Tuesday, July 2, 2013

Bulletin: George Souliotes: California; Outmoded arson "science" case; Great News: Modesto Bee reports that a deal has been reached in which he will walk free; His lawyer says "the truth was finally revealed that there was simply nothing linking Mr. Souliotes to the tragic fire;"


STORY: "Update: Plea deal allows accused Modesto landlord to walk free," by reporter J. N. Sbranti, published by the Modesto Bee on July 2, 2013;

GIST: "George Souliotes, the Modesto landlord whose murder/arson conviction was overturned by a federal court, agreed to a plea deal this morning that will set him free today. Souliotes essentially agreed to an involuntary manslaughter charge for not having had a working smoke detector in his rental home, which burned down in 1997. Three people died in that middle-of-the-night Modesto blaze: Michelle Jones, 30, and her children, Daniel Jones, 6, and Amanda Jones, 3.  “(As) a result of his negligent maintenance of the 1319 Ronald Avenue property, the three occupants died in the fire,” Stanislaus County District Attorney Birgit Fladager stated in a press release today. Souliotes, 72, initially was arrested and eventually convicted of murder for setting that deadly fire, and he has spent the past 16 years behind bars. But his conviction was overturned this spring by a federal appellate court, which concluded prosecutors had used faulty science to convince jurors that arson had caused the fire. The judge ordered Souliotes to be retried or set free. Today’s deal allows Souliotes to walk free, based on the time he already has served. It also drops all murder and arson charges......... After years of appeals, two federal judges found Souliotes “actually innocent” and concluded his conviction was based on faulty fire science. In part, that’s because Modesto fire investigators had relied on outdated standards to conclude liquid accelerants were used to fuel the blaze. Supposed evidence linking Souliotes’ shoes to the fire also was invalidated by modern scientific tests. Federal judges this spring ordered Souliotes be given a new trial, which was supposed to start this week. Souliotes’ attorneys see today’s plea as a victory. “Although this plea arrangement is far from the outright dismissal that Mr. Souliotes wanted or deserved, the deal allows him to be released immediately without enduring the burden and delay of another trial while in custody, and the stipulated basis for the plea makes clear that the government is abandoning its claim that Mr. Souliotes set the fire,” said Jimmy McBirney of San Francisco’s Orrick law firm, who was part of his volunteer defense team. Jim Brosnahan, the lead defense attorney, said two recent decisions by the Stanislaus County judge assigned to the retrial were key to winning Souliotes’ freedom. “First, the judge excluded the testimony of a highly unreliable prosecution witness and second, he excluded the outdated and faulty fire science introduced at the original trial. Without this false evidence, the truth was revealed that there was simply nothing linking Mr. Souliotes to this tragic fire,” Brosnahan said. Souliotes’ defense team maintains he is absolutely innocence of arson or murder. (read press release)  “(H)is decision to plead no contest to failure to maintain smoke alarms does not change that,” said Linda Starr, legal director of The Northern California Innocence Project. “He chose to resolve the case ... so that he may return home to his family and friends immediately.”".......Update: Hours after he agreed to a plea deal that would allow him to go free, former Modesto landlord George Souliotes remained behind bars and wasn't expected to be released until Wednesday.  Local law enforcement officials says they are ready to free him. But because he was transferred from a state facility, there is an automatic hold on him. He can't be released until the state gives its approval. We'll have more on this breaking story as information becomes available."" 

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.modbee.com/2013/07/02/2789996/accused-modesto-landlord-souliotes.html

Press release from his lawyer:  "Under the terms of the agreement announced today Souliotes pled no contest to three counts of involuntary manslaughter for failure to maintain a working smoke alarm as required by the California Health and Safety Code. “Mr. Souliotes and his defense team maintain his absolute innocence and his decision to plead no contest to failure to maintain smoke alarms does not change that,” said Linda Starr, NCIP’s Legal Director. “He chose to resolve the case before the retrial scheduled for next month so that he may return home to his family and friends immediately."

http://media.modbee.com/smedia/2013/07/02/14/13/1rvf6e.So.11.pdf

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE

Dear reader: Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following developments relating to this case;

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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:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

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http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html

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Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.