DOUGLAS PLUDE: ALLEGED DROWNING OF WIFE IN TOILET BOWL CASE TO BE RETRIED IN OCTOBER: "EXPERT" FALSIFIED CREDENTIALS; THE RHINELANDER DAILY NEWS;

"The state claimed Genell Plude was poisoned with headache medicine and her head forced into the toilet bowl by her husband. Prosecutors argued Douglas Plude killed his wife because she was planning to leave him. According to trial testimony, Genell Plude’s parents were set to drive to Wisconsin from Minnesota to pick up their daughter so she could start a new life in another state.

At trial, Plude’s defense team argued Genell was despondent over a failed Internet relationship with a woman in Texas. They claimed she intentionally took lethal doses of the drug Fioricet, vomited, and eventually drowned in fluids created by her body....

His conviction for first-degree intentional homicide was overturned two years ago by the Wisconsin Supreme Court because a key prosecution witness purporting to be an expert on injury mechanism analysis falsified his credentials."

RHINELANDER DAILY NEWS; Wikipedia informs us that, "The Rhinelander Daily News is a newspaper based in Rhinelander, Wisconsin."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This case garnered international attention after the Associated Press ran a story by reporter Ryan Foley under the date-line Madison, Wis. ran yesterday (April 12, 2009) under the heading "Toilet test contentious issue in Wis. slaying case. "If you are a female about 5 feet 8 inches tall, 140 pounds and willing to stick your head in a toilet, a northern Wisconsin prosecutor wants your help in proving a high-profile homicide case," the story began. "The Vilas County district attorney plans to recruit volunteers for a second round of controversial tests designed to prove that a woman was drowned by her husband in a toilet — and didn't commit suicide as he claims," it continued. "The experiments involve positioning women the size of the late Genell Plude of Land O' Lakes at a toilet to determine whether the version of events told by her husband, Douglas Plude, is plausible. Defense lawyers say it's junk science."

----------------------------------------------------------------------------------

"A status conference was held Thursday in the case against a Land O’Lakes man accused of poisoning his wife and drowning her in a toilet bowl almost 11 years ago," the story published earlier today in the Rhinelander Daily News begins, under the heading, "Attorneys discuss possible change of venue in Plude case."

Douglas J. Plude, 43, is scheduled to be retried Oct. 4," the story continues.

"His conviction for first-degree intentional homicide was overturned two years ago by the Wisconsin Supreme Court because a key prosecution witness purporting to be an expert on injury mechanism analysis falsified his credentials.

Judge Neal A. “Chip” Nielsen III said the purpose of the off-the-record status conference between attorneys was to discuss issues in the case, such as whether to hold the trial outside of Vilas County or bring in an out-of-county jury to hear the case.

In 2002, Plude was convicted of the first degree intentional homicide of his wife, Genell.

Genell Plude, 28, was found dead with her head and face in a toilet bowl Oct. 22, 1999. Significant amounts of drugs were found in her system, and unusual bruises were found on her body.

The state claimed Genell Plude was poisoned with headache medicine and her head forced into the toilet bowl by her husband. Prosecutors argued Douglas Plude killed his wife because she was planning to leave him. According to trial testimony, Genell Plude’s parents were set to drive to Wisconsin from Minnesota to pick up their daughter so she could start a new life in another state.

At trial, Plude’s defense team argued Genell was despondent over a failed Internet relationship with a woman in Texas. They claimed she intentionally took lethal doses of the drug Fioricet, vomited, and eventually drowned in fluids created by her body.

A Shawano County jury believed the state’s version of events and convicted Plude on Dec. 13, 2002. He was later sentenced to life in prison with the possibility of parole in 20 years.

A split decision by the District III Wisconsin Court of Appeals upheld Plude’s conviction in 2007, before being overturned in 2008 by the state’s highest court.

Plude, who is free on bond, is scheduled back in court for a motion hearing Aug. 18."

The story can be found at:

http://www.rhinelanderdailynews.com/articles/2010/07/23/news/doc4c4993a115d80355341074.txt

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: 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 accessed at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

For a breakdown of some of the cases, issues and controversies this Blog is currently following, please turn to:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2010/07/new-feature-cases-issues-and.html

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;