PROVO — Definitive evidence as to who killed Sharee Hatch with a shotgun last month may hide in a minuscule speck of blood.
Prosecutors say that the speck, found on the sock of Robert Steven Hatch, is the blood of his estranged wife. But the spot of blood is so small that lab experts will only have one chance to determine if the DNA is that of Sharee Hatch. All it would take, said deputy Utah County attorney John Allan, is one mistake to ruin their chances of solving this case.
In 4th District Court on Tuesday, Hatch's defense attorney, Geoffrey Clark, protested that once the state tests the blood there won't be anything left for the defense to conduct its own analysis.
Allan said the blood sample is only big enough for one DNA test, which would essentially destroy the spot.
The dilemma has prompted a prosecution and defense agreement to share the results of the one-time test, which will be conducted at the state crime lab.
Sharee Lana Hatch, 32, was found dead in the upstairs bedroom of her Spanish Fork home on the night of July 7. Her boyfriend told police a man had broken into the house, killed the mother of three and fled quickly. Hatch has not been charged in the killing.
Hatch remains in the Utah County Jail on a probation violation stemming from a previous charge of simple assault/domestic violence in 1994, also involving his wife.