Governor Henry Signs DNA Bill Into Law

By Kirsten McIntyre, NEWS 9

OKLAHOMA CITY -- Tuesday night, Governor Henry signed into law a measure aimed at helping to solve cold cases. It forces more people to give up their DNA.

The new law is named after Juli Busken, a University of Oklahoma ballerina whose killer was caught because of DNA.

Her parents and others are celebrating this legislative victory but say their fight for even tougher laws isn't over yet.

"We are very honored that it's named after Juli," Juli's mother Mary Jean Buskin said.

Juli was raped and murdered in 1996. Eight years later, Anthony Sanchez was finally caught through DNA collected on an unrelated case.

"A lot of people will plead from a felony to a misdemeanor and so this way, before they can get out of giving DNA, this way they will have to anyway," Buskin said.

"At this time, once you're convicted of a felony and incarcerated, your DNA is taken," Rep. Lee Denney (R - District 33) said. "What this is going to do is expand the database to include people who commit certain violent misdemeanors."

Among those misdemeanors included in the new law are assault and battery, domestic abuse, stalking, breaking and entering a dwelling place and negligent homicide.

DNA would be collected once the person has been convicted.

"It is the beginning of a change," Maggie Zingman said.

Zingman says she is both pleased and frustrated with the new law. Her daughter, Brittany Phillips, was raped and murdered more than five years ago in Tulsa. The killer has yet to be caught. Zingman now travels across the country campaigning for tougher DNA laws. She wants DNA collected when a person is arrested, not when they're convicted.

"I have a deep set feeling we would find my daughter's killer," Zingman said. "That it would have been a preventable crime; he would have been in the system."

Representative Denney says that kind of law is what she'll continue fighting for.

"I felt like if we could get their DNA upon arrest and they commit serial crimes we could catch them faster," Denney said.

The new law went into effect the minute the governor signed it.