Monday, September 10, 2012

Russell Williams: Toronto Star makes powerful arguments for releasing his DNA testing dates; Not to do so is to insult his victims, paper says;


EDITORIAL: "Why keep convicted killer Russell Williams' DNA testing dates secret?" published by the Toronto Star on September 10, 2012.

GIST: "Did Canada’s justice system miss an opportunity to stop murderer Russell Williams from claiming his last victim? We just don’t know, and that’s not acceptable. Prompt DNA processing in the case might have helped police narrow their search for the killer, but provincial officials refuse to shed any light on just how effectively it was used.........Provincial officials insist such disclosure would amount to “an unjustified invasion of personal privacy.” Apparently, Williams’ own. So they won’t release the relevant dates. If so, that’s an affront to Canadians and an insult to the victims......... This concern for timely DNA testing isn’t new. Slowness in processing DNA from the Scarborough Rapist was a factor in Paul Bernardo remaining free as he graduated from serial sex assault to serial murder. It’s not unreasonable to seek some assurance that there was no forensic delay in Williams’ case that left police in the dark. Silence from the provincial government, on the flimsy pretext of protecting the “personal privacy” of a convicted murderer, just doesn’t cut it."

The entire editorial can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/opinion/editorials/article/1254539--why-keep-convicted-killer-russell-williams-dna-testing-dates-secret
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.