Sunday, December 13, 2015

Kristine Bunch: One of 4 wrongfully convicted people who addressed a seminar sponsored by several law firms; "The biggest heartache was my public defender didn't have the funds, didn't have the support he needed to take a case like mine," Bunch said. "If they had the help they needed, they could stop people before they're wrongly convicted."


STORY: "4 people wrongly convicted share stories of survival,"reported by Harry Hitzeman, published by the "Daily Herald" on December 5 2105.

PHOTO CAPTION:  "Juan Rivera laughs while talking with Kristine Bunch, left, and Kane County Assistant Public Defender Kim Bilbrey during a break at a workshop Friday in Geneva to examine four wrongful convictions. Rivera and Bunch both were wrongfully convicted of crimes."

SUB-HEADING: "Better police training, less immunity granted to witnesses, more prosecutor accountability and a larger pool of resources for the public defenders can help toward avoiding and preventing convictions of innocent people."

GIST: "Before her release, Kristine Bunch served more than 17 years of a 60-year sentence for arson and the murder of her 3-year-old son in June 1995 after her trailer burned down in Decatur County, Indiana. Bunch said she wants more resources provided to public defenders to handle complex, scientific cases. "The biggest heartache was my public defender didn't have the funds, didn't have the support he needed to take a case like mine," Bunch said. "If they had the help they needed, they could stop people before they're wrongly convicted. The hardest part is feeling that no one hears you when you say you're innocent." The seminar was presented by the Kane County public defender's office and sponsored by the law firms of: Foote, Mielke, Chavez and O'Neil; Konicek & Dillon; and Meyers & Flowers."

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.dailyherald.com/article/20151204/news/151209331/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
 
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located  near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
 
The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
 http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
 
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com;  Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;