SEE LOUISIANA SUPREME COURT PRESS RELEASE AND THE COMPLETE 35-PAGE DECISION AT THE LINK BELOW:
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STORY: "Shreveport man on death row for murder of 1-year-old son gets new trial, reported by KSLA staff, published by KSLA on November 16, 2016.
SUB-HEADING: Rodricus Crawford was 25 when he was convicted in 2012 of first-degree murder in the death of his 1-year-old don."
GIST: "Crawford's 1-year-old son Roderius Lott was
found unresponsive in a home in the 6800 block of Broadway in February 2012. The child was rushed to the hospital where he was pronounced dead.The
Caddo coroner said an autopsy revealed that the child was smothered.
The coroner also said the child had several bruises and signs of abuse. Prosecutors
said Crawford smothered the child, his defense attorneys say the child
was very sick, had pneumonia and died of sepsis. Rodricus Crawford was convicted and
sentenced to death in November 2013, but now the Louisiana Supreme Court issued an opinion Tuesday overturning the conviction. The
court was unanimous in coming to the conclusion that there was an error
in this case. However, the justices have varying opinions on what the
error was and how to correct it. Crawford’s attorney Cecelia
Kappel told KSLA News 12 she is very thankful that the Louisiana Supreme
Court did the right thing in this case and that she looks forward to
working with the District Attorney’s office to seek justice. The Caddo District Attorney's office released a statement Wednesday afternoon in response to the ruling: In
light of this opinion of the Louisiana Supreme Court, including the
dissenting opinions of justices of the Louisiana Supreme Court to acquit
the defendant of the charge, the Caddo Parish District Attorney will
reassign the case to a new assistant district attorney for re-evaluation
of case in order to make a determination of a proper course of action
to proceed forward in this matter. Since the matter is now a pending
matter before the court, this office will not make any further comment
at this time. The 35-page decision by Associate
Justice John L. Weimer, along with opinions by fellow associate justices
that concur in part and dissent in part or in toto, can be
read online at the Louisiana Supreme Court website. Tune in to KSLA News 12 at 5 to hear from the Crawford's mother with her reaction to the news
or watch streaming live here."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.ksla.com/story/33728382/shreveport-man-on-death-row-for-murder-of-1-year-old-son-gets-new-trial
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. 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/charlessmith. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Please
send any comments or information on other cases and issues of
interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com. Harold Levy; Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
