STORY: 'Fatal Vision' author testifies that Jeffrey MacDonald conned him," by reporter Anne Blythe, published in the Raleigh News and Observer on September 21, 2012.
GIST: "McGinniss, like MacDonald, has gotten grayer since the 1979 trial in Raleigh. The former Army doctor was found guilty of murdering his family in a Fort Bragg apartment in 1970. And while MacDonald maintains that he did not kill his pregnant wife, Colette, and their daughters, Kimberly, 5, and Kristen, 2, McGinniss said he thinks the jury verdict was correct. "He tried to con me from the first day, and it took me a long time to be aware of that," McGinniss testified Friday in a hearing related to MacDonald's latest attempt at winning freedom......... McGinniss said he began his work on "Fatal Vision" under the theory that MacDonald had perhaps been a victim of a miscarriage of justice. But after the trial, McGinniss said his opinion began to shift. He never told MacDonald of his change of heart. "Psychopaths are very charming people," McGinniss said. "I felt great affection for him." That affection, though, dissipated, and McGinniss began to worry about the safety of his own family, expressing such thoughts in letters to his colleagues on the book. McGinniss acknowledged Friday that he most likely was the person who had benefitted the most financially from the case of Jeffrey MacDonald. His book has been reprinted many times in paperback and with added epilogues. An e-book edition was released late last month, and a revised print edition - 951 pages now with all the epilogues-is just out in bookstores.........The hearing is expected to end early next week, but Judge James Fox is unlikely to rule immediately. He told lawyers at the beginning of the hearing that he will give them 30 days after the conclusion of the hearing to submit written arguments that he will consider as he mulls a decision."
The entire story can be found at:
GIST: "McGinniss, like MacDonald, has gotten grayer since the 1979 trial in Raleigh. The former Army doctor was found guilty of murdering his family in a Fort Bragg apartment in 1970. And while MacDonald maintains that he did not kill his pregnant wife, Colette, and their daughters, Kimberly, 5, and Kristen, 2, McGinniss said he thinks the jury verdict was correct. "He tried to con me from the first day, and it took me a long time to be aware of that," McGinniss testified Friday in a hearing related to MacDonald's latest attempt at winning freedom......... McGinniss said he began his work on "Fatal Vision" under the theory that MacDonald had perhaps been a victim of a miscarriage of justice. But after the trial, McGinniss said his opinion began to shift. He never told MacDonald of his change of heart. "Psychopaths are very charming people," McGinniss said. "I felt great affection for him." That affection, though, dissipated, and McGinniss began to worry about the safety of his own family, expressing such thoughts in letters to his colleagues on the book. McGinniss acknowledged Friday that he most likely was the person who had benefitted the most financially from the case of Jeffrey MacDonald. His book has been reprinted many times in paperback and with added epilogues. An e-book edition was released late last month, and a revised print edition - 951 pages now with all the epilogues-is just out in bookstores.........The hearing is expected to end early next week, but Judge James Fox is unlikely to rule immediately. He told lawyers at the beginning of the hearing that he will give them 30 days after the conclusion of the hearing to submit written arguments that he will consider as he mulls a decision."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.bellinghamherald.com/2012/09/21/2700597/fatal-vision-author-testifies.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.
