REMINDER: Sign on for annual "Wrongful Convictions Day" launched by The Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted (AIDWYC) - effective October 2, 2014. (For background - and link - see previous post):
http://smithforensic.blogspot.ca/2014/06/wrongful-convictions-day-aidwyc.html
Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;
STORY: "Supreme Court asks for records from 2001 rape, murder of Rock Hill girl," by reporter Jonathan McFadden, published by "The State" on June 26, 2014.
GIST: "The U.S. Supreme Court has asked for more than 3,000 pages of trial notes, transcripts and evidence in the case of a Rock Hill man convicted of raping and killing his daughter more than a decade ago. The request gives a glimmer of hope to lawyers for Billy Wayne Cope that his long-awaited appeal of denials by South Carolina courts might be heard. Last year, the state Supreme Court rejected Cope’s appeal. It is that decision Cope has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review. Prosecutors, however, questioned whether the justices’ order was a significant development with any bearing on whether the federal court would hear Cope’s appeal.........Prosecutors point out that Cope confessed three times to beating, raping and eventually strangling his daughter on Nov. 29, 2001. On Amanda Cope’s body, investigators found semen and saliva that belonged to James Edward Sanders, a convicted rapist who had been released from prison around the time the girl was killed. Jurors found both Cope and Sanders guilty in Amanda’s death after prosecutors argued the two men worked together to rape and kill the girl. Both are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. Cope has been appealing his conviction for about a decade, denying prosecutors’ claims that he conspired with Sanders, much less that he even knew him. Instead, Cope says, Sanders broke into his house while he was asleep and killed his daughter. Cope’s lawyers say he was coerced into falsely confessing after he was subjected to a false polygraph test. Jurors also were not allowed to hear testimony about other crimes Sanders committed near Cope’s home around the same time, including assault, rape and burglary, lawyers say."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.thestate.com/2014/06/26/3532969/supreme-court-asks-for-records.html?sp=/99/132/154/157/
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.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;
GIST: "The U.S. Supreme Court has asked for more than 3,000 pages of trial notes, transcripts and evidence in the case of a Rock Hill man convicted of raping and killing his daughter more than a decade ago. The request gives a glimmer of hope to lawyers for Billy Wayne Cope that his long-awaited appeal of denials by South Carolina courts might be heard. Last year, the state Supreme Court rejected Cope’s appeal. It is that decision Cope has asked the U.S. Supreme Court to review. Prosecutors, however, questioned whether the justices’ order was a significant development with any bearing on whether the federal court would hear Cope’s appeal.........Prosecutors point out that Cope confessed three times to beating, raping and eventually strangling his daughter on Nov. 29, 2001. On Amanda Cope’s body, investigators found semen and saliva that belonged to James Edward Sanders, a convicted rapist who had been released from prison around the time the girl was killed. Jurors found both Cope and Sanders guilty in Amanda’s death after prosecutors argued the two men worked together to rape and kill the girl. Both are serving life in prison without the possibility of parole. Cope has been appealing his conviction for about a decade, denying prosecutors’ claims that he conspired with Sanders, much less that he even knew him. Instead, Cope says, Sanders broke into his house while he was asleep and killed his daughter. Cope’s lawyers say he was coerced into falsely confessing after he was subjected to a false polygraph test. Jurors also were not allowed to hear testimony about other crimes Sanders committed near Cope’s home around the same time, including assault, rape and burglary, lawyers say."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.thestate.com/2014/06/26/3532969/supreme-court-asks-for-records.html?sp=/99/132/154/157/
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.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;
