------------------------------------------------------------
STORY: "Forensic Experts Say Convicted Murderer is Innocent, Based on DNA Analysis," by senior science writer Seth Augenstein, published by The Forensic Magazine on September 28, 2017.
GIST: The
criminal accusations were sensational, the stuff made for TV. The son
of a diplomat stood accused of slaughtering his girlfriend’s parents in
their blood-streaked Virginia home because they disapproved of him.
Together, the young lovers went on the lam internationally for almost a
year before they were caught. Indeed, the trial of Jens Soering was the first to take place in
front of live TV cameras in the U.S., and the proceedings were seen by
millions. Since his 1990 conviction on two first-degree counts of
murder, Soering has been behind bars, while his erstwhile girlfriend
Elizabeth Haysom has been serving time since her 1987 guilty plea to two
counts of being an accessory to murder before the fact. But now a sitting Virginia sheriff and a group of forensic experts
argue Soering could not have committed the crime, based on new
considerations of old evidence “discovered” right in the 1980s
investigative file. They are publicly pushing for a full pardon for the now 51-year-old man, and for his deportation back to Germany. “He’s absolutely excluded,” said J.E. “Chip” Harding, the sheriff of
Albemarle County, in a press conference Wednesday announcing their
findings. “I am convinced Mr. Soering did not kill Derek and Nancy
Haysom and was not present at the scene when the murders took place.” Instead, two unknown strangers left trails of their own blood through
the crime scene, the Bedford County home of the Haysoms, sometime on
the evening of March 30, 1985. (Read the entire story at the link below to discover how the reevaluation of the case—and the push for a pardon of the man
convicted of the killings—began with a surprising discovery, right in
the investigative case file.)
https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2017/09/sheriff-forensic-experts-say-convicted-murderer-innocent-based-dna-analysis
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/c
https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2017/09/sheriff-forensic-experts-say-convicted-murderer-innocent-based-dna-analysis
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/c
