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Hamilton County murderer granted first-time testing of DNA evidence

Staff file photo / Stephen Lester, center, enters Judge Tom Greenholtz's courtroom on Dec. 9, 2015, in Hamilton County Criminal Court. Lester is expected to a have a crucial piece of evidence in his case DNA tested for the first time.
Staff file photo / Stephen Lester, center, enters Judge Tom Greenholtz's courtroom on Dec. 9, 2015, in Hamilton County Criminal Court. Lester is expected to a have a crucial piece of evidence in his case DNA tested for the first time. Staff file photo / Stephen Lester, center, enters Judge Tom Greenholtz's courtroom on Dec. 9, 2015, in Hamilton County Criminal Court. Lester is expected to a have a crucial piece of evidence in his case DNA tested for the first time.

By Sofia Saric 3 min read


A Hamilton County man who is serving a life sentence for murder will be allowed to have a piece of evidence in his case DNA-tested for the first time.

In 2015, Stephen Lester was found guilty of first-degree murder and especially aggravated robbery in connection with the death of Edward Glenn Jr.

Lester, 36, has been challenging that conviction for years, and he was adamant about having a cigarette butt found at the scene tested even if it delays his request for a new trial, his attorney Ben McGowan said in court Friday.

Hamilton County Criminal Court Judge Amanda Dunn granted the testing, which will be performed by an independent laboratory. It is expected for the results to come back in about six months.