Police said DNA evidence puts a parolee accused of fatally stabbing a prostitute at the scene of the crime.

San Diego police Criminalist David Cornacchia testified yesterday at the San Diego Superior Court during the preliminary hearing for Frank Dwayne Shaw, who is charged with the slaying of Maureen Skeffington.

Cornacchia said a bloodstain found at the crime scene contained traces of Shaw’s and Skeffington’s DNA. This piece of evidence is particularly important as many witnesses from the San Diego Police Department said conditions of the crime scene made collecting evidence difficult.

According to San Diego County Deputy Medical Examiner Dr. Craig Nelson, Skeffington died from multiple stab wounds to the face and neck. She lost a considerable amount of blood from the wounds in her caused by a sharp-edged object that cut deep into her veins, said Nelson.

San Diego police Detective Michelle Velovich believes Skeffington was killed on her bed and then carried to the bathtub. A Luminol test, a chemical test that reacts to blood, confirms the body was moved by showing the trail of blood in the apartment from the bedroom to the bathroom, said Velovich.

According to her, the test also show the suspect tried to clean the trail of blood with cleaning products, which made it hard for the police to get a DNA sample.

San Diego Police Department Crime Scene Specialist Katie Boyd said that DNA swabs and fingerprints, which are still being processed, were taken on two of the tub handles to try and further identify a suspect.

Further, Nelson said he swabbed underneath Skeffington’s fingernails during the victim’s autopsy but was unable to recover any DNA. The main reason DNA could not be found under the fingernails is that her body had begun to decompose after being submerged in water for at least two days, said Nelson.

 KFMB news reported Patrol officers were doing a routine welfare check on Skeffington on Aug. 28 after neighbors reported not seeing her for a few days. When officers found her body in the bathtub, it was apparent she had been dead several days from stab wounds.

According to KFMB, Shaw was last seen with Skeffington on Aug. 26, the day she likely died. He wanted to exchange drugs for sex, but Skeffington insisted on being paid in cash.

KFMB reported Defense attorney Kara Oien saying Shaw was in the area of Skeffington’s apartment but left around 10 p.m. Shaw was arrested at his home in Southcrest on Dec. 20.

 KFMB also reported that Shaw has previous convictions from a series of armed robbery sprees in 1997, which he plead guilty to.

If convicted at the end of the preliminary hearing, which is expected to last a few more days, Shaw could face 82 years in prison to life. Currently, Shaw’s bail is set at $1 million.