PUBLISHER'S NOTE: (EDITORIAL): Rodricus Crawford's ordeal is over; The prosecutors who convinced the jury that Rodricus smothered his son now acknowledge what was apparent all along: Roderius was not murdered as the coroner and prosecutors alleged. He died of sepsis triggered by an underlying pneumonia. Following a review of the scathing Supreme Court of Louisiana decision which dripped with skepticism over the prosecutions' case, the prosecutors announced earlier today that they will not put Roderius through another trial. They do not dare. The prosecutor's efforts - even at this moment of time - to somehow link Roderius's death to Rodricus's use of marijuana, are patently unjustified, without foundation, and in any other circumstances would be considered laughable. How foolish the prosecutors look as they attempt to justify their incompetent prosecution - and the horrific ordeal they put Rodricus and his family through (more than three years on death row) - what blares out as no less than an alternative truth. Now Rodricus can wrap himself around the innocence granted him by the law - and mourn the death of his beloved son, without this horrible weight upon him. I wish him well. Bravo to Cecelia Kappel, his appeal lawyer, and Ben Cohen, lawyer for the Promise of Justice Initiative who fought valiantly on his behalf - and to my fellow Canadian colleague Marlene Belliveau, who provided Rodricus and his family so much advice, wisdom and support. Harold Levy Publisher. The Charles Smith Blog.
STORY: "Review results in no retrial for Rodricus Crawford," published by KSLA on April 14, 2017.
GIST: "Following an extensive review and new evidence,
the Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office will not retry a Caddo
Parish Man in the death of his son, according to a news release. Rodricus Crawford was convicted and sentenced to death in 2012 in the death of
his one-year-old son, Roderius Lott. In his original trial, his defense
attorneys said that the child was very sick with pneumonia and died from
sepsis. Prosecutors convinced the jury that Crawford smothered his son. Crawford
was a chronic and heavy user of marijuana, according to a news release
from the Caddo Parish District Attorney. As a result, Roderius
experienced multiple respiratory infections in his life. Crawford spent three years at the Louisiana State Penitentiary. The
Louisiana Supreme Court in November of 2016 reserved his conviction and
ordered a new trial. The Supreme Court noted the time frame it would
take for bruises to form on the lips of a child in contrast to the time
it would take to result in the child's suffocation. Bruises on the
child's face could have been made possibly from a suction device used to
clear his sinuses/nasal passages. The Caddo Parish District Attorney's Office stated in a news release: "New
evidence presented after the trial raised questions about the degree of
pneumonia together with bacteria in the child's blood indicative of
sepsis are possibilities that require consideration. While the coroner
and this office stand by the determination that a homicide occurred the
State has the burden of proving all elements of a crime beyond a
reasonable doubt. In this circumstantial evidence case, the State must
also exclude every reasonable hypothesis of any other crime or innocence
factors. Therein lies the problem. While the State feels a
reasonable prosecution could be pursued on a charge of criminal
negligent homicide, that negligence could extend to other members of the
family, Even if successful on that charge against Crawford, the amount
of time he has spent in jail is close to the maximum sentence available
if he was convicted. The death of a child is a tragedy under any
circumstance for the victim, the family and the community as a whole,
but this office is charged with the task to consider all of the evidence
in a case and to bring a charge when the evidence can support it. For these reasons, the State has elected not to retry Rodricus Crawford."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.ksla.com/story/35154874/review-results-in-no-retrial-for-rodricus-crawford
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;
