Tuesday, December 6, 2016

Tyrone Noling: Ohio: How can police and prosecutorial 'tunnel vision' - "a characteristic of most wrongful incarcerations" - trump the lack of any physical and a DNA links to the crime - and a ballistics report which confirms that his gun was not the murder weapon? 'Scene' story headed, "Law Enforcement Officials Argue that Death Row Inmate Tyrone Noling is Innocent," contains a link to the video (Tyrone Noling: A case of Innocence) which may provide the answer. " The video is narrated by Raymond Towler, a Cuyahoga County exoneree who served 29 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. Watch the video below..." Much of the video revolves around an interview with co-defendant Butch Wolcott, who describes the police coercion he experienced and the tricky path toward "damning his friend to death" during Noling's murder trial. He and the other two co-defendants have long since recanted their testimony, and in fact records produced since then point to a man who confessed to the murder for which Noling was convicted. (That man allegedly confessed to his brother before being executed by the state.) Mark Godsey, director of the Ohio Innocence Project, points out that no physical or DNA evidence links Noling to the crime. A ballistics report confirmed that his gun was not the murder weapon. Godsey contends that this case is marked by investigative and prosecutorial "tunnel vision," a characteristic of most wrongful incarcerations."


STORY: "Law Enforcement Officials Argue that Death Row Inmate Tyrone Noling is Innocent," by Eric Sandy, published by Scene on December 5, 2016.

GIST:  "A new video brings together a former Portage County sheriff, a veteran homicide detective and the director of the Ohio Innocence Project to discuss the murder conviction of Tyrone Noling, a longtime death row inmate who has always maintained his innocence. Along with those sources in the video, many legal experts and observers have long insisted that the Noling conviction was an example of a botched and wrongheaded investigation, and that Noling is an innocent man. The video is narrated by Raymond Towler, a Cuyahoga County exoneree who served 29 years in prison for a rape he did not commit. Watch the video below. Much of the video revolves around an interview with co-defendant Butch Wolcott, who describes the police coercion he experienced and the tricky path toward "damning his friend to death" during Noling's murder trial. He and the other two co-defendants have long since recanted their testimony, and in fact records produced since then point to a man who confessed to the murder for which Noling was convicted. (That man allegedly confessed to his brother before being executed by the state.) Mark Godsey, director of the Ohio Innocence Project, points out that no physical or DNA evidence links Noling to the crime. A ballistics report confirmed that his gun was not the murder weapon. Godsey contends that this case is marked by investigative and prosecutorial "tunnel vision," a characteristic of most wrongful incarcerations."

The video can be accessed at the link below:

Tyrone Noling Clemency Video from Off Center Media on Vimeo.

The entire story can be found at:

 http://www.clevescene.com/scene-and-heard/archives/2016/12/05/law-enforcement-officials-argue-that-death-row-inmate-tyrone-noling-is-innocent-video

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.