There’s this pesky thing called the US Constitution, and sometimes there’s a price to be paid when it’s subverted.

That’s what is happening in New Mexico, where a convicted murderer serving a life term won a new trial because a DNA prosecution expert in the prosecution’s case testified via Skype, denying the defendant Truett Thomas’ Sixth Amendment rights to confront witnesses in court, according to the New Mexico Supreme Court.

The case against Thomas began in 2010 when Albuquerque police discovered Guadalupe Ashford’s body behind a trash can in a small parking lot. The woman was assaulted, and sustained significant head injuries, “including lacerations, skull fractures and a dislodged tooth.” Police found blood on the scene that didn’t match the woman’s and ran it through the Combined DNA Index System (CODIS) database, which matched the defendant. The defendant denied he knew the woman.