GIST: "The state fire marshal in Texas says he will allow advocates to review more than a decade's worth of cases investigated by his office to identify possible wrongful convictions. The office has already sent 24 case files from 2002 to 2004 to the Innocence Project of Texas. Fire Marshal Chris Connealy said he intends to let the advocacy group review all his cases up to this year. "Why not?" Connealy told The Associated Press in an interview last week. "We serve the public. And I want the public to have confidence in the criminal justice system." That confidence has been tested by problems with several high-profile arson cases in Texas, most notably the case of Cameron Todd Willingham, a man executed in 2004 for killing his three daughters in a 1991 house fire in Corsicana, south of Dallas. Advocates have long pursued Willingham's case for evidence suggesting that he was wrongfully executed. Several fire science experts have criticized the findings of fire investigators who concluded the blaze was set intentionally, and a jailhouse informant who testified that Willingham confessed to killing his daughters has recanted. While efforts to press Willingham's case continue after his death, Connealy's office and criminal justice advocates have agreed to work together to weed out problems with fire investigations overall. Connealy has been working with the Innocence Project of Texas for more than a year to review old cases.........Nick Vilbas, executive director of the Innocence Project of Texas, said both the fire marshal's office and advocates have the same goal of seeking justice. "As long as we trust each other and work together, I don't think there's any issue there," Vilbas told the AP on Tuesday. "We both have a common goal of seeing that justice is done for those who have been convicted on the basis of outdated arson science.""
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.brownsvilleherald.com/news/texas/article_ed9bae8a-7758-5940-85f2-58745835a396.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/
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;
