Monday, July 25, 2016

Leo Ackley; Anthony Ball: Michigan; Bulletin: Shaken baby syndrome; Their lawyers are challenging the scientific evidence in two infant homicide cases..."On Monday a judge ruled in favor of the attorneys, who are hoping to prove that the prosecutor’s scientific experts can’t show that Ackley and Ball shook infants to death. Prosecutors testified that they’ve already proven that the babies suffered head injuries, injuries which ultimately killed them. “They don’t want us to look too closely behind the curtain,” said Ackley’s attorney Andrew Rodenhouse, “they don’t want us to look at the science.” Rodenhouse says Ackley’s case is setting a new standard for infant death cases across the nation and that more and more defense attorneys are challenging the evidence presented by the state. “We’re hoping to shake the science,” said Balls’ attorney Kymberly Schroeder. “We’re hoping to be able to prove that the underlying basis that this must be abuse, it’s always abuse is false. There’s no evidence, there’s no science behind it.”" WWMT;


 "Leo Ackley and Anthony Ball are both behind bars for infant homicide. While Ackley has been granted a new trial by the Michigan Supreme Court, Ball is headed to trial for the first time, but both are working to show that science can’t prove they are killers. It’s a detailed and complicated topic. Attorneys for both men are turning to science to prove or disprove what killed two babies in Calhoun County. “Just because we always do it one way doesn’t make it right,” said Calhoun County Judge John Hallacy. On Monday a judge ruled in favor of the attorneys, who are hoping to prove that the prosecutor’s scientific experts can’t show that Ackley and Ball shook infants to death. Prosecutors testified that they’ve already proven that the babies suffered head injuries, injuries which ultimately killed them. “They don’t want us to look too closely behind the curtain,” said Ackley’s attorney Andrew Rodenhouse, “they don’t want us to look at the science.” Rodenhouse says Ackley’s case is setting a new standard for infant death cases across the nation and that more and more defense attorneys are challenging the evidence presented by the state. “We’re hoping to shake the science,” said Balls’ attorney Kymberly Schroeder. “We’re hoping to be able to prove that the underlying basis that this must be abuse, it’s always abuse is false. There’s no evidence, there’s no science behind it.”"
http://wwmt.com/news/local/attorneys-challenge-scientific-evidence-in-two-infant-deaths