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| Thursday, January 23 Updated: March 31, 12:27 PM ET Tissue, hair among samples collected, records show Associated Press |
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DALLAS -- Blood and hair samples have reportedly been collected from Dallas Cowboys player Dwayne Goodrich's car following a fatal hit-and-run accident. Court records made public Wednesday show that investigators collected hair and blood from a point of impact in the center of the windshield of the backup cornerback's 2002 BMW 745i. Tissue and hair also were found underneath weatherstripping near the windshield, and fiber and hair were found near the right headlight, the records show. They stated that fragments of glass with blood were collected from the right dashboard, and hair samples were taken from the right front seat. Goodrich, 24, was free on bonds totaling $50,000 on two felony counts of manslaughter in the Jan. 14 deaths of Joseph "Joby'' Wood, 21, and Demont Matthews, 23, both of Plano. Dallas police said the department has secured Goodrich's vehicle at the city auto pound and would not allow it to be viewed Wednesday. "We're working closely with the district attorney's office, and the car should be made available at a later date,'' Dallas police spokeswoman Janice Houston told The Dallas Morning News in Thursday's editions. Dallas County District Attorney Bill Hill would not provide details on the investigation, but said evidence such as hair and blood found on a windshield of a car could be helpful in reviewing a case involving pedestrians. "Hypothetically, that kind of physical evidence would lead me to believe that whoever was driving that automobile would have known he hit a person,'' said Hill. Investigators were expected to perform DNA tests on the hair and blood. Through his attorney, Goodrich has said he initially thought he'd struck only debris from an accident on Interstate 35E in northwest Dallas. Goodrich told investigators he was the driver and sole occupant of the car. Reed Prospere, Goodrich's Dallas attorney, said the court documents didn't offer anything unexpected. "This is what you would expect from a vehicle that's been involved in a collision with more than one individual,'' said Prospere. "This tells me the police are doing a good and thorough job, and as far as I'm concerned, if they continue doing as good and thorough a job, it will benefit my client.'' He said he had not yet seen the damage to his client's car. Wood and Matthews were trying to rescue a man from a burning car when they were hit. That followed an accident in which a car had rear-ended a disabled tractor trailer rig and caught fire on the northbound lanes of Interstate 35. A passenger in the burning car had emerged and began trying to free the driver when the two victims also began assisting. Witnesses told police the BMW was traveling at more than 100 mph. Police said Goodrich's car also struck the third man, who suffered a broken leg. |
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