PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Keith was scheduled to be executed Sept. 15, 2010, but Gov. Ted Strickland commuted his death sentence to a life sentence less than two weeks prior to that date, citing doubts about Keith's guilt, according to his attorneys. When filing the motion for a new trial, Keith's attorneys said G. Michele Yezzo, the state's expert, "provided the critical forensic conclusions regarding Mr. Keith" to try to link Keith to the crime scene. "That expert was known to the state — though not to Mr. Keith — as someone who will stretch the truth to satisfy a department. Since the trial her forensic conclusions have proven faulty," they said."
STORY: "Keith's murder conviction upheld," by reporter Zach Tuggle, published by The Telegraph Forum on December 26, 2017.
GIST: "The memory of three people shot to death in 1994 at Bucyrus Estates was on the forefront of residents' minds this summer when judges considered giving a new trial to the man convicted of killing them. Kevin Keith, 53, filed a motion seeking a new trial on Oct. 28, 2016, saying newly discovered evidence had turned up concerning a Bureau of Criminal Identification and Investigation forensic analyst who testified against him. The man's conviction was upheld in June by an appellate court in Lima, according to Crawford County Prosecutor Matt Crall. "My hope is that this is a day of finality and closure for the victims of this massacre," Crall said after the ruling. "Let this be a day of peace for Marichell Chatman, Linda Chatman, Marchae Reeves, who were all murdered by Kevin Keith. Richard Warren, Quanita Reeves and Quinton Reeves were also shot that night and survived their injuries. I pray that today offers their loved ones closure." Bucyrus police and Crawford County prosecutors said in 1994 that Keith opened fire on a group in retaliation for a drug arrest he blamed on an informant related to the shooting victims. Keith was scheduled to be executed Sept. 15, 2010, but Gov. Ted Strickland commuted his death sentence to a life sentence less than two weeks prior to that date, citing doubts about Keith's guilt, according to his attorneys. When filing the motion for a new trial, Keith's attorneys said G. Michele Yezzo, the state's expert, "provided the critical forensic conclusions regarding Mr. Keith" to try to link Keith to the crime scene. "That expert was known to the state — though not to Mr. Keith — as someone who will stretch the truth to satisfy a department. Since the trial her forensic conclusions have proven faulty," they said. Crall said Yezzo's employers at the Ohio Attorney General's Office had already reviewed her conduct and reinstated her to work prior to her testimony in the Keith case. Although he was not the county's prosecutor at the time of that decision, Crall said he would not see a need to disclose Yezzo's prior investigation if the Keith case were to be held today. Yezzo's testimony helped connect an important part of the trial. Crall said that as he was fleeing the scene of the murders, Keith drove into a snowbank — police found where his vehicle's license plate left an imprint into the snow. "They made a plaster casting of those license plate letters," Crall said. Yezzo did a forensic analysis of the license plate imprint, as well as the tire tracks that were discovered. In their June ruling, members of the appellate court wrote: "Over the years in his numerous appeals and post-conviction petitions Keith has challenged many aspects of his case and the evidence against him, but one fact remains clear, the evidence against Keith was simply overwhelming. Based on the record we cannot find that, even assuming Yezzo’s personnel file was suppressed, and that it contained information favorable to Keith, there is no reasonable possibility that the information contained in Yezzo’s file would have made any difference in the outcome of this case."Crall said Keith and his attorneys have appealed numerous portions of the case over the past two decades, and that his 2017 appeal process was one of his last options "to get back into court."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.bucyrustelegraphforum.com/story/news/2017/12/26/4-our-top-5-keiths-murder-conviction-upheld/981938001/
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
