Tuesday, March 18, 2014

Ed Graf: Texas: Grand Jury issues true bill of indictment in his arson "science" case - even though a criminal appeals court has ruled that the "scientific" evidence used to convict him has been proven false; The Courier of Montgomery County;


PUBLISHER'S NOTE: It is troubling to see prosecutors pressing to keep Ed Graf behind bars as long as they can before their case is ultimately thrown out because the so-called scientific evidence against him has been utterly discredited. They will not even agree for his release on bail before the new trial which they are relentlessly pursuing on charges which are so manifestly unjustified. This is  so patently overbearing and so unfair, Sad to say, it  also seems so "Texas."

Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.

STORY: "A Hewitt man who says he was wrongly convicted of murder more than 25 years ago faces new charges. A McLennan County grand jury has issued a true bill of indictment after hearing evidence on the Ed Graf case Wednesday.........Ed Graf Jr. was convicted in 1988 of killing his two stepsons by burning them in a backyard storage shed. More than 25 years later, he's going to trial again after a Criminal Appeals court ruled the scientific evidence used to convict Graf has been proven false."

GIST: "Grand jury issues new indictment in Ed Graf case," published by News Channel 25 on March12, 2014.

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.kxxv.com/story/24955938/grand-jury-issues-indictment-in-ed-graf-case

See also  the related  Courier of Montgomery County story: Graf’s previous murder conviction was set aside by the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals, which sided with arson experts who criticized the testimony used to persuade jurors that the fire that killed Graf’s 8- and 9-year-old boys was arson. His case has since been taken up by criminal justice advocates and a state panel that reviews arson investigations to see if they meet current fire science standards. The panel, convened by the state fire marshal’s office, also found faults with the fire investigation in Graf’s case. Two fire investigators testified at Graf’s 1988 trial that a burn pattern known as “alligator” charring and other signs suggested someone set the fire that engulfed a backyard shed at the family’s home in Hewitt, near Waco. They say deep charring near the shed’s entrance suggests someone may have set the fire from the outside with an accelerant like lighter fluid. But the investigators were never able to examine the remnants of the shed itself because it was torn down immediately after the fire. And experts now say the investigators at trial misinterpreted those signs, which could have occurred in an accidental fire. Prosecutors say they have enough to win another conviction even without the fire evidence."

 http://www.yourhoustonnews.com/courier/news/texas-man-re-indicted-for-deadly-fire/article_dbc19e71-202f-52f0-bd6d-36b7274193c6.html

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/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
 
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;