STORY: "Man to be retried in death of mother-in-law in 1995 Naperville fire," published by The Naperville Sun News on January 22, 2018.
SUB-HEADING: "William Amor will be retried this week in the 1995 death of his mother-in-law in a fire."
GIST: "A former Naperville resident who spent more
than two decades in prison before his murder conviction was overturned
is scheduled to be retried this week in the 1990s death of his
mother-in-law in a fire. William Amor, 62, will be tried beginning
Wednesday in a bench trial before the same judge who vacated Amor’s
1997 arson murder conviction last year. “I’m looking forward to
having my day in court,” Amor said Thursday following a final pretrial
hearing as he left the DuPage County courthouse with his attorneys from
the Illinois Innocence Project. He was found guilty at trial for
starting the September 1995 fire at the Naperville condominium where he
lived with his wife and mother-in-law. Amor and his wife, Tina Miceli,
had left to go to a movie, and a short time later, the mother-in-law,
Marianne Miceli, reported a fire. By the time rescue personnel arrived,
she was dead. Amor
later confessed, telling police that he had started the blaze by
leaving a lit cigarette on paper soaked with vodka before leaving. He
was due to paroled in March 2018 but had successfully petitioned the
court to re-examine his case in light of better understanding of how
fires start. After an evidentiary hearing that included the testimony of
fire experts, Judge Liam Brennan ruled in April that it was
scientifically impossible for the fire to have started in the way Amor
confessed. The judge said the original conviction strongly hinged
on Amor’s confession, but the newer science undercut the confession,
which the judge called the linchpin of the prosecution case. Brennan
vacated Amor’s conviction in April, and he has been free on bond since
last summer. Amor contends that he confessed after abusive and
coercive questioning from police, who at one point in an interrogation
served him with divorce papers his wife had just filed. His attorneys
say all three people in the home were smokers and the fire started
accidentally Prosecutors,
though, contend that there is enough evidence to prove Amor set the
fire intentionally and have pointed to a financial motive. Although
he vacated the conviction, the judge has on two occasions declined to
dismiss the case against Amor. And with Amor opting for a bench trial,
Brennan will ultimately decide whether Amor is guilty. The state’s attorney’s office did not reply to a request seeking comment."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-met-naperville-arson-death-retrial-20180119-story.html
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
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-met-naperville-arson-death-retrial-20180119-story.html
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
