Curtis Lovelace: (Part 1): Illinois; On-going trial: "Second defense pathologist denies Cory Lovelace's death caused by suffocation, the Herald-Whig reports. (Excellent links for following this case - a battle between dueling pathologists - provided..." Dr. William Oliver testified Thursday during the Curtis Lovelace first-degree murder trial that Cory Lovelace's cause of death was a complication of alcohol withdrawal from fatty liver disease. This is consistent with Dr. Shaku Teas' assessment that Cory Lovelace died from fatty liver as the result of chronic alcoholism. Teas testified for the defense Wednesday. Oliver also said the time of death was likely about 8 a.m. This differs from prosecution witnesses who testified that Cory Lovelace died several hours earlier from suffocation."

STORY: "Second defence pathologist denies Cory Lovelace's death caused by suffication," by reporter Matt Hopf, published by the Herald-Whig on March 9, 2017.

PHOTO CAPTION: "Dr. William Oliver, a forensic pathologist, testifies Thursday in the Curtis Lovelace first-degree murder trial. Oliver believes that Cory Lovelace's death was caused by fatty liver, not suffocation."

GIST: "A second forensic pathologist testified that Cory Lovelace's Feb. 14, 2006, death was not caused by suffocation but by natural causes.Oliver is an assistant medical examiner for Knox County in Tennessee and a former professor in the department of pathology at East Carolina University's Brody School of Medicine. He reviewed slides of Cory Lovelace's liver that he said showed signs of fatty liver. "It's not supposed to look like this at all," Oliver said. "You're not supposed to have all this lipid." On cross-examination by special prosecutor Ed Parkinson, Oliver said more photos from the scene would have been helpful, especially those that could have shown blanching or the movement of blood in the tissue when pressed. Parkinson also asked Oliver about the position of Cory Lovelace's arms. Oliver said her arms could have been resting on something, such as a comforter. On redirect from defense attorney Jon Loevy, Oliver said they also could have moved when she was assessed by first responders."

The entire story - with numerous links that provide background to the case  and its battle between dueling pathologists - can be found at the link below:

 http://www.whig.com/20170309/second-defense-pathologist-denies-cory-lovelaces-death-caused-by-suffocation#

See 48-Hours producer Allan Sirkin's  commentary at the link below:  "The Lovelace trial, in the words of one local pundit, was "the trial of the century" in this town of 40,000. Of course, we have to keep in mind that the century is only 16 years old so far. But still, Curtis Lovelace was by any measure, a shining pillar of this community. Football star, state's attorney, president of the school board -- you don't get much more prominent than that. Beautiful family, long roots in the community. So when his wife died under mysterious circumstances in 2006, people talked. And when eight years later he was suddenly arrested after a secret investigation, people were stunned. Just about everyone knew of Lovelace, and so many people, in one way or another, had a connection to him. So that increased interest in the trial, and the local media were all over it. To give you an idea of how small this town is -- and how even "48 Hours" discovered a personal connection to the case -- it turned out the local CBS affiliate news director who worked with us is the daughter of the original coroner involved in this case! And her sister runs the hotel where we were staying."

 http://www.cbsnews.com/news/the-lovelace-case-big-story-small-town/

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;