This amendment to the Constitution of the State of Colorado, located in Article XX, gave limited home rule powers to incorporated Colorado cities of a certain size, enabling the creation of the City and County of Denver with its own separate judicial district. The Denver District Attorney's Office has a storied history.

How many cases are handled in the District Court?

The District Court Division: handles about 6,000 cases per year, including all felony cases not otherwise routed to specialized crime units (see below). Cases in District Court are supervised from preliminary hearing through sentencing by the same district court team.

Who appointed Greeley Whitford as the District Attorney of Colorado?

Greeley Whitford, after serving as Denver District Attorney from 1895 to 1896, was appointed United States Attorney for Colorado by President William McKinley.

What is the name of the company that Morrissey founded?

Since serving as district attorney, Morrissey co-founded United Data Connect, a forensic DNA software company, which has been used in murder cases in New York, Arizona and Utah, as well as being in use in Colorado, Virginia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Louisiana, and Australia.

Who is Joey Bunch?

Joey Bunch is a 35-year veteran, including 20 years in Colorado. He is the deputy managing editor, senior writer and columnist for Colorado Politics.

Where did Morrissey go to law school?

Morrissey graduated from J.K. Mullen High School, from the University of Colorado at Boulder and from the University of Denver Law School, now the Sturm College of Law .

Who is Mitch Morrissey?

Morrissey is one of six children born to Michael (Mike) and Eileen Morrissey. Morrissey is a third-generation attorney. His father was elected in 1958 to the Colorado House of Representatives while still a law student and practiced law in Denver for over fifty years. Morrissey's grandfather served as the United States Attorney of Colorado under presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Mitch Morrissey has credited his grandfather and father's careers for his initial interest in law.

Who is the first district attorney to use familial DNA?

In 2008, Morrissey was the first District Attorney in the United States to develop and implement familial DNA searching to solve cold cases. The technology was used to identify the prime suspect in the Grim Sleeper serial murder case in California in 2010. Morrissey 's advocacy for the use of familial DNA searches across the United States has included an interview on 60 Minutes, debate in the New York Times, and numerous national speaking engagements where he offers free familial search software to other law enforcement agencies. Familial DNA searching has received criticism from privacy advocates, who question the constitutionality and effectiveness of the searches.

Overview

Mitchell Richard "Mitch" Morrissey (born 1957) is a former District Attorney of Colorado's Second Judicial District in Denver, Colorado.
A Democrat, Morrissey was elected in November, 2004 and was sworn into office on January 11, 2005. As the chief prosecutor in Denver, he was responsible for the prosecution of more than 6,000 felony and 18,000 misdemeanor crimina…

Early life and education

Morrissey is one of six children born to Michael (Mike) and Eileen Morrissey. Morrissey is a third-generation attorney. His father was elected in 1958 to the Colorado House of Representatives while still a law student and practiced law in Denver for over fifty years. Morrissey's grandfather served as the United States Attorney of Colorado under presidents Franklin Roosevelt and Harry Truman. Mitch Morrissey has credited his grandfather and father's careers for his initial interest …

Use of DNA evidence in prosecution

Morrissey is known as an expert on the use of DNA evidence in prosecution. In 1989 he tried and won the first case involving DNA evidence in Denver, People v. Fishback. In 1999, Morrissey was sworn in as a District Attorney for Boulder County, Colorado, to provide aid in the thirteen-month-long grand jury investigation into the death of Jon Benet Ramsey. Morrissey continued to be an advisor to the ongoing investigation until 2003. In 2003, Morrissey, Denver Police Department Cr…

Advocacy for familial DNA database searches

In 2008, Morrissey was the first District Attorney in the United States to develop and implement familial DNA searching to solve cold cases. The technology was used to identify the prime suspect in the Grim Sleeper serial murder case in California in 2010. Morrissey's advocacy for the use of familial DNA searches across the United States has included an interview on 60 Minutes, debate in the New York Times, and numerous national speaking engagements where he offers free familia…

Community involvement

Morrissey is the President of the Board of Directors for the National Forensic Science Technology Center in Tampa, Florida. Morrissey is the President of Board of Directors of Voices of Victims, a Colorado non-profit that provides post-sentencing support for victims of crime. Morrissey is on the Board of Directors of the Friends of the Haven, a Colorado non-profit that provides care for the infants of women going through drug treatment. Morrissey is on the Advisory Board of the Porte…

Family

Mitch Morrissey lives with his wife Maggie in Denver.

Publications and press

Ashikhmin, S. et al. "Effectiveness and Cost Efficiency of DNA Evidence in Volume Crime." Denver, n.d. PDF. "Available in PDF
Ashikhmin, S. et al. "Using DNA To Solve High-Volume Property Crimes In Denver: Saving Money, Lowering Crime Rates and Making Denver Safer." August/September 2008. Print. "Available on the Denver DA Website."

External links

• United Data Connect [1]
• "Metro-Denver Crime Stoppers"