Verogen Inc., announced today that Anne Marie Schubert, J.D. has joined the company as Strategic Advisor of Governmental Affairs, effective January 5, 2023. Schubert has over 32 years of law enforcement experience and is a nationally recognized expert in forensic DNA. She was elected District Attorney for Sacramento County, California in 2014 and served in this capacity until December 2022.
Schubert has advanced cutting-edge DNA technologies for nearly three decades. This includes conducting one of the first Kelly/Frye admissibility hearings on the validity of PCR-based DNA evidence in California, resulting in a published appellate opinion. She pioneered the use of John Doe DNA warrants in 2000, a practice since upheld by the California Supreme Court and now routinely used throughout the country. In 2002, she formed Sacramento’s Cold Case Prosecution Unit, and served as its first prosecutor, solving and prosecuting several high-profile cases including the rape and murder of Deborah Chandler by convicted serial killer Wilbur Jennings, aka “The Ditch Bank Killer.”
Notably, in 2018, Schubert led her office’s investigation and prosecution of Joseph DeAngelo, the “Golden State Killer,” who was responsible for 13 murders, 51 rapes, and 120 burglaries across California between 1974 and 1986 and identified using forensic investigative genetic genealogy (FIGG). Since the arrest of DeAngelo, her team has used FIGG in numerous cases with continued success. This includes the identification of Roy Charles Waller as the NorCal Rapist, identifying unidentified human remains, and, in partnership with the California Innocence Project, the exoneration of Ricky Davis after 15 years of wrongful conviction.
“I am excited to welcome Anne Marie to Verogen,” said Brett Williams, Chief Executive Officer of Verogen. “The forensic community will benefit from Anne Marie’s deep expertise in shepherding novel DNA methods through the judicial system. Together, we will continue to accelerate the adoption of next-generation sequencing and FIGG to solve violent crime, identify missing persons, and exonerate the innocent.”
“We are at the beginning of the digital DNA revolution in forensics,” said Schubert. "As a lifelong advocate for crime victims, I am delighted to be part of a company at the forefront of that change, joining a group of leaders dedicated to making a difference in our justice system."
Schubert received her J.D. from University of San Francisco and has been recognized by her peers with the Prosecutor of the Year Award and the Peace Officer Standards and Training Instructor of the Year Award.
Press release from Verogen.