Bulletin: Gareth Williams: Officer in charge of case to be recalled as inquest draws to close; Sky News;

STORY: "Police chief to appear at spy inquest," by Mark Stone, published on May 1, 2012.

GIST: "Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire is due to deliver a round-up of the evidence her team has gathered since Mr Williams' body was found inside a locked holdall in his central London flat in August 2010. The coroner, Dr Fiona Wilcox, has said that she will then adjourn the court to consider her verdict. She hopes to deliver it on Wednesday morning."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://news.sky.com/home/uk-news/article/16219308

Detective Chief Inspector Jackie Sebire is due to deliver a round-up of the evidence her team has gathered since Mr Williams' body was found inside a locked holdall in his central London flat in August 2010.

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Gareth Williams: "DNA evidence of 'at least' two other people in dead MI6 spy's flat. The Independent;

STORY: "DNA evidence of' 'at least' two other people in dead M16 spy's flat," by reporters Tom Morgan and Rosa Silverman, published in the Independent on May 1, 2012.

SUB-HEADING: "Poisoning and aspyxiation are the foremost contenders for cause of death,"

GIST: "The MI6 spy Gareth Williams would have suffocated within three minutes after getting inside his sports holdall, the inquest into his death heard yesterday. Poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" for cause of death, pathologists said. It also emerged that scientists found traces of "at least" two unknown people in his flat in Pimlico, central London, despite witness testimony that Mr Williams rarely invited people over. Ros Hammond, a forensics expert, said there were hopes of a breakthrough "within a matter of weeks" from DNA tests on a green towel discovered in his kitchen. "There is certainly evidence of at least two people other than Mr Williams on the samples tested," she told the Westminster Coroner's Court. Mr Williams, 31, was probably either suffocated or killed by a poison which disappeared in his system during decomposition, said the pathologist, Dr Benjamin Swift. Dr Swift said his examination was hampered by levels of heat within the bag after radiators were mysteriously turned on in Mr Williams's top-floor apartment in the middle of summer. The MI6 spy Gareth Williams would have suffocated within three minutes after getting inside his sports holdall, the inquest into his death heard yesterday. Poisoning and asphyxiation are the "foremost contenders" for cause of death, pathologists said."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/crime/dna-evidence-of-at-least-two-other-people-in-dead-mi6-spys-flat-7697813.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Robert Dewey: Colorado: Colorado; Innocence Project announces his DNA-related exoneration after 18 years; (290th U.S. DNA exoneration);

STORY: Robert Dewey: Innocence Project announces his DNA-related exoneration of a 1984 rape and murder - after nearly 18 years behind bars.

GIST: "Just minutes ago, Robert Dewey was exonerated of a 1994 rape and murder in Mesa County, Colorado. Advances in DNA technology since the crime made it possible to prove Mr. Dewey’s innocence while implicating another man, who is already serving a life sentence for a similar crime. Robert walked out of court today a free man after spending nearly 18 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.........Robert Dewey is the 290th person exonerated by DNA testing. But we know there are many others still waiting for justice."

THE ENTIRE RELEASE CAN BE FOUND AT:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/13705673f717f45b

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Hannah Overton: Wait for decision begins; Allegation that scientific evidence was concealed from defence at heart of hearing: Caller-Times.

.

STORY: "Hannah Overton capital murder hearing ends; wait begins," by reporter Michelle Villarreal, published in the Corpus Christi Caller-Record on April 30, 2012.

GIST: "Hannah Overton is innocent and spent nearly five years behind bars because of ineffective counsel and withheld evidence. That's what her attorneys spent six days trying to prove to 214th District Judge Jose Longoria. Overton broke into tears during closing arguments Monday and again cried before she was led away to jail. "We pray that your honor consider this scientific evidence and find that Hannah is actually innocent and should be released from prison and returned to her husband and family," said John Raley, one of Overton's attorneys.........Prosecutors argued that Overton's team of at least six trial attorneys were experienced and denied claims that any evidence such as samples of the boy's stomach contents and test results were withheld. Prosecutor Bill Ainsworth reminded Longoria that the jury convicted Overton in 2007 because they believed she failed to act in time to save Andrew. "I think it is important to consider the justice and memory for Andrew Burd," Ainsworth said.........Cynthia Orr, one of Overton's attorneys, said Monday that the prosecution withheld key pieces of evidence during trial, specifically Andrew's vomit, photographs of his stomach contents and a report that detailed testing. Orr said Overton didn't knowingly kill the boy and withheld evidence would have proved it."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.caller.com/news/2012/apr/30/day-six-of-hannah-overton-capital-murder-hearing/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;

Bulletin: Hannah Overton: Corpus Christi Texas: Hearing wraps up; Judge has 30 days to submit recommendations; kiii TV.

STORY: "Overton hearing expected to wrap up Monday," published by kiii TV on April 30, 2012.

UPDATE: The hearing officially ended at 10:45 on Monday. Judge Jose Longoria now has 30 days to submit his recommendation to the Court of Criminal Appeals in Austin.

GIST: "The Corpus Christi mother has been in prison since 2007. That after jurors decided Overton intentionally used a spice-filled drink to kill her 4-year old foster child, Andrew Burd. Overton is serving a life sentence for that crime."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.kiiitv.com/story/17931479/overton-hearing-expected-to-wrap-up-monday

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Dr George Hibbert: Protecting children is one thing; Ripping families apart - apparently for little reason - is another; Daily Mail;

STORY: "I never saw him observing parents with children: The woman who said she was forced to take babies from their mothers by the 'expert' who played God," by Katherine Faulkner, published by the Daily Mail on April 28, 2012.

GIST: "But protecting children is one thing. Ripping families apart — apparently for little reason — is another. Yet this is what Keira claims Dr Hibbert did, and on a scale that is staggering. Alarm bells first started ringing when she felt Dr Hibbert wanted his staff to concentrate on recording only the negative aspects of what they observed. And she became dismayed when the parents were set bizarre and, she felt, unfair tasks, to assess how they coped. She watched one young mum struggle to vacuum the stairs while carrying a baby. Another was sent off to the supermarket with her child in tow to grapple alone with a huge shop for 14 people. But her bemusement at Dr Hibbert’s methods turned to horror when she realised that when parents ‘failed’ to complete these tasks to Dr Hibbert’s high (or ‘impossible’, as she puts it) standards, it counted against them and their children were being taken."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/femail/article-2136388/Dr-George-Hibbert-worker-I-saw-observing-parents-children-The-woman-said-forced-babies-mothers-expert-played-God.html?ITO=1490

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Dr. Michael Belenky; Alberta officials deny wrongdoing after toddler's death wrongly deemed a homicide: Calgary Herald.

STORY: "Alta. officials deny wrongdoing after toddler's death wrongly deemed a suicide," published by the Calgary Herald on April 24, 2012.

GIST: "The child's family is suing the former Calgary pathologist who performed the autopsy, Dr. Michael Belenky, along with Alberta justice and child welfare officials. One of the main allegations in the family's $2-million suit is that Belenky's erroneous finding damaged the family's reputation and the resulting suspicion over the boy's death in 2009 led to authorities placing his stepbrother in foster care for nearly two years. But in a statement of defence filed in Court of Queen's Bench, the defendants are seeking to have the lawsuit dismissed. The defendants counter that officials had reasonable grounds to apprehend the stepbrother, who is now five years old.........A Calgary homicide detective first raised concerns about the case in 2010 after seeing the term "nonaccidental" used in a report written by Belenky, who was assistant chief medical examiner at the time. The investigator requested a meeting with Belenky in August 2010 to discuss the terminology. Toward the end of January 2011, the detective wanted further clarification about the report, but Belenky had left the medical examiner's office earlier that month. Documents obtained by the Calgary Herald show Alberta Justice terminated Belenky's three-year contract on Jan. 11, several months before it was due to expire. In Belenky's absence, another medical examiner looked at the case for homicide investigators and was concerned about the original findings. On Jan. 31, Alberta Justice announced a review of all criminal files handled by Belenky. Authorities overturned Belenky's original finding in the toddler's death and deemed it accidental two months later, concluding the boy probably suffered the fatal head injury falling from a piece of furniture. Authorities returned the stepbrother to his family in March 2011."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www2.canada.com/calgaryherald/iphone/news/national/story.html?id=6512783

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Hannah Overton: San Antonio Express-News says D.A. should not defend "flawed case" which caused "a terrible injustice."

EDITORIAL: "D.A. should not defend flawed case." San Antonio Express-News Editorial Board. April 24, 2012.

GIST: "Nueces County District Attorney Mark Skurka should do the right thing and acknowledge that the sensational prosecution of Hannah Overton for the death of her son was a miscarriage of justice. "Instead, his office is wrongly fighting the exoneration of a woman who is innocent of any crime and is likely the victim of prosecutorial misconduct. In 2007, a jury in Corpus Christi found Overton guilty of capital murder for forcing her 4-year-old foster son to ingest a lethal amount of salt.........In February, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals ordered a state district court in Corpus Christi to review the case. The proceedings have thus far confirmed a terrible injustice to Overton. Prosecutors withheld expert testimony that the boy's death was accidental and possibly the result of a genetic disorder that causes an uncontrollable appetite. They also failed to turn over exculpatory evidence, including a sample of stomach contents that showed a low level of salt — information that strongly undercuts the prosecution's contention that Overton forced the boy to swallow a deadly dose of salt."

THE ENTIRE EDITORIAL CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/opinion/editorials/article/D-A-should-not-defend-flawed-case-3506931.php

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

George Souliotes: (2): Arson Research Project sees decision to allow appeal as "one step closer to justice." Link to decision;

STORY: "One step closer to justice" published by the Arson Project on April 27, 2012.

GIST: "Yesterday, April 26th, Judge Seng released his opinion in the case of George Souliotes, determining that Souliotes deserves a chance to appeal his conviction of an arson and triple murder conviction stemming from a 1997 trial that was overflowing with junk arson science, an unreliable witness identification and a chemical analysis tying a chemical found on the floor of the fire building to Souliotes’ shoes, now having been proven to be incorrect......... Judge Seng’s scathing 99-page opinion debunks each area of the state’s evidence, and still leaves room to discuss the ethics violation of the state’s expert witness, John DeHaan (pages 31 and 32)."

THE ENTIRE POST CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://thearsonproject.wordpress.com/

JUDGE SENG'S DECISION CAN BE FOUND AT :

http://www.thearsonproject.org/Docs/souliotes-evidentary-opinion.pdf

SEE FRONTLINE STORY: "HOW NEW FIRE SCIENCE IS INFLUENCING OLD CASES AT:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/criminal-justice/death-by-fire/how-new-fire-science-is-influencing-old-cases/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Santae Tribble; Prosecutors admit errors in scientific evidence; Agree to have murder conviction overturned; 28 years in prison; Post;

STORY: Prosecutors agree: Murder conviction of D.C. man should be overturned, by reporter Spencer Hsu, published in the Washington Post on April 27, 2012.

GIST: "Federal prosecutors on Friday acknowledged errors in the scientific evidence that helped send a Washington man to prison for 28 years for murder and took the extraordinary step of agreeing to have his conviction overturned. U.S. Attorney Ronald C. Machen Jr. cited DNA evidence in also agreeing to drop the murder charge against Santae A. Tribble and never try him again. But even as the prosecutor said the evidence that convicted Tribble was flawed, Machen stopped short of declaring him innocent. ..........In Tribble’s case, prosecutors and the FBI laboratory were incorrect in linking a hair found near the murder scene to Tribble, according to recent DNA test results. As the U.S. attorney’s office filed court papers late Friday, three former senior FBI lab experts and a national civil liberties group joined calls for the bureau and the Justice Department to review testimony in all convictions nationwide that depended on FBI hair evidence before 1996. Such a review would determine whether the evidence should be retested using DNA. The Post reported last week that the Justice Department never reviewed thousands of cases that relied on potentially flawed hair comparisons, resulting in men like Tribble staying in prison. In many of the cases that the agency did review and found to have problems, prosecutors never notified defendants or their lawyers of the issues uncovered. Machen has agreed to review all District convictions obtained with hair evidence and will ask the Mid-Atlantic Innocence Project to assess whether any old evidence should be retested with modern DNA techniques. Justice Department and FBI officials said they still were considering a similar review nationwide."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/crime/prosecutors-agree-murder-conviction-of-dc-man-should-be-overturned/2012/04/27/gIQAD2gXmT_story.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: George Souliotes: (1): Dubious arson "science" conviction; Major development; Court gives green light to appeal; State makes major concession; AP;

STORY: "Convicted Modesto arson killer can appeal," published by the Associated Press on April 27, 2012.

GIST: "A federal magistrate says there's enough evidence for a convicted Modesto arson killer to appeal the jury verdict. George Souliotes was sentenced to life in prison for setting a 1997 house fire that killed his three tenants, a mother and her 3-year-old daughter and 8-year-old son. Since the conviction, fire scientists have discredited the evidence used to convict Souliotes, and the state has conceded that it no longer can prove the blaze was deliberately set. The magistrate ruled in Fresno on Thursday that Souliotes can pursue federal appeal of his conviction, saying no reasonable juror would have found him guilty with the evidence now available."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.sacbee.com/2012/04/27/4447526/convicted-modesto-arson-killer.html

JUDGE SENG'S DECISION CAN BE FOUND AT :

http://www.thearsonproject.org/Docs/souliotes-evidentary-opinion.pdf

SEE FRONTLINE STORY: "HOW NEW FIRE SCIENCE IS INFLUENCING OLD CASES AT:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/criminal-justice/death-by-fire/how-new-fire-science-is-influencing-old-cases/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Gareth Williams: He deserved "better." A commentary by Mark Urban. BBC News.

STORY: "Gareth Williams: Deserving of better," by Mark Urban, published on BBC News on April 27, 2012.

GIST: "Mr Williams' fate, like those of unfortunate individuals such as Hilda Murrell, a peace activist murdered in 1984, or Jonathan Moyle, a journalist found hanging in a Chilean hotel room 22 years ago, seems set to spawn a variety of conspiracy theories. These will run and run, adding to the grief of those he left behind. However it is hard to escape the conclusion that it will have brought little comfort or "closure" to his family."

THE ENTIRE COMMENTARY CAN BE FOUND AT"

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-17872671

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Gareth Williams inquest: Day 5: (Video); Yoga specialist attempts to lock himself in bag; The Guardian;

STORY: "Gareth Williams Inquest: Yoga specialist attempts to lock himself into a bag - video," published by the Guardian on April 27, 2012.

GIST: "Footage shown at the inquest into the death of MI6 spy Gareth Williams, 31, who was found dead in a sports holdall in a flat in Pimlico, west London, in August 2010. Here, yoga expert William MacKay is seen attempting to lock himself into a bag. MacKay tried more than 100 times without success - but says that does not mean Williams could not have succeeded."

THE ENTIRE VIDEO AND STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2012/apr/27/gareth-williams-yoga-bag-video

SEE DAILY MAIL: "EVEN HOUDINI WOULD STRUGGLE..."

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/136d90772b99cfed

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Hannah Overton: Day Five: County Medical Examiner open to hear new information or research. Corpus Christi Caller-Times.

STORY: "Day five of Hannah Overton hearing ends," by reporter Michelle Villarreal, published in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on April 27, 2012.

GIST: "A hearing in Hannah Overton's capital murder case will resume on Monday. Judge Jose Longoria stopped the hearing at about 3 p.m. today because he had a prior appointment. The hearing will resume at 8 a.m. Monday, which will be the fifth day he will hear testimony. Attorney Lisa Harris, who represented Overton's husband, Larry, is expected to take the stand. She could be the last witness.........Nueces County Medical Examiner Ray Fernandez ruled the death as a homicide and found the boy died from sodium poisoning and blunt force head trauma. Fernandez said today that he did some research about salt poisoning for the case. Overton attorneys questioned whether Fernandez already had made up his mind about the boy's cause of death based on claims of child abuse and police reports before he did the autopsy. He said it is standard policy to review autopsy and police reports to determine cause of death. "I don't base a determination of cause of death solely on a police report or medical record. I determine it on a combination of reports," Fernandez said. Fernandez said the cause of death is based on information that he reviewed. If new information becomes available down the road then he will go back and change the cause of death if appropriate. He said he would be willing to hear new information or research in the Overton case."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.caller.com/news/2012/apr/27/day-five-under-way-hannah-overton-hearing/?print=1

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Rohan Wray and Chana Al-Alas: ‘We were viewed as guilty at the outset’: United with daughter after baby death ordeal; Tribune;

STORY: "'We were viewed guilty at the outset': Couple united with daughter after baby death ordeal," by Andrew Johnson, published in the Daily Mail on April 27, 2012.

GIST: "POLICE, social services and the health service will need to work more closely together and share information in order to avoid putting another couple through the ordeal faced by Rohan Wray and Chana Al-Alas, who were wrongly accused of murdering their baby and then had to fight to gain custody of their other child. That is the likely finding of a review carried out in the aftermath of the case after Mr Wray, 22, and his partner, Miss Al-Alas, 19, who live in Islington, were finally reunited with their daughter last week.".........The couple spoke this week of their heartache at having their daughter taken from them immediately after she was born because they faced unfounded charges of murder following the death of their eldest child. Not only that, after going through the ordeal of a six-week Old Bailey trial – they were cleared in November last year – the couple then had to refight the case because Islington Council refused to hand their daughter, Jayda, back to them. In a rare move, Mrs Justice Theis, who heard the case at the Family Divisional Court at the Royal Courts of Justice in the Strand, released her judgment last Thursday and named all the parties involved so the couple could “sing their innocence from the rooftops”."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.islingtontribune.com/news/2012/apr/%E2%80%98we-were-viewed-guilty-outset%E2%80%99-couple-united-daughter-after-baby-death-ordeal

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Rohan Wray and Chana al-Alas: Her lawyer says "too much haste to diagnose abuse and call in social services." Law Gazette U.K.

STORY: "Jenny Wiltshire acted for Chana al-Alas who was acquitted of murder," by Jonathan Raynor, published by the Law Gazette on April 26, 2012.

GIST: "The Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) prosecuted the parents and their daughter was taken into protective care after her birth in October 2010. Criminal charges against them were dropped at the Old Bailey in December 2011 and on 19 April family judge Mrs Justice Theis ruled that none of the fractures arose from 'inflicted deliberate harm' by the parents.........'I am appalled at the systematic failures in this case and the ordeal the parents were put through. Having failed to detect that rickets caused the fractures, the doctors were too quick to diagnose abuse and call in social services and the police. The parents were banned from the hospital bedside and removed from their home, the alleged crime scene.'"

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.lccsa.org.uk/news.asp?ItemID=22872&rcid=15&pcid=2&cid=15&mid=71

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Gareth Williams: Day 4: Relatives break down as inquest hears MI6 did not notice codebreaker missing; TheTelegraph.

STORY: "Gareth Williams relatives' break down as inquest hears M16 did not notice codebreaker missing," by Tom Whitehead, Security Editor, published in the Telegraph on April 26, 2012.

GIST: "A member of the family was also heard hyperventilating on Wednesday after hearing of the lack of effort to find Mr Williams. Anthony O’Toole, the lawyer for the family, accused the agencies of a "total disregard for Gareth's whereabouts and safety". He blamed the delay for preventing the family from saying goodbye to Mr Williams while his body was in an "acceptable form" and for making it more or less impossible for detectives to establish how he died."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/crime/9229214/Gareth-Williams-relatives-break-down-as-inquest-hears-MI6-did-not-notice-codebreaker-missing.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Hanna Overton hearing: Day 4; One of her trial attorneys breaks down in stand; Says he could have done more to prove her innocence; Caller-Times;

CORPUS CHRISTI — One of Hannah Overton's trial attorneys broke down in tears on the stand Thursday, saying he should have done more to prove her innocence.

STORY: "One of Hannah Overton's trial attorney's breaks down in tears on the stand," by reporter Michelle Villarreal in the Corpus Christi Caller-Times, on April 26, 2012. Sub-Heading: "Hanah Overton hearing: Day four;

GIST: "David Jones said he regrets not putting Dr. Michael Moritz, a clinical director of pediatric nephrology in Pittsburgh, on the stand during Overton's trial. Moritz was deposed for several hours by attorneys. "I failed miserably in not reviewing that video ... there is probably not a day since that trial ... that I don't regret not doing more ... I should've done more because of the expertise I had. I should've taken the time myself to watch that video and I failed ... and I'm so sorry," Jones said. Jones then briefly left the witness stand to compose himself and hugged one of Overton's other attorneys as Overton wiped tears from her face with a white handkerchief. Overton, 35, was convicted of capital murder in 2007 in connection with the death of her 4-year-old foster child, Andrew Burd. The boy died at a Corpus Christi hospital in 2006 of elevated sodium levels. Moritz said he believed Andrew could not have been saved, no matter when Andrew arrived at the hospital. That testimony could have exonerated Overton of failing to seek medical attention for the boy in a timely manner, Jones said."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.caller.com/news/2012/apr/26/day-four-of-hannah-overton-capital-murder/

PAMELA COLLOFF'S TEXAS MONTHLY FEATURE ON THIS CASE:

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2012-01-01/feature2.php

UPDATE TO PAMELA COLLOFF'S FEATURE:

http://www.tmdailypost.com/article/update/hannah-overton-s-case-will-be-examined-again

Q AND A WITH PAMELA COLLOFF;

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2012-01-01/webextra2.php

GRITS FOR BREAKFAST: (THURSDAY APRIL 26, 2012);

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.ca/2012/04/hannah-overton-prosecutor-on-dock.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Hannah Overton: 4th day of evidentiary hearing continues today: Trial lawyer: Evidence "purposely" withheld;. Live coverage link;

LIVE COURT COVERAGE: OVERTON APPEAL

Follow live coverage from the Nueces County courtroom in the appeals case concerning Hannah Overton's capital murder conviction

STORY: "Fourth day of Hannah Overton's evidentiary hearing continues today," by reporter Michelle Villarreal, published by the Corpus Christi Caller-Times on April 26, 2012.

GIST: "Two more of Hannah Overton's trial attorneys were called to the stand today and questioned about evidence they say was withheld by prosecutors in the case.........David Jones, one of Overton's trial attorneys, also testified that he is now aware that all the evidence was not given to them. He said they were not given the full report that showed where the vomit came from, the photographs related to the experiment, all the handwritten notions and the vomit . "That was one of the most important issues in the case that can significantly change how this case was tried," Jones said. "This would've been of great importance to us if we would've had this document," he said. Jones said the defense attorneys would have known who to ask for the evidence and where to get it. Jones said the most crucial piece of evidence that was not provided to the defense was the vomit obtained from the urgent care center. "It seems it was purposely withheld because we kept asking for it and they refused to give it to us," Jones said.".........Prosecutors say the defense claims of Overton’s wrongful conviction are unfounded and nothing new."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.caller.com/news/2012/apr/26/hannah-overton-evidentiary-hearing-continues-today/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;

Hannah Overton: "Defense says Overton prosecutor hid evidence." Prosecution's scientific evidence challenged; San Antonio Express;

STORY: "Defence says Overton prosecutor hid evidence," by reporter John MacCormack, published in the San Antonio Express on April 25, 2012.

GIST: "Eastwood, who didn't want to testify, is accused by defense lawyers of hiding crucial exculpatory evidence from them during the 2007 trial and also engaging in other misconduct. These are among the grounds cited in an appeal by Overton to the Court of Criminal Appeals of Texas. The scientific evidence at her trial is also being called into question. Overton, 35, is serving a life sentence without a chance of parole for allegedly murdering her 4-year-old foster child, Andrew Burd, with a fatal dose of salt in 2006. She is asking to be freed or granted a new trial.........The defense believes Burd, who had an eating disorder, accidentally consumed the salt himself."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local_news/article/Defense-says-Overton-prosecutor-hid-evidence-3510812.php

PAM COLLOFF'S COVERAGE OF THE ON-GOING HEARING. (THANKS TO GRITS FOR BREAKFAST);

http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.ca/2012/04/governor-should-pardon-hannah-overton.html

PAMELA COLLOFF'S TEXAS MONTHLY FEATURE ON THIS CASE:

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2012-01-01/feature2.php

UPDATE TO PAMELA COLLOFF'S FEATURE:

http://www.tmdailypost.com/article/update/hannah-overton-s-case-will-be-examined-again

Q AND A WITH PAMELA COLLOFF;

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2012-01-01/webextra2.php

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments
or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to:

hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;

Gareth Williams: Inquest: Day 3; MI6 code expert Gareth Williams: Inquest; Failure to protect evidence from tampering suggested; The Guardian;

STORY: "M16 code expert Gareth Williams 'previously found tied to bed,' "published by the Guardian on April 25, 2012.

GIST: "O'Toole asked if Broster could guarantee evidence was not tampered with during the several days before police retrieved William's electronic equipment from SIS (Security Intelligence Services) and GCHQ.He said he had been assured it had not. "So, its almost an Old Boys act. They told you that and you accepted?" said O'Toole. "Certainly not, said Broster. They're a responsible organisation."".........Gareth Williams's decomposed body was found in the bag in the bath at his home in Pimlico on 23 August 2010, and 21 months later police remain baffled over the circumstances of his death. But his former landlady, Jennifer Elliot, told the inquest that three years before his death, she and her husband had heard Williams call for help at 1.30am from the annex flat he was renting from them in Cheltenham, where he worked at GCHQ. They let themselves in with the spare key and found the codes expert lying on his back on the bed, in boxer shorts, with his hands tied to the bed posts with material so tight it had cut his wrists. In a statement read to the inquest, Elliot said she and her husband had both been in shock. Her husband asked Williams: "What the bloody hell are you doing?" Williams told them: "I just wanted to see if could get myself free."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2012/apr/25/mi6-gareth-williams-bed

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Hannah Overton: Corpus Christie, Texas: Appeal on conviction for intentionally killing 4-year-old with spice-filled drink; (sodium chloride); Kiii;

STORY: "Former Nueces County prosecutor takes the stand in Overton hearing," published by Kiiii News on April 25, 2012;

GIST: "At the Nueces County Courthouse, a special evidentiary hearing continued Wednesday for Hannah Overton. Overton is trying to get her 2007 capital murder conviction overturned. Wednesday morning, former Nueces County prosecutor, Sandra Eastwood took the stand. The Corpus Christi mother has been in prison since 2007. That after jurors decided Overton intentionally used a spice-filled drink to kill her 4-year old foster child, Andrew Burd. Overton is serving a life sentence for that crime.........On Tuesday, one of Overton's attorneys laid out their case. They say five years ago, when Overton was convicted of killing her 4-year old foster son, Andrew Burd, key evidence was withheld from the defense. Burd died in 2006 of elevated sodium levels. One of the key witnesses called Tuesday was Chris Pinedo, one Overton's trial lawyers, who says his defense was hampered by the lack of evidence given to him."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.kiiitv.com/story/17737681/former-nueces-county-prosecutor-takes-the-stand-in-overton-hearing

PAMELA COLLOFF'S TEXAS MONTHLY FEATURE ON THIS CASE:

http://www.texasmonthly.com/2012-01-01/feature2.php

UPDATE TO PAMELA COLLOFF'S FEATURE:

http://www.tmdailypost.com/article/update/hannah-overton-s-case-will-be-examined-again

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Blog recommendation: The Actual Innocence Awareness Database; (Contains grist for this Blog's mill. HL);

DESCRIPTION: "The Actual Innocence awareness database lists selected United States resources pertaining to wrongful convictions, selected from the popular media (such as newspaper articles and segments which aired on television news magazines), journal articles, books, reports, legislation and websites. The selected materials are classified into subtopics considered the primary causes of wrongful conviction: forensics/DNA; eyewitness identification; false confessions; jailhouse informants; police and/or prosecutorial misconduct; and ineffective representation. There is also a "general" topic for those materials which cover multiple subtopics or defy further categorization."

I have provided a link to this site which can be found at:

http://tarlton.law.utexas.edu/current_awareness/actual_innocence/

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Gareth Williams (Inquest); Leading article; The Independent decries "sham openness." Says justified public curiosity must be satisfied.

STORY: "Leading article: Sham openness will not satisfy justified curiosity," published by the Independent on April 24, 2012.

GIST: "Thus it was a positive start when the Coroner insisted yesterday that all evidence would be heard in public. Or it would have been, if that was what was really going to happen. In fact, the Coroner also said that some witnesses would testify anonymously and some information would be withheld because of the "real risk of harm" to national security and the public interest. She said that "gists" of withheld evidence would be revealed. Er, not so positive then. That openness has become the buzzword of the day, even in sensitive court cases, is a move in the right direction. But that openness has to be real, otherwise it is just secrecy and obfuscation dressed up to please the crowd."

THE FULL LEADING ARTICLE CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/leading-articles/leading-article-sham-openness-will-not-satisfy-justified-curiosity-7670593.htML

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;

Gareth Williams: Inquest: Day two: Evidence of mystery DNA at crime scene; The Guardian; (Plus video animation of his flat);

STORY: "Gareth Williams inquest hears of mystery DNA at crime scene" by reporter Caroline Davies published by the Guardian on April 24, 2012.

GIST: "Mysterious fragments of DNA were found on the padlocked sports bag in which the badly decomposed body of MI6 officer Gareth Williams was found, the inquest into his death has heard. Detailed forensic examination found "two minor components of another contributor's DNA" on one cord toggle, as well as a small blood stain in the fabric belonging to Williams. Tests on the padlock revealed weak stains believed to be Williams's blood, as well as "small components of another contributor's DNA". An invisible, weak blood stain on the outside of the bag belonged to the 31-year-old ciphers and codes expert. The details were revealed as police video of the crime scene, with footage of the red North Face holdall containing the body of Williams, was shown to Westminster coroner's court. Coroner Fiona Wilcox heard that the samples were the subject of continuing forensic testing."

THE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/2012/apr/24/gareth-williams-mi6-dna-death?newsfeed=true

VIDEO ANIMATION OF THE INTERIOR OF GARETH WILLIAMS FLAT:

http://www.guardian.co.uk/uk/video/2012/apr/24/video-animation-interior-mi6-spy-gareth-williams-video?intcmp=239

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;

Bulletin: Robert Lee Stinson: Behind bars 23 years on dubious bite mark evidence; another man now charged with 1984 murder. Journal Sentinel.

STORY: "Man charged in 1984 north side slaying," be reporter Mike Johnson, published in the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel on April 23, 2012.

GIST: "A 51-year-old man was charged Monday with second-degree murder in the 1984 slaying of a Milwaukee woman, a killing for which another man had been convicted and imprisoned for 23 years until new evidence brought about his release. Moses Price Jr. is accused in the slaying of Ione Cychosz, 62, linked to the crime by his DNA found on her clothing, according to a criminal complaint filed in Milwaukee County Circuit Court. Cychosz's body was found the morning of Nov. 3, 1984, in the 2600 block of N. 7th St., near her home. She had been beaten, stabbed and bitten. Robert Lee Stinson was convicted of killing Cychosz, but he was freed in January 2009 when the Innocence Project produced evidence showing that bite marks found on Cychosz could not have come from Stinson. Cychosz and Stinson were neighbors."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.jsonline.com/news/crime/man-charged-in-1984-north-side-slaying-8r54lrl-148613205.html

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Tommy Zeigler: Huffington Post shows increasing support for him after 35 years on death row. Prosecutorial misconduct alleged.

STORY: "Tommy Zeigler murder case: Advocates keep swinging for death row inmate's innocence," by Mitch Stacy published in the Huffington Post on April 22, 2012.

GIST: "In 35 years on Florida's death row, Tommy Zeigler's cries of innocence have swayed a former newspaper editor, the daughter of a police chief who helped put him behind bars and an assortment of others who have come to believe that he didn't commit one of the state's most notorious mass slayings of the 1970s.........On April 11, Zeigler's longtime lawyers tried again to get the appeals courts to re-examine his case. A new motion claims evidence turned up recently by the investigator pokes more holes in the case against Zeigler and creates enough new reasonable doubt to tip the scales in favor of a new trial. The document claims prosecutors lied and withheld information from Zeigler's lawyers – including the existence of a key witness."

THE ENTIRE POST CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/news/tommy-zeigler

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Gareth Williams: Inquest begins: Day one; MI6 spy was 'scrupulous risk assessor'; BBC News;'

START: "MPP spy Gareth Williams was 'scrupulous risk assessor' published by BBC News on April 23, 2012;

GIST: "PC John Gallagher told the inquest that he had been asked to do a welfare check on Mr Williams after he had not been seen for 10 to 12 days. Mr Gallagher said a letting agent let him into Mr Williams's flat and he found the bathroom door closed, with a bathrobe outside. When he entered the room, he noticed red fluid seeping from a bag in the bath and a smell. He said he could not open the bag and did not want to damage any evidence, so called for backup. A colleague cut the bag open and found Mr Williams's body, Mr Gallagher said."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-london-17812112

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

Bulletin: Amina Chaudhary; Canada; Charles Smith case. 26 years behind bars, constitutional challenge seeks lifetime preservation of evidence.

STORY: "Constitutional challenge seeks lifetime preservation of evidence," by Justice Reporter reporter Kirk Makin, published by the Globe and Mail on April 22, 2012.

GIST: "Twenty-six years after being convicted in the revenge slaying of a nine-year-old boy, a Toronto woman is mounting a constitutional challenge that focuses on lost evidence in her case. Lawyers for Amina Chaudhary, who is still serving a life sentence for the murder of Rajesh Gupta, intend to argue at a hearing Monday that autopsy photographs apparently lost after her trial have deprived Ms. Chaudhary of a chance to overturn her conviction........ Rajesh was strangled to death on Feb. 3, 1982. The photos were alluded to at the trial by forensic pathologist Charles Smith, but not entered into evidence. Dr. Smith has since been discredited in relation to nearly two dozen homicide cases where he lost evidence or reached unwarranted conclusions. Lawyers for the Innocence Project, which represents Ms. Chaudhary, are gunning for considerably more than a new trial. They seek to enshrine a constitutional right to have physical evidence retained for the lifetime of an offender so that it can be scrutinized and re-tested."

THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://m.theglobeandmail.com/news/national/constitutional-challenge-seeks-lifetime-preservation-of-evidence/article2410542/?service=mobile

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

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

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

The Charles Smith Blog Award: Goes to Washington Post Investigative reporter Spencer Hsu for his outstanding exposée of the U.S. Justice Department;

PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am pleased to present the award to Washington Post journalist Spencer Hsu for his extraordinary reporting, including revelations that for years, the U.S. Department of Justice has known that flawed forensic work by FBI experts may have led to the convictions of innocent people, but prosecutors rarely told defendants or their attorneys. Hsu discovered that Justice Department officials began reviewing cases after defense attorneys pointed out problems with evidence coming out of FBI labs. But the review was limited. "As a result," Hsu wrote, "hundreds of defendants nationwide remain in prison or on parole for crimes that might merit exoneration, a retrial or a retesting of evidence using DNA because FBI hair and fiber experts may have misidentified them as suspects." In one case, a Texas man — whose death penalty was based on the FBI's questionable analysis — was executed more than a year after the Justice Department began its review. Hsu's superlative writing will hopefully not only help free and exonerate the far too many victims of the Justice department's deceitful conduct, but will also lead to systemic changes that will prevent such wrongful convictions from happening. The Washing Post tells us that from 2005 to 2010, Hsu was the Post’s homeland security correspondent, covering the Department of Homeland Security when Hurricane Katrina struck the Gulf coast in August 2005. Hsu has reported on Washington’s immigration debate, focusing on border security and immigration enforcement. He also covered the aftermath of the September 11, 2001 attacks in Washington, including the 2001 anthrax mailings and Senate ricin attack, the capital’s air defenses, and systems to detect weapons of mass destruction. I am delighted to present him with "The Charles Smith Blog Award."

HAROLD LEVY; PUBLISHER; THE CHARLES SMITH BLOG;
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Previous honourees are:

0: Kevin Morgan (AUSTRALIA): author of "Gun Alley: Murder, Lies and Failure of Justice, who single-handedly fought for and obtained the forensic materials which led to Colin Ross's pardon almost ninety years after he was executed.

0: Michael Hall (U.S.A.): For his excellent work in Texas Monthly exposing the miscarriages of justice that have occurred as a result of scent-lineups and the "experts" who conduct them.

0: Sun-Sentinel reporter Paula McMahon (U.S.A.) for her ground-breaking reporting over a nine year period which led to the freeing and exoneration of Anthony Caravella.

O: Journalist Stewart Cockburn (AUSTRALIA) for his ground-breaking work in "The Advertiser" which exposed the miscarriage of justice suffered by Ted Splatt and triggered the Royal Commission which led to Splatt's exoneration.

0: Australian scientist Tom Mann (AUSTRALIA) for his sterling efforts to publicize the injustice perpetrated on Ted Splatt in the courts including the publication of "Flawed Forensics: The Ted Splatt case and Stewart Cockburn," a monumental book which demonstrates the tragic consequences which can unfold when science gets twisted out of proportion in the courts and those entrusted with the task of protecting our criminal justice system abdicate their responsibilities.

0: New Yorker staff writer David Grann (U.S.A.)for his awesome exposee of the faulty arson "science" that resulted in the wrongful conviction and execution in Texas of Cameron Todd Willingham. (Photo: David Grann);

0: Pamela Colloff (U.S.A) for her Texas Monthly stories which resulted in the freeing of Anthony Graves within 30 days of the appearance of her first story. Anthony Graves was convicted and sentenced to die in 1994 for six horrific murders in the Central Texas town of Somerville.

0: Julian Sher: (CANADA); for his TV documentaries "A Mother's Ordeal", which shed important new light on the wrongful prosecution of Brenda Waudby made possible by Charles Smith's flawed autopsy report - and "Execution Under Fire," a fascinating, maddening account of the wrongful execution of Cameron Todd Willingham at the hands of the unapologetic State of Justice. He becomes the first Canadian journalist to be presented with the Charles Smith Blog award.

O: Guardian journalist Paul Lewis (UK) for his extraordinary reporting on the death of Ian Tomlinson during the G20 protests in London and the resulting inquest. Lewis has already been named reporter of the year by the British Press Awards. As Oliver Luft reported in the Press Gazette: "The stories revealed that Tomlinson, who was a newspaper vendor, died last April after being struck from behind and throw to the ground. Lewis told Press Gazette how his newspaper came under pressure from police to remove from its website a video, provided by a reader, which showed Tomlinson being pushed to the ground by officers. The police had said earlier that Tomlinson had been on his way home from work at a nearby newsagent when he collapsed."

I welcome suggestions as to other authors who deserve to be nominated for this award for their work in exposing miscarriages of justice flawed pathology, flawed pathologists, or a combination of both at:

hlevy15@gmail.com;

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BACKGROUND; This award emanated from The Charles Smith Blog which I created on 2006 to expose the havoc wreaked by Dr. Charles Randal Smith - a pediatric pathologist (since struck from the registry of the Ontario College of Physicians and Surgeons for professional misconduct and incompetence) who purported to be a forensic pathologist and perceived his role to be that of an advocate for the prosecution team - and in the process he destroyed many lives. (Dr. Smith was a pediatric pathologist); Although much of its attention has been focused on an independent public inquiry into many of Smith's cases, now that the Inquiry has completed its work, I am also focusing on ongoing cases anywhere in the world which involve miscarriages of justice caused by flawed forensic pathology, flawed pathologists, junk science, pseudo-experts or a combination of any of the above. Some of the cases considered by the Blog have only come to public attention because of the magnificent efforts of journalists (and occasionally people from other walks of life) be they in the print or electronic media. I myself was a reporter for many years at the Toronto Star. I launched the Charles Smith Blog Award in 2009 as a forum in which I could honour these journalists by drawing attention to their work on stories which, in my personal view, represent what journalism at its best is all about - the exposure of miscarriages of justice.

EXPOSURE: The Charles Smith Blog has attracted more than 220,000 hits from all over the world since its inception and is currently listed in several lists of the top forensic science and criminology blogs.

CRITERIA: The award is presented for excellence in exposing miscarriages of justice caused anywhere in the world by flawed pathology, flawed pathologists, junk science, pseudo-experts or a combination of any of the above.

UNUSUAL NATURE: This award is entirely virtual. There is no prize; There is no certificate. It is a pure and unadulterated honour bestowed by myself as publisher in recognition of contributions by others to this important area of journalism. There is however a ceremony of sorts. Each time I press the enter button and a new winner of the Charles Smith Blog award is exploded into cyberspace, I raise a glass of fine wine and toast the recipient for doing what journalists are supposed to do - and for doing it so well.

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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

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