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Friday, January 11, 2019

Back in action: On-Going: Patrick Pursley: Illinois: On-going retrial in 1993 murder: His girlfriend refuses to testify at the murder retrial for fear of incriminating herself, RRStarr.com rewports. (Reporter Georgette Braun)..."Pursley, 53, served 23 years of a life sentence before being released for a new trial based on new ballistics tests showing that the Taurus 9 mm gun used to convict him was not definitively the one in used in Ascher’s death. Two ballistics experts with the Illinois State Police testified for a few hours on Thursday. Dan Gunnell and Beth Patty said on the stand that tests performed in 2012 on shell casings found at the scene matched markings from the gun, but they could not definitively say that bullets found at the scene were fired from the gun."


PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The then-girlfriend of a man being retried in a 1993 murder declined to testify Thursday for fear of incriminating herself. Samantha Crabtree took the Fifth Amendment when asked questions by prosecutor Jim Brun. She had recanted at Patrick Pursley’s original trial in 1994 the claims that she made to police and a grand jury that incriminated Pursley in the shooting death of Andy Ascher. Defense attorneys say her grand jury testimony was coerced by police. Judge Joseph McGraw said he would let attorneys know if he will consider Crabtree’s testimony and recantation when ruling in Pursley’s bench trial. Pursley, 53, served 23 years of a life sentence before being released for a new trial based on new ballistics tests showing that the Taurus 9 mm gun used to convict him was not definitively the one in used in Ascher’s death."

-----------------------------------------------------------

STORY: "Girlfriend of Patrick Pursley in 1993 refuses to testify at his murder retrial for fear of incriminating herself," by reporter Georgette Braun, published by rrstar.com n January 10, 2019.


GIST: "The then-girlfriend of a man being retried in a 1993 murder declined to testify Thursday for fear of incriminating herself. Samantha Crabtree took the Fifth Amendment when asked questions by prosecutor Jim Brun. She had recanted at Patrick Pursley’s original trial in 1994 the claims that she made to police and a grand jury that incriminated Pursley in the shooting death of Andy Ascher. Defense attorneys say her grand jury testimony was coerced by police. Judge Joseph McGraw said he would let attorneys know if he will consider Crabtree’s testimony and recantation when ruling in Pursley’s bench trial. Pursley, 53, served 23 years of a life sentence before being released for a new trial based on new ballistics tests showing that the Taurus 9 mm gun used to convict him was not definitively the one in used in Ascher’s death. Two ballistics experts with the Illinois State Police testified for a few hours on Thursday. Dan Gunnell and Beth Patty said on the stand that tests performed in 2012 on shell casings found at the scene matched markings from the gun, but they could not definitively say that bullets found at the scene were fired from the gun. Becky Myers, whose last name was George in 1993 and was dating Ascher, said on the stand Thursday that a black man in a ski mask told them when they were sitting in a car on Silent Wood Trail by her brother’s place: “This is a stickup. Give me your money. ... Hurry up. Hurry up. This is no joke.” Then shots were fired, and she saw smoke coming out of Ascher’s ear. She did not see the robber’s face. Kevin Murphy, an attorney for Pursley, said there is no evidence that ties Pursley to the crime. Testimony will resume at 9 a.m. Friday.":


The entire story can be read at: 
https://www.rrstar.com/news/20190110/girlfriend-of-patrick-pursley-in-1993-refuses-to-testify-at-his-murder-retrial-for-fear-of-incriminating-herself
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.
Posted by Harold Levy at Friday, January 11, 2019
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About Me

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Harold Levy
Two Blogs Now: The Charles Smith Blog; The Selfless Warriors Blog: I created the Charles Smith Blog in 2007 after I retired from The Toronto Star to permit me to keep digging into the story of the flawed pathologist and the harm he had done to so many innocent parents and caregivers, and to Ontario’s criminal justice system. Since then it has taken new directions, including examinations of other flawed pathologists, flawed pathology, and flawed science and technology which has marred the quality of justice in courtrooms around the world. On International Wrongful Conviction Day in 2024, I was thrilled to have the Blog recognized by Innocence Canada, when I was presented with the, "Rubin Hurricane Carter Champion of Justice Award." The heart of the Blog is my approach to following cases which raise issues in all of these areas - especially those involving the death penalty. I have dedicated 'The Selfless Warrior Blog’ (soon to appear) to those exceptional individuals who have been ripped out of their ordinary lives by their inability to stand by in the face of a glaring miscarriage of justice. They are my ’Selfless Warriors.’ Enjoy!
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