Friday, April 11, 2014

Bulletin: Quentin Louis: Momentous decision. He is freed after 8 years in prison for baby's death on resentencing following a new guilty plea. An appeal court had granted his request for a new trial on the basis that the jury had not heard medical evidence that challenged shaken baby syndrome. The Wausau Daily Herald.


STORY: Athens man set free after 8 years in prison for baby's death," by reporter Shereen Siewert, published by The Wausau Daily Herald on April 10, 2014.

SUB-HEADING:  "Judge again finds him guilty in reopened case, but gives credit for time served."

PHOTO CAPTION:  "Quentin Louis receives his sentencing: On March 18, 2005, then-23-year-old Louis was home with his 4-month-old daughter, Madelyn, when she became limp and stopped breathing, according to court documents. She died three days later. Madelyn's death was diagnosed as shaken-baby syndrome."

GIST:  "Nearly eight years after he was convicted on homicide charges in connection with his infant daughter’s death, an Athens man is free after persuading a judge to reopen his case. But he has not been declared innocent. Quentin Louis, 32, appeared Thursday in Marathon County Circuit Court, where he was found guilty on reckless homicide charges — for the second time — and sentenced to time he’s already served. Louis will spend 10 years on extended supervision and is not allowed any unsupervised contact with children younger than 18, according to court records. Louis was set to begin a new trial Feb. 3 but instead entered into a plea agreement with prosecutors.........On Thursday, the charge was amended to second-degree reckless homicide as part of the plea agreement.........In August 2009, then-Marathon County Circuit Judge Vincent Howard granted Louis' request for a new trial because the jury did not hear medical evidence that challenged shaken-baby syndrome. A Wisconsin appeals court in March 2011 upheld Howard's decision. The cause of symptoms associated with shaken-baby syndrome has been disputed in recent years, and several high-profile cases in Wisconsin have been challenged in court. Robert Huntington, a forensic pathologist who testified for the prosecution at Louis' trial, changed his opinion on the cause of Madelyn's injuries. Huntington testified at a March 2009 hearing on Louis' request for a new trial that shaking alone could not have caused Madelyn's severe brain injury and her head must have hit something. In its written opinion, the appeals court also found the jury did not hear testimony that Madelyn might not have immediately showed symptoms of her injury and jurors were told inaccurate information about her spinal injury. The description of the injuries were key in the diagnosis of shaken-baby syndrome, the court wrote."

The entire story can be found at:
http://www.wausaudailyherald.com/article/20140410/WDH01/304100373/Athens-man-set-free-after-8-years-prison-baby-s-death-video-

 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.