STORY: "Mississippi death row inmate Jeffrey Havard fights conviction in 6-month-old girl's death," by reporter Emily Lane, published by the Clarion Ledger on April 9, 2013.
GIST: "Mississippi death row inmate Jeffrey Havard recently filed a petition in federal court requesting relief from his capital murder conviction and death sentence, claiming they are a “violation of numerous of constitutional rights.” Havard was convicted in 2002 in Natchez for sexual battery and murder of his then girlfriend’s daughter, 6-month-old Chloe Britt. He admits accidentally dropping her but denies sexually abusing and killing her..........At trial Hayne testified the death was a homicide, consistent with shaken baby syndrome, and that an anal contusion was "consistent with penetration of the rectum with an object." But Hayne has since acknowledged to Havard's attorneys the contusion was found in an area easily injured and a rectal thermometer like the one used in the emergency room to check the child’s temperature could cause such a contusion but that he did not think it was likely. Hayne conducted autopsies for the state from the late 1980s and the late 2000s. He was removed from a list of approved forensic pathologists in 2008. At The Clarion-Ledger's request, world-renowned pathologist Dr. Michael Baden examined Hayne's autopsy report and photographs and concluded there was no evidence of sexual abuse – or even of a homicide. The injuries described at autopsy were consistent with "the baby being accidentally dropped and striking her head on the toilet tank as the father described," Baden said. The anal abrasion described in the autopsy can be the result of common causes, such as constipation, diarrhea, toilet paper or even rubbing against a diaper, he said."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.clarionledger.com/article/20130409/NEWS/304090048/Mississippi-death-row-inmate-Jeffrey-Havard-fights-conviction-6-month-old-girl-s-death?nclick_check=1
Link to a petition set up by Jeffery Havard's family, friends and supporters:
http://www.change.org/petitions/united-states-district-judge-keith-starrett-grant-jeffrey-havard-a-new-trial-to-prove-he-was-wrongfully-convicted
Link to Free Jeffrey Havard website:
http://www.freejeffreyhavard.org/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
I have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and myself get more out of the site.
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/
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.
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.
