Supreme Court of Maryland

Tarpley v. State

January 26, 2026

Summary

The Court held that Tarpley’s motion for a new trial was not cognizable under the post-conviction DNA testing statute because he challenged the authenticity and chain of custody of the evidence, rather than the scientific reliability of the DNA testing. Because chain-of-custody objections concern trial admissibility and must be preserved in the ordinary manner, the Court affirmed the denial of his motion. No separate opinions were filed.