STORY: "Free after six years in a cell, now she is on her own," by reporter Brandi Grissom, published by the New York Times through an arrangement with the Texas Tribune, on June 1, 2013.
GIST: "In February, Texas’ highest criminal court acquitted Ms. Winfrey, ruling that the dog scent evidence prosecutors used against her was insufficient. Now, she faces the challenge of starting a life as a single parent. She has had no job training, and has a capital murder conviction on her record. And because she was acquitted, but not declared “actually innocent” or pardoned, she is ineligible for compensation for the years she spent in prison.........The charges against the Winfreys were largely the result of work by a Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputy’s bloodhounds. The dogs “alerted” when sniffing scent samples from Ms. Winfrey, her father and her brother, said the deputy, Keith A. Pikett, indicating that their scent profiles matched evidence found on Mr. Burr’s clothing......... Her father, who went to trial first, was found guilty and sentenced to 75 years in prison. In 2008, Ms. Winfrey was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Court-appointed lawyers represented Ms. Winfrey and her father. But by the time her brother went to trial in 2009, the family had scraped together enough money to hire their own lawyers. They found experts who told the jury that the dog scent lineups were rigged. Mr. Winfrey Jr. was acquitted. Then, in 2010, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued an acquittal for Ms. Winfrey’s father, ruling that dog scent evidence alone was insufficient for a conviction. “I was just like, well, O.K., it’s my turn,” she recalled. “I’m ready to come out now.” But it would be two and a half years before a similar ruling was made in her case. In that time, her grandmother, who had raised Ms. Winfrey, had a stroke and died."
GIST: "In February, Texas’ highest criminal court acquitted Ms. Winfrey, ruling that the dog scent evidence prosecutors used against her was insufficient. Now, she faces the challenge of starting a life as a single parent. She has had no job training, and has a capital murder conviction on her record. And because she was acquitted, but not declared “actually innocent” or pardoned, she is ineligible for compensation for the years she spent in prison.........The charges against the Winfreys were largely the result of work by a Fort Bend County sheriff’s deputy’s bloodhounds. The dogs “alerted” when sniffing scent samples from Ms. Winfrey, her father and her brother, said the deputy, Keith A. Pikett, indicating that their scent profiles matched evidence found on Mr. Burr’s clothing......... Her father, who went to trial first, was found guilty and sentenced to 75 years in prison. In 2008, Ms. Winfrey was found guilty and sentenced to life in prison. Court-appointed lawyers represented Ms. Winfrey and her father. But by the time her brother went to trial in 2009, the family had scraped together enough money to hire their own lawyers. They found experts who told the jury that the dog scent lineups were rigged. Mr. Winfrey Jr. was acquitted. Then, in 2010, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals issued an acquittal for Ms. Winfrey’s father, ruling that dog scent evidence alone was insufficient for a conviction. “I was just like, well, O.K., it’s my turn,” she recalled. “I’m ready to come out now.” But it would be two and a half years before a similar ruling was made in her case. In that time, her grandmother, who had raised Ms. Winfrey, had a stroke and died."
http://www.nytimes.com/2013/06/02/us/out-of-texas-prison-winfrey-struggles-despite-acquittal.html?pagewanted=all&_r=0
See related texas Tribune video"Acquittals leave 2004 murder unsolved."---"Megan Winfrey spent six years behind bars before she was acquitted of murder. Now, she is hoping to help solve the mystery of who brutally killed school janitor Murray Burr in 2004."
http://www.texastribune.org/2013/06/03/out-of-prison-megan-winfrey-wants-a-normal-life/
See related Grits for Breakfast post headed" How many cases besides Winfrey hinged on bogus dog-scent lineups? Forensic commission should check." "In an article also appearing in the New York Times, the Texas Tribune's Brandi Grissom has a feature today about Megan Winfrey, whose conviction was finally overturned by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals in February because of junk science (dog-scent lineups) used to convict her. Winfrey is not eligible for compensation, Grissom pointed out, because her case was not overturned on formal "actual innocence" grounds, so her only recourse after spending seven years in prison based on the junkiest of junk science would be to sue. Her brother, who was charged and acquitted in the same case but in the meantime spent 2.5 years in jail, has already done so. If Governor Perry signs SB 1238 expanding the jurisdiction of the Forensic Science Commission to take up investigations for "educational purposes," IMO these old scent lineup cases deserve a closer review by that body. Nobody knows for sure in how many nor in which cases Fort Bend County Sheriff's Deputy Keith Pikett performed these bogus rituals, nor how often he testified in court. The FSC would be performing a great mitzvah by investigating once and for all just how deep that rabbit hole goes. Maybe it's just a few cases where Pikett provided the primary evidence; maybe it's dozens or hundreds. There's no way to know unless someone systematically investigates, which has never been done."
http://gritsforbreakfast.blogspot.ca/2013/06/how-many-cases-besides-winfrey-hinged.html
Dear reader: Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following developments relating to these dog scent junk science issues.
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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 found at:
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Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.