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While a second jury of New York City is preparing to hear the closing pleadings on Monday in the murder case of Karina Vetrano, a last-minute event could delay the trial of justice.
The investigation since Vetrano's body was found just meters from his home in Howard Beach, New York, has been filled with twists and turns for over two years.
Six months passed after the discovery of Vetrano before Chanel Lewis was designated as the main suspect after passing a DNA sample to the authorities. Before Lewis left the 107th constituency in February 2017, the New York police detectives had painted a portrait of a potential witness, Vetrano's family had put thousands of dollars in rewards and prosecutors had asked for help to expand the investigation.
Here is an overview of the key moments of the case:
August 2, 2016: Karina Vetrano was missing during a jogging night at Spring Creek Park, a few blocks from her home, the first time she was jogging without her father, Phil Vetrano. During a search, Karina Vetrano's body was found the same day her father went missing, leaving him "lying on his back" in a neglected meadow, according to the testimony at the trial of Phil Vetrano.
August 7, 2016: Five days later, 27-year-old Vanessa Teresa Marcotte was found murdered in Princeton, Massachusetts after a jog. The killings of the two joggers were initially linked by the authorities and drew the country's attention.
August 31, 2016: The New York police has published a sketch of a man according to the police who could be a witness to the murder of Karina Vetrano.
December 9, 2016: As the affair began to get cold, Queens County County Attorney Richard A. Brown asked the state to authorize the use of family DNA . The DNA profile of the crime scene would go through a state database to see if links could be found with similar profiles belonging to a parent. The process uses specific DNA tests on the Y chromosome, said Brown in a letter reported by ABC News at the time, referring to the chromosome found in men only.
January 2017: Lieutenant John Russo, one of the leading detectives in the Karina Vetrano case, is reminded to have called the police a wandering man near his home in Howard Beach on May 30 and 31, 2016. Russo testified that he found the police officers who answered Dial 911 to know if they were keeping their notes from the May 2016 stop-and-search. The police officer's notes indicated that Chanel Lewis was the unknown in the Russo neighborhood and asked Lewis for a DNA buffer.
February 2, 2017: Lewis, then 20 years old, volunteered to give a sample of his DNA. According to the testimony of the lawsuit, Lewis's DNA corresponded to the DNA found under Karina Vetrano's nails and on his cell phone.
February 4, 2017: Lewis was brought to the 107th police station for questioning, according to the testimony of the trial. A few hours later, Lewis gave confessions that were recorded before a prosecutor. Lewis was notably charged with murder and sexual abuse.
November 20, 2018: After 13 hours of deliberation, the jury warned the judge that they were deadlocked and the judge declared a null trial. Prosecutors have announced that they will take over the case.
March 17, 2019: Opening statements on the new trial begin.
March 28, 2019: The defense and the prosecutors have put their affairs at rest. That night, an anonymous letter was sent to the defense team to inform that prosecutors allegedly concealed potentially exculpatory information, according to a spokeswoman for the Legal Aid Society.
April 1, 2019: The defense should file a motion asking the judge to hold a hearing about the allegations in the anonymous letter, while the closing arguments must be final on Monday.
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