Huntington murder suspect Jeb Daly ordered to submit DNA

NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (AP) - A western Massachusetts man charged with strangling and beating his girlfriend, then putting her dead body in a cardboard box, has been ordered by a judge to submit a DNA sample as evidence at his trial.

After a hearing in Hampshire Superior Court on Tuesday, Assistant Northwestern District Attorney Jeremy Bucci said the DNA sample provided by 37-year-old Jeb Daly will be compared against evidence recovered during the investigation into the death of 30-year-old Jessica Dana.

Prosecutors say Daly killed Dana in the Huntington home they shared last June after an argument sparked by money and drug use. Her body was found in a cardboard box behind the home.

Daly has pleaded not guilty. He said she left home on her own accord. His trial is scheduled for August.