STORY: "The science of death," by reporter Jordan Smith, published in the Austin Chronicle on February 29, 2012.
GIST: "Although the area of the forest where Trotter's body was eventually found was searched several times, she wasn't discovered until some three weeks later. Swearingen was subsequently charged, convicted and sentenced to die for her murder. But the defense argues that histological evidence not provided to the defense until 2009 reveals tissue that is nowhere near as decomposed as would be expected if she had been left outside in the forest for nearly a month. According to a host of forensic pathologists – including several of the state's more prominent doctors – the evidence is clear: Trotter had been dead not more than a week or so before being found, which is what Swearingen's defense is arguing at this week's evidentiary hearing, which Swearingen's attorney hopes will ultimately help to clear his client's name. Diepraam doesn't believe that will happen. He says the defense experts have been all over the map with their estimates of when Trotter died and that makes their conclusions suspect. Conversely, state experts are firm on their date-of-death – including a bug expert from Sam Houston State Unversity who not only has worked at the school's body farm, but also who is the only expert in the case to have done research in the section of the forest where Trotter's body was discovered. Regardless of which experts the state has asked to look at the case, each of them – pathologists and entomologists alike – have said the same thing: Trotter's body, found in the Sam Houston National Forest on Jan. 2, 1999, had decomposed in a manner consistent with a woman dead some three weeks. The science of death and decomposition is central to a hearing happening this week in district court in Montgomery County, where Swearingen is seeking to prove he is innocent of Trotter's murder. According to the defense, the state of Trotter's body when found in the forest is far more consistent with that of a woman dead at most a week at the time she was discovered – and if that's the case, Swearingen could not have been her killer."
THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:
GIST: "Although the area of the forest where Trotter's body was eventually found was searched several times, she wasn't discovered until some three weeks later. Swearingen was subsequently charged, convicted and sentenced to die for her murder. But the defense argues that histological evidence not provided to the defense until 2009 reveals tissue that is nowhere near as decomposed as would be expected if she had been left outside in the forest for nearly a month. According to a host of forensic pathologists – including several of the state's more prominent doctors – the evidence is clear: Trotter had been dead not more than a week or so before being found, which is what Swearingen's defense is arguing at this week's evidentiary hearing, which Swearingen's attorney hopes will ultimately help to clear his client's name. Diepraam doesn't believe that will happen. He says the defense experts have been all over the map with their estimates of when Trotter died and that makes their conclusions suspect. Conversely, state experts are firm on their date-of-death – including a bug expert from Sam Houston State Unversity who not only has worked at the school's body farm, but also who is the only expert in the case to have done research in the section of the forest where Trotter's body was discovered. Regardless of which experts the state has asked to look at the case, each of them – pathologists and entomologists alike – have said the same thing: Trotter's body, found in the Sam Houston National Forest on Jan. 2, 1999, had decomposed in a manner consistent with a woman dead some three weeks. The science of death and decomposition is central to a hearing happening this week in district court in Montgomery County, where Swearingen is seeking to prove he is innocent of Trotter's murder. According to the defense, the state of Trotter's body when found in the forest is far more consistent with that of a woman dead at most a week at the time she was discovered – and if that's the case, Swearingen could not have been her killer."
THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:
http://www.austinchronicle.com/blogs/news/2012-02-29/the-science-of-death/
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 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.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;
