STORY: "Somerset bite-mark conviction overturned," published by the Townsquare News Network on October 28, 2013.
GIST:' "Gerard Richardson was granted his release on $5,000 bail, though he won’t be freed for a few days. He had appealed his conviction in the murder of 19-year-old Monica Reyes, whose body was found in a ditch in Bernards Township in north-central New Jersey in February 1994. The Somerset County prosecutor’s office allowed Richardson’s release, even though it has not dismissed the charges against him. Richardson’s attorneys say DNA testing shows a bite mark left on the victim’s back is from another man. Prosecutors cited the DNA evidence in their decision to allow the conviction to be reversed. The bite mark was the primary physical evidence against Richardson at his trial. A prosecution expert testified that the mark came from Richardson, and Richardson also allegedly had threatened Reyes over $90 she owed him over a drug deal. After years of appeals, a recent court-ordered DNA test requested by the Innocence Project revealed that the mark contained the DNA of a different male who has not been identified. Bite-mark evidence has been criticized by defense attorneys as unreliable and an example of “junk science.” A 2013 analysis by The Associated Press found that at least two dozen men charged with or convicted of rape or murder based on bite-mark evidence since 2000 had been exonerated, including some who had spent more than 10 years in prison. Proponents of the method say it’s been used to convict violent criminals such as serial killer Ted Bundy.........Richardson wouldn’t have been eligible for parole until May 2025, according to the state Department of Corrections’ online database.
The entire story can be found at:
http://nj1015.com/somerset-bite-mark-conviction-overturned/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.
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.
I look forward to hearing from readers at:
hlevy15@gmail.com;
