"The Sault Area Hospital pathologist whose findings contributed to the wrongful conviction of William Mullins-Johnson appears briefly in a segment of The Fifth Estate airing this week on CBC Television," the SooToday.com story published on January 6, 2008, begins;
"In 1991, Dr. Bhubendra Rasaiah performed an autopsy following the death of four-year-old Valin Johnson," the story continues;
"Mullins-Johnson (shown), her uncle, was subsequently convicted of raping and murdering the child.
He spent 12 years in prison before being exonerated in October 2007.
The 40-minute Fifth Estate report - titled Death in the Family - reviews the case and its far-reaching impacts.
During one scene, a journalist approaches Dr. Rasaiah in the Sault Area Hospital parking lot.
The reporter follows the pathologist towards a hospital entrance and asks whether he feels any responsibility for Mullins-Johnson’s suffering.
Dr. Rasaiah defends his work, stating, “I was never wrong.”
Responding to a follow-up question, he replies: “I don’t feel any personal responsibility at all.”
The program, which first aired last night, will be rebroadcast on CBC Newsworld at 10 p.m. tomorrow night.
You can also view the segment on The Fifth Estate website.
When the Ontario Court of Appeal quashed the conviction, it stated that Mullins-Johnson was arrested, convicted of first degree murder and spent 12 years in prison because of flawed pathology.
Last fall, Mullins-Johnson started a $13-million lawsuit for damages he suffered.
Defendants include Dr. Rasaiah, as well as Dr. Charles Smith, Dr. Marcellina Mian, Dr. Patricia Ann Zehr, Dr. James Young and Dr. James Cairns."
Harold Levy...hlevy15@gmail.com;
