"The jury deciding if Daniel Dougherty set the fire that killed his
two young sons in 1985 concluded its third day of deliberations on
Monday - a session in which its questions centered on the key defense
witness. The tension of days without a verdict was evident in the courtroom. Dougherty, 56, looked weary on the eleventh day of his retrial. None of the lawyers in the case reported a restful weekend.........In mid-afternoon, two more questions came from the jury room: One, could jurors have the part of Lentini's testimony during which
he was cross-examined about whether he was, in fact, an expert? Two, could they have Lentini's testimony on burn patterns, fire dynamics, and point of origin? The judge called the jurors to the courtroom and told them that if
they had a specific question about a particular area of testimony, that
could be read back. The request for all Lentini's testimony on burn
patterns and related matters was too broad, he said. Lentini has investigated or reviewed more than 2,000 fire cases, and
been accepted as an expert witness more than 200 times. The judge
qualified him as an expert in this case.On the stand, he faced harsh questioning about his qualifications,
motives and practices from Assistant District Attorney Judge Conroy. The
prosecutor attacked Lentini as "lying" and "perjurious," a "charlatan"
who would "whore himself and say anything" for a consultant's fee. Lentini testified that extensive damage to the Oxford Circle rowhome
made it impossible to know where or how the fire began. The cause should
have been classified "undetermined," he said."
Monday, April 4, 2016
Bulletin: Daniel Dougherty: Philadelphia; Jury finishes third day of deliberations - asking several questions relating to John Lentini, the forensic scientist who has testified as an expert witness for the defence. "One, could jurors have the part of Lentini's testimony during which he was cross-examined about whether he was, in fact, an expert? Two, could they have Lentini's testimony on burn patterns, fire dynamics, and point of origin? The judge called the jurors to the courtroom and told them that if they had a specific question about a particular area of testimony, that could be read back. The request for all Lentini's testimony on burn patterns and related matters was too broad, he said. Lentini has investigated or reviewed more than 2,000 fire cases, and been accepted as an expert witness more than 200 times. The judge qualified him as an expert in this case.On the stand, he faced harsh questioning about his qualifications, motives and practices from Assistant District Attorney Judge Conroy. The prosecutor attacked Lentini as "lying" and "perjurious," a "charlatan" who would "whore himself and say anything" for a consultant's fee." Philadelphia Inquirer; Reporter Jeff Gammage;
