<Li> In 1998, Richard J. Schmidt was convicted of attempted second - degree murder when it was shown that there was a link between the viral DNA of the human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) he had been accused of injecting in his girlfriend and viral DNA from one of his patients with AIDS . This was the first time viral DNA fingerprinting had been used as evidence in a criminal trial . </Li> <Li> In 1999, Raymond Easton, a disabled man from Swindon, England, was arrested and detained for seven hours in connection with a burglary . He was released due to an inaccurate DNA match . His DNA had been retained on file after an unrelated domestic incident some time previously . </Li> <Li> In 2000 Frank Lee Smith was proved innocent by DNA profiling of the murder of an eight - year - old girl after spending 14 years on death row in Florida, USA . However he had died of cancer just before his innocence was proven . In view of this the Florida state governor ordered that in future any death row inmate claiming innocence should have DNA testing . </Li> <Li> In May 2000 Gordon Graham murdered Paul Gault at his home in Lisburn, Northern Ireland . Graham was convicted of the murder when his DNA was found on a sports bag left in the house as part of an elaborate ploy to suggest the murder occurred after a burglary had gone wrong . Graham was having an affair with the victim's wife at the time of the murder . It was the first time Low Copy Number DNA was used in Northern Ireland . </Li>

Who has considered that dna is genetic material