PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Do you know how many people touched that piece [of] evidence? Starting from the crime scene, to the laboratory, to the courtroom, lawyers, juries, everybody touched the evidence,” Lee said. Lee went on to say that the sneakers may not only have been mishandled, but stored improperly over these years. It is also possible that after all the lab tests, there was no blood left on the sneakers, according to Lee. “Of course no blood was found. Already used up. You cannot say 30 years ago it wasn’t there. That doesn’t make any sense because early days everything we used bare hand, we removed the sample,” Lee said. Lee asked that the public remember that investigators found the victim’s credit card in Hasan’s toilet bowl."
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STORY: "Dr. Henry Lee Defends Work in 1985 Murder Case," published by NBC Connecticut on July 11, 2019.
PHOTO CAPTION: "Famed forensic scientist Dr. Henry Lee is defending his work in a 1985 murder case that helped send a man to prison, by reporter, published by on July 11, 2019."
GIST: "Famed
forensic scientist, Dr. Henry Lee, who testified on thousands of trails
from O.J. Simpson to JonBenet Ramsey, is once again being challenged on
his previous testing and testimony. In
June, the Connecticut Supreme Court ruled his testimony was incorrect
in the 1985 murder of Everett Carr. That testimony led to the conviction
of two men, Sean Henning and Ralph Birch in 1989. They have both since
been released from prison and ordered to have new trials. In
the 1984 murder of Joyce Stochmal, her convicted killer, David
Weinberg, was also released from prison based on newly tested evidence
that refuted Dr. Lee’s findings. Now,
a third convicted murderer, Wendal(l) Hasan, is asking the court to review
his case based on a key piece of evidence that Dr. Lee testified about.
Hasan has been in prison since 1986 for the murder of George Tyler in
his Darien home. At
the time, Dr. Lee said he tested a pair of Puma sneakers and found the
victim’s blood. When the sneakers were retested in July of 2014, the
state police forensic lab found the stains were not blood. On Thursday, Dr. Lee said he stands by his testing and testimony. “Do
you know how many people touched that piece [of] evidence? Starting
from the crime scene, to the laboratory, to the courtroom, lawyers,
juries, everybody touched the evidence,” Lee said. Lee
went on to say that the sneakers may not only have been mishandled, but
stored improperly over these years. It is also possible that after all
the lab tests, there was no blood left on the sneakers, according to
Lee. “Of course no blood was
found. Already used up. You cannot say 30 years ago it wasn’t there.
That doesn’t make any sense because early days everything we used bare
hand, we removed the sample,” Lee said. Lee asked that the public remember that investigators found the victim’s credit card in Hasan’s toilet bowl. “I
feel sorry for all those victims’ families. If the person really [is]
innocent, definitely we should set them free. If [they are] just trying
to smear my reputation, they shouldn’t do that.” During
the news conference, Dr. Lee also urged the state to set up a review
committee where convicted felons can request the committee look at their
case. He also said he feels anyone directly involved with the case should have access to the files."
The entire story can be read at:
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;
