brother (Elizabeth's uncle) and had presided over Elizabeth's court proceeding. Ed Sulzbach, an FBI profiler who according to some familiar with the case was asked to consult, concluded that the crime had been committed by a female who knew the Haysoms, settling on Elizabeth as the likely killer. The detective working on the case, Ricky Gardner, denied that a profile had been created by Sulzbach. No report was entered into evidence at Söring's trial. A blood-smeared sock print was introduced as main evidence against Söring. The prosecution's expert witness, Robert Hallett, who was not an expert on footprints, claimed that he was able to match it perfectly to Söring. An FBI agent interviewed by WVTF in 2018 dismissed the witnesses' methods as a "magic trick" and noted that Sulzbach had matched the sock to a female in his report. In 2009, the 42 pieces of DNA evidence from the crime scene were tested (technology was previously not sufficiently advanced). Of the 42, 31 were either too small or degraded to yield results. The 11 samples successfully tested excluded both Söring and Elizabeth Haysom. Further investigations and parole requests Jens Söring began to be eligible for parole in 2003. His twelfth parole request was denied at the beginning of 2017. A petition for an absolute pardon was filed on 22 August 2016. Chuck Reid, one of the original investigators of the Haysom murders, has occasionally agreed to be interviewed about the case. His participation in the 2016 documentary The Promise led him to take his long-standing doubts about the outcome more seriously. On 3 May 2017, Albemarle County Sheriff J. E. "Chip" Harding released a 19-page report on a months-long investigation he had conducted on this case. He concluded that Jens Söring is innocent and asked Governor McAuliffe to pardon him. On 27 September 2017, Harding held a press conference and advocated for Söring's release together with another investigator, Richard L. Hudson Jr. They also presented expert testimony of three forensic scientists who agreed that Söring's DNA did not match the blood found on the crime scene. On 10 October 2017, Germany's ambassador Peter Wittig and its former president Christian Wulff, amongst Söring's Counsel Steven Rosenfield and others, attended Söring's 13th parole hearing. Following this hearing, Wittig told the assembled media "We are deeply convinced of the innocence of Jens Söring." On 27 October 2017, a further press conference was held