QUOTE OF THE DAY: "This is a courtroom, not a science project."
Assistant State’s Atty. Jim Scaliatine.
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STORY: "Arguments conclude in retrial of Naperville man accused of setting deadly fire," by reporter Clifford Ward, published by The Chicago Tribune on February 2, 2018.
GIST: "The retrial of a man accused of murdering
his mother-in-law two decades ago concluded Friday in DuPage County, and
the judge overseeing the case said he would announce his ruling later
in February. In the closing arguments in the murder trial of
William Amor, prosecutors urged the judge to place weight on a
confession Amor made in 1995 — that he started a fire in the Naperville condo where he lived with his wife and her mother, Marianne Miceli. Amor’s
attorneys, though, repeated their assertions that coercive questioning
from police led to a false confession, including Amor admitting to
starting a fire in a way that’s impossible. Three defense experts and a
prosecution fire expert have all testified that Amor’s confession, that
he started the fire with a cigarette and a vodka-soaked newspaper, was
not scientifically feasible. “It’s not 1995 anymore,” Amor attorney Tara Thompson told the judge. “We live in the 21st century, where science has caught up.” But Assistant State’s Atty. Jim Scaliatine countered, “This is a courtroom, not a science project.” After
hearing the arguments, Judge Liam Brennan said he wanted to review
testimony and said he would give his ruling in the bench trial Feb. 21. The
arguments capped testimony in the trial that began Jan. 24. In 2017,
Brennan vacated Amor’s 1997 conviction for Miceli’s murder after a
series of hearings in which the vodka-newspaper fire scenario was found
invalid. The judge said that with Amor’s conviction in 1997 resting
heavily on the confession, he did not have confidence in the original
verdict. DuPage prosecutors opted to retry Amor, and Scaliatine
said in closings that Amor’s confession was not coerced. He pointed to a
letter Amor had written his new wife in 1995, saying he had a plan for
“capital gains,” which prosecutors interpreted as Amor scheming to get
insurance money via the death of his mother-in-law. Marianne
Miceli, 40, called 911 at 6:40 p.m. on Sept. 10, 1995, to report smoke
and flames in the Bailey Road condo. A minute later, while still on the
phone with emergency operator, she was overcome. Firefighters found her
body on the floor of her bedroom. Amor, then 39, and Tina Miceli,
18, had left to go to a movie about 20 minutes before the 911 call.
Amor’s attorneys argued that that timeline supported a scenario that the
fire was likely started by a smoldering cigarette in a chair. Marianne
Miceli smoked two packs a day, and Amor and Tina were also smokers,
according to testimony. A state expert testified Friday that he
believed the fire was started with an open flame. But defense experts
said a fire set with a match or lighter would have produced the heavy
smoke Miceli described in her 911 call in as little as two or three
minutes."
The entire story can be read at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-met-naperville-amor-retrial-friday-20180202-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 read at:
http://www.chicagotribune.com/suburbs/naperville-sun/news/ct-met-naperville-amor-retrial-friday-20180202-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
