Mission District sex assault trial begins S.F. COURTS

Frederick Dozier, suspected of beating, robbing and sexually assaulting three women in San Francisco's Mission District in 2011. He was arrested Jan. 6, 2012. Frederick Dozier, suspected of beating, robbing and sexually assaulting three women in San Francisco's Mission District in 2011. He was arrested Jan. 6, 2012. Photo: San Francisco Police Department Photo: San Francisco Police Department Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Mission District sex assault trial begins 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

DNA evidence and confessions are at the heart of the prosecution's case against a school cafeteria worker being tried for beating, robbing and sexually assaulting three women in the city's Mission District, a San Francisco assistant district attorney said Tuesday.

But a defense attorney for Frederick Dozier Jr., 33, of San Francisco told jurors that DNA is never an exact match and that Dozier confessed only when police inspectors told him his genetic markers were found on two of the victims. Dozier's trial began with opening statements Tuesday from the defense and the prosecution.

He is charged with 26 felony counts - including attempted murder, attempted rape and forced oral copulation - and faces up to life in prison if convicted.

Assistant District Attorney Marshall Khine told the five women and seven men of the jury that Dozier admitted to being involved in the attacks of "three petite women walking alone in the darkness before dawn" along the 24th Street corridor.

The first assault occurred on June 17, 2011, at 3 a.m. The victim, identified as a woman in her 20s, said Dozier dragged her to a driveway on the 1300 block of South Van Ness Avenue and forced her to perform sex acts.

Investigators later found semen samples on her gray scarf that they linked through DNA testing to Dozier, Khine said.

Investigators also linked Dozier to DNA found on a second woman attacked at about 4 a.m. Nov. 18, 2011, on the 1200 block of Potrero Avenue, Khine said. The victim, identified as a woman in her 50s, was choked so hard that all the blood vessels in her eyes burst.

Dozier was charged with attempted murder for this assault because the woman told investigators that after she pretended to lose consciousness, he whispered, "Go to sleep," and twisted her neck.

Khine played a taped interview between Dozier and investigators, made on Jan. 6, when he was taken into custody, in which he admitted that he took a bag of clothes from the third victim, a woman in her 30s, who was attacked at 4 a.m. Dec. 8, 2011 near Fair Oaks and 24th streets.

She was beaten so violently that her nose was split open to the cartilage, and she still bears scars on her face, Khine said.

"So you're the person who was involved in all three of these incidents," asked Inspector Narda Gillespie on the tape.

"Yes," Dozier responded.

Deputy Public Defender Greg Goldman said his client only confessed to taking a bag from the third victim and robbing and sexually assaulting the first and second victim because investigators told him his DNA was a match - something Goldman said can never be truly proved.

"There's not going to be anyone who comes in to tell you that the DNA on that scarf would belong to Mr. Dozier," he said. "Everything with DNA is theoretical. It's not anything any of us can see."

Khine said his experts will testify that statistically the DNA matches are 1 in 4 quintillion in one case and 1 in 4 billion in another.

Goldman asked the jury to decide if Dozier made a meaningful admission when he confessed to investigators, or if it was "said out of fear that he was connected to these crimes but he wasn't."

Dozier had worked as a part-time cafeteria worker for the San Francisco Unified School District until he was arraigned in January.

Dozier remains behind bars on a no-bail hold.