False confessions (1): New Netflix series: 'The Confession Tapes.' Is it the new ‘Making a Murderer’?'...Interesting analysis by Jessica McBride on Heavy.com..."The series starts with two episodes about the murder case of Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay, who were convicted in the 1994 Washington State murders of Rafay’s father, mother, and sister, who were found beaten to death with a bat in the family’s home. However, just when the audience is fully engaged in the Burns and Rafay story (and it’s a very compelling one, with serious questions about their guilt), the series switches cases altogether. One couldn’t help but think that Burns and Rafay could have carried all of season 1 of The Confession Tapes themselves."

  

PUBLISHER’S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false confessions because of the disturbing number  of exonerations in the USA, Canada and multiple other jurisdictions throughout the world, where, in the absence of incriminating forensic evidence the conviction is based on self-incrimination – and because of the growing body of  scientific research showing how vulnerable suspects    (especially juveniles)  are to widely used interviewing methods  such as  the notorious ‘Reid Technique.’

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

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STORY: 'Confession Tapes' Netflix Series: The New ‘Making a Murderer’? by Jessica McBride, published by 'Heavy.com' on September 14, 2017. ("Jessica McBride is a Heavy contributor. She was a crime, government, and breaking news reporter for daily newspapers, and her award-winning work has appeared in numerous magazine, newspaper, and online publications. She has also appeared on numerous national crime shows."...

GIST: "The Confession Tapes is Netflix’s latest foray into the realm of true crime and police procedural, and, specifically, into the fallibility of confessions, especially involving teenagers who are manipulated by law enforcement into confessing to crimes for which there is no, or minimal, forensic evidence pointing at them. First, with great fanfare, came Making a Murderer, which focused on the story of a once wrongfully convicted Wisconsin man, Steven Avery, and his teenage nephew, Brendan Dassey. Part of what drove the outrage among viewers of that Netflix series: The videotaped confessions between Wisconsin law enforcement officials and Dassey, which formed the core of the case against him (the evidence against the older Avery was more complex and also involved DNA and blood evidence. In contrast, no forensic evidence connected Dassey to the murder of photographer Teresa Halbach, whose bone fragments were discovered in a burn pit behind Avery’s trailer.) An appeals court panel later upheld a lower court’s decision to overturn Dassey’s conviction, but the court has agreed to rehear arguments in the case. Enter The Confession Tapes, which has some obvious similarities to Making a Murderer and some differences (for starters, although compelling, it is not as addicting.)  Warning: Plot spoilers ahead. The Confession Tapes differs from Making a Murderer in some key ways. Namely, it’s a seven-part series that follows multiple cases. The series starts with two episodes about the murder case of Sebastian Burns and Atif Rafay, who were convicted in the 1994 Washington State murders of Rafay’s father, mother, and sister, who were found beaten to death with a bat in the family’s home. However, just when the audience is fully engaged in the Burns and Rafay story (and it’s a very compelling one, with serious questions about their guilt), the series switches cases altogether. One couldn’t help but think that Burns and Rafay could have carried all of season 1 of The Confession Tapes themselves. You can find a slew of documents and details on the Burns and Rafay case here.  (Read on at the link below for further analysis. HL);

The entire story can be found at:

ttp://heavy.com/entertainment/2017/09/confession-tapes-netflix-alternate-suspect-al-fuqra-sebastian-burns-atif-rafay-now-today/

See 'The Confession Tapes'  home page at the link below: "Rolling Stone just listed The Confession Tapes as one of the top '10 True Crime Shows to Watch This Fall.'
 https://www.facebook.com/theconfessiontapes/?fref=mentions

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.