STORY: "Justices raising questions on shaken bay syndrome," by reporter Jerry Mitchell, published by the Clarion-Ledger on August 22, 2014.
GIST: "If the state Supreme Court orders a hearing in the case involving Death Row inmate Jeffrey Havard, it will be the second in a row involving Shaken Baby Syndrome. Others could follow. At least 11 people are behind bars in Mississippi — and two on Death Row — because of testimony involving that syndrome. The syndrome has long been used to convict thousands of parents, caregivers and others, but now questions are being raised about the science behind it.........Last week, justices ordered a hearing in the case involving Christopher Brandon. Pathologist Dr. Steven Hayne attributed the death in Brandon's case to Shaken Baby Syndrome, and he did the same with Jeffrey Havard, now on Death Row. Hayne acknowledged to The Clarion-Ledger there is "growing evidence" such a diagnosis "is probably not correct." Studies show shaking isn't able to generate enough force to cause these kinds of injuries to a child, he said. At the same time, he said, studies are showing that the short falls of children can generate tremendous force when they hit a very hard surface. In Havard's case, sexual assault was the underlying felony charge that enabled authorities to pursue the death penalty against him in the 2002 death of 6-month-old Chloe Britt, whom Havard said he accidentally dropped. "I didn't think there was a sexual assault," Hayne told The Clarion-Ledger. "I didn't see any evidence of sexual assault." Former state Supreme Court Justice Oliver Diaz Jr. said he believes the high court will order a hearing for Havard "given the strength of the new evidence, which I think is extremely strong.""
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.clarionledger.com/story/journeytojustice/2014/08/22/mississippi-supreme-court-shaken-baby-syndrome/14435611/
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;
