DNA matching the profile of a man accused of murder was discovered on a handkerchief that was found to have particles characteristic of gunshot residue.

Barbara Llewellyn, an expert in forensic DNA, said in a written statement read to the Supreme Court that she had tested a number of items seized in connection with the 2017 fatal shooting of Morlan Steede.

She said that one, a red-and-white handkerchief, contained DNA from a “mixture of two people”.

Dr Llewellyn added: “The major component of this mixture matched the profile of Kiari Tucker.”

She confirmed that she could not say how the DNA came to be on the handkerchief.

Dr Llewellyn said that DNA was also found on other items of clothing seized, but the quality and quantity was not enough to make a comparison.

Questioned about the results, Dr Llewellyn said that if a person wore sweatpants underneath a pair of jeans, it would be “highly unlikely” for their DNA to be transferred to the inside of the jeans.

Asked in cross-examination whether DNA would be transferred if the person wore the jeans normally, she said that it could depend on a number of factors.

“If the jeans fit tightly and there’s a lot of friction, we would probably get more DNA,” she said. “If they are loose, maybe not.”

Dr Llewellyn added that some people shed more DNA than others.

She said: “There are a lot of things there that could lead to either finding or not finding DNA.”

Mr Tucker, 27, has denied the November 3, 2017, murder of Mr Steede, 35, as well as the use of a firearm to commit an indictable offence.

Earlier in the trial, the Supreme Court was shown CCTV footage from the evening of the murder that showed a man in a white shirt being chased down One Way Deepdale in Pembroke by a figure dressed in black, with flashes of light seen coming from the pursuer’s outstretched arm.

Mr Tucker was arrested the next day after police discovered him under a pile of clothing in a bedroom closet.

The court also heard that swabs taken from Mr Tucker’s hands revealed particles characteristic of gunshot residue.

Additional particles were discovered on a pair of jeans, the red-and-white handkerchief, and a black shoe seized as part of the investigation.

As the trial continued yesterday, the jury also heard evidence from the autopsy of Mr Steede, carried out on November 8, 2017, which found that the immediate cause of death was a gunshot wound.

The court heard that four gunshot wounds were identified on Mr Steede’s body including three shots to his back and one to his arm.

While the arm injury was superficial and two of the shots to his back were not considered fatal, the third punctured Mr Steede’s left lung as well as the left ventricle of his heart.

The court heard that the injury would have caused significant internal bleeding and death.

The trial continues.

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