GOT HIM

Convicted Murderer Found Through Genetic Genealogy Gets Two Life Sentences

William Talbot II was the first man convicted of murder after being identified through genetic genealogy.

The first man convicted of murder with genetic genealogy evidence was sentenced to two life sentences on Wednesday, KOMO News reports. William Talbot II will serve the two life sentences consecutively after being found guilty in the murders of a Canadian couple earlier this month based on 32-year-old DNA evidence. According to prosecutors, Talbot raped and killed 18-year-old Tanya Van Cuylenborg, and killed 20-year-old Jay Cook in November 1987 during their overnight trip in Seattle. The case was considered cold until a genealogist was able to trace DNA evidence found at the scene back to Talbot using the GEDmatch database. Before being sentenced, Talbot maintained that he was innocent. “I stand before you a man convicted of a crime that I did not commit,” he told the judge in court Wednesday.