"This
was not justice being served. Geoff Wilson never committed a crime yet
he was penalized and punished for it for over four years," said attorney
Jeff Catalano, who represents Wilson. "Geoff Wilson was interrogated
and then arrested for this crime the same night that his baby died." Charges
against Wilson were dropped in 2014 after the Medical Examiner's office
changed its manner of death from homicide to undetermined. In that
process, pathologist Dr. Peter Cummings says he felt "bullied" by
prosecutors and accused the district attorney's office of "M.E.
shopping" to find a doctor who would give another opinion favorable to
their case. He also complains about what he called the "unethical" and
"unprofessional" behavior by the Middlesex District Attorney's Office. "The
document reads as if a line was crossed and there was a certain amount
of undue influence," Catalano told 5 Investigates' Kathy Curran. 5
Investigates obtained the letter and other documents through a public
records request... Pathologist Judy Melinek of the
National Association of Medical Examiners said ME's must be able to
operate without interference from law enforcement. She was the lead
author on a study revealing widespread concerns among medical examiners
that law enforcement and others were trying to infringe on that
independence. "A medical examiner or any scientist for that
matter should feel comfortable testifying to the truth of their
scientific convictions without being bullied or threatened or being
afraid to lose their job as a result," Melinek told 5 Investigates,
adding she couldn't tell from the documents in the Wilson case what
exactly happened. "It's not about winning or losing a case, it's about justice," she said. In
another alleged shaken baby case in Middlesex County, Irish nanny
Aisling McCarthy's murder charge was also dropped after the medical
examiner changed the child's manner of death from homicide to
undetermined. McCarthy was initially charged with the death of the
1-year-old in her care, Rehma Sabir. Emails obtained by 5
Investigates show that DA Ryan had personally reached out to the Medical
Examiner's Office with questions about McCarthy's case, prosecutors ask
when the medical examiner will have a ruling, reminding them of an
upcoming court date. They also reveal the prosecution's investigative
team was even present during the autopsy. "How do you
summarize all of these communications from you personally to the ME's
office, from your prosecutor to the ME's office?" Curran asked the DA. "I'm
puzzled because if you look at those conversations back and forth they
contain technical questions that are being asked, they're professional,"
Ryan replied. "They're the medical professionals, they should know what to look at. That's their job," Curran said. "That's the process that should be going on," Ryan replied. "We as prosecutors have to get a just result." The
DA is calling for peer or independent reviews, especially when it comes
to shaken baby cases. Wilson's lawyers are looking into whether his
civil rights were violated."
http://www.wcvb.com/news/5-investigates-da-accused-of-unethical-interference-in-shaken-baby-case/35828016
