STORY: "Freedom comes to three of the 'San Antonio 4," by reporter Michelle Mondo, published on November 28, 2013 by the San Antonio Express.
GIST: "After spending more than a decade in prison for a crime they say never happened, four women fighting for exoneration emerged from the Bexar County Jail Monday, free to go home. A large group of media waited as Elizabeth Ramirez, 39, Cassandra Rivera, 38, and Kristie Mayhugh, 40, arrived outside the jail holding hands at about 8:15 p.m. They were joined by a fourth woman, Anna Vasquez, 38, who has been out on parole for more than a year.........(Prosecutor) Reed said Friday she agreed with the defense that the evidence gathered during the sexual assault examinations of the nieces and the testimony at trial have since been disproved. She also announced that if the higher court vacates the convictions, she won't seek to retry the women. Dr. Nancy Kellogg, the state's expert witness, testified that a mark found on the hymen of one of the girls was a scar and indicative of traumatic abuse. The consensus among the scientific community now, both prosecutors and defense attorneys said, is that those types of marks are not signs of abuse. Ware has been working with the district attorney's office on the terms of the release and the recommendations requesting a new trial that were filed in district court in October. The next legal step will be at the Court of Criminal Appeals, which will review the case, including the recommendations for a new trial."
The entire story can be found at:
GIST: "After spending more than a decade in prison for a crime they say never happened, four women fighting for exoneration emerged from the Bexar County Jail Monday, free to go home. A large group of media waited as Elizabeth Ramirez, 39, Cassandra Rivera, 38, and Kristie Mayhugh, 40, arrived outside the jail holding hands at about 8:15 p.m. They were joined by a fourth woman, Anna Vasquez, 38, who has been out on parole for more than a year.........(Prosecutor) Reed said Friday she agreed with the defense that the evidence gathered during the sexual assault examinations of the nieces and the testimony at trial have since been disproved. She also announced that if the higher court vacates the convictions, she won't seek to retry the women. Dr. Nancy Kellogg, the state's expert witness, testified that a mark found on the hymen of one of the girls was a scar and indicative of traumatic abuse. The consensus among the scientific community now, both prosecutors and defense attorneys said, is that those types of marks are not signs of abuse. Ware has been working with the district attorney's office on the terms of the release and the recommendations requesting a new trial that were filed in district court in October. The next legal step will be at the Court of Criminal Appeals, which will review the case, including the recommendations for a new trial."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.mysanantonio.com/news/local/article/Freedom-for-three-of-the-San-Antonio-4-4991013.php
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
