Megan Fletcher

Megan Fletcher testified for the State as a SLED forensic scientist. She explained particle-lift collection and SEM-EDX analysis, including SLED's criteria for identifying a microscopic particle as characteristic gunshot primer residue.

On direct examination, Fletcher described firing a weapon, proximity to a discharge, and contact with a contaminated firearm or object as possible sources of residue. She reported characteristic particles on a white T-shirt, green shorts, a hand lift, a seatbelt buckle, and both sides of a blue rain jacket, while none were found on the submitted shoes. She also noted a strong laundry-detergent odor from the T-shirt but did not conclude that it had been washed.

The defense focused on the limits of the analysis. Fletcher agreed that particles can persist until removed, can transfer through contact, and cannot be dated. She could not determine when or how the residue reached the tested items, and questioning also addressed the laboratory's decision not to process a blue tarp. Although she described 38 particles as comparatively large, she declined to treat one confirmed particle as insignificant.

On redirect, Fletcher clarified that the rain jacket contained 52 confirmed characteristic particles, with 14 on the exterior and 38 on the interior. She described the interior concentration as unusual for clothing worn right side out near a discharge and accepted that placing a recently fired firearm inside the jacket was one possible explanation, without finding that it had occurred. On recross, she reaffirmed that the microscopy established what was present, not the timing or mechanism of deposition, and explained that residue from rimfire ammunition can vary in elemental composition.