PUBLISHER'S NOTE: A case which promises to be of great interest to the readers of this Blog: "From the beginning, Richardson has insisted the baby was
stillborn. But even as a coroner has been unable to determine a cause of
death, prosecutors insist the cause was homicide, and that Richardson,
now 20, buried the evidence so she could continue on with a
picture-perfect teenage lifestyle. The case
exploded, becoming a tabloid-fare narrative about an all-American
cheerleader accused of secretly killing her own child because she and
her family were “pretty obsessed” with external appearances, as Warren
County Prosecutor David P. Fornshell said in 2017. He claimed Richardson
burned the baby’s corpse too — sinister details that later turned out
to be incorrect, Richardson’s attorney said, but that nevertheless only
fueled nonstop coverage. Photographers camped outside the family’s home
in small-town Carlisle, waiting to share the latest snippets of the
family’s lives. Antiabortion activists picketed Richardson’s hearings, demanding justice for Baby Jane Doe. But
Richardson didn’t kill the baby, her attorney, Charles M. Rittgers,
insisted to prospective jurors Tuesday during jury selection. Instead,
he said, “This case was about a massive rush to judgment.""
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog:
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Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog:
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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false confessions because of the disturbing number of exonerations in the USA, Canada and multiple other jurisdictions throughout the world, where, in the absence of incriminating forensic evidence the conviction is based on self-incrimination (as well as false identification and jailhouse informants) – and because of the growing body of scientific research showing how vulnerable suspects (especially juveniles) are to widely used interrogation methods such as the notorious ‘Reid Technique.""
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Dr. Mark Levaughn, a forensic pathologist, said Wednesday the cause and manner of death of Richardson’s newborn is undetermined. Levaughn reviewed several documents and examined the newborn’s remains and came to the conclusion that the bones showed no evidence of burning or violent traumatic injury. Levaughn also said there is “absolutely no identifiable evidence of live birth.”
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "A psychologist testified on Wednesday that Richardson has a personality disorder that predisposes her to submit to people in authority. He also said Richardson told him was was sexually abused when she was a girl. Dr. Stuart Bassman said Richardson has been vulnerable to being taken advantage of since she was 12 years old, when a boy she “looked up to” sexually abused her. Richardson’s brother, Jackson Richardson, testified as a character witness and discussed her eating disorder. He said he noticed she started monitoring her eating when she was in the eighth grade. He said he heard her get sick “on a constant basis” but never talked to her about it because he didn’t want to upset her. Dr. Mark Levaughn, a forensic pathologist, said Wednesday the cause and manner of death of Richardson’s newborn is undetermined. Levaughn reviewed several documents and examined the newborn’s remains and came to the conclusion that the bones showed no evidence of burning or violent traumatic injury. Levaughn also said there is “absolutely no identifiable evidence of live birth.”
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STORY: Closing arguments will begin Thursday in the trial of Brooke Skylar
Richardson, the Carlisle woman accused of killing her newborn daughter
and burying her in the backyard of her family’s home in 2017. Seven
women and five men will decide the fate of the 20-year-old. The defense
rested on Wednesday after two days of testimony; the state rested on
Monday after four days of testimony. Prosecutors spent the first day of Richardson’s trial
creating a timeline of her secretive pregnancy
through testimony from people who interacted with her throughout. In
cross-examination, the defense focused on Richardson’s health history
and argued her panicked, furtive reactions to learning of her pregnancy
were not necessarily signs of malice — just terror. Prosecutors on Sept. 5 showed the jury
the two-hour video
of the first time Richardson talked to authorities after they received a
complaint that Richardson had given birth and buried her newborn. In the video, a tearful Richardson told authorities she “didn’t really want to have” her baby but she “never meant to hurt her.” She
told authorities she didn’t tell her parents that she was pregnant, but
she knew she was far along when she went to Hilltop Obstetrics &
Gynecology on April 26, 2017 because she “was really big.” On the prosecution’s third day of testimony, a forensic pathologist said Richardson’s newborn
died as a result of "homicidal violence.” Dr. Susan Brown, a forensic pathologist with the Montgomery
County Coroner’s Office, said all of the evidence — information from the
scene, police interview, anthropology report and autopsy report —
points to a death caused by homicidal violence, but she can’t determine
the exact cause of death. Prosecutors on Monday showed the jury
Richardson's second interview with authorities
on July 20, 2017, after Dr. Elizabeth Murray, a forensic
anthropologist, said the newborn’s bones had been burned. Murray later
recanted that opinion. Richardson was shocked when authorities
asked her if she had burned the body. She was adamant, at first, that
she hadn't. Later in the interview, Richardson told investigators she
thought she “could cremate her.” The prosecution also
showed text messages
between Richardson and her mother, which revealed a shared obsession with Richardson’s appearance, specifically her weight. A Cincinnati-area OB-GYN said Tuesday he believes
Richardson's newborn was stillborn. Dr. John E. White said the way Richardson described her newborn
to authorities — white, not breathing or moving and with no heartbeat —
is consistent with a stillbirth. “In my experience, when you
deliver a healthy newborn, they’re almost purple … they have a blue to
purple appearance until they let out that first scream,” White said. White
said he also believes Richardson’s pregnancy was affected by
intrauterine growth restriction (IUGR), a condition in which the fetus
does not grow at a normal rate. Richardson’s father, Scott Richardson,
testified as a character witness
. He told the jury about his daughter’s childhood, including the sports she played and her struggle with eating disorders. “She would never hurt another living being, let alone a baby,” he said. Professor
Alan Hirsch, an expert on criminal interrogations and false
confessions, said officers had used “very aggressive” techniques to
manipulate Richardson in the July 20 interrogation. Lt. John Faine’s
repeated attempts to convince Richardson she would not be punished if
she confessed could have propelled her into a false admission, he
argued. A psychologist testified on Wednesday that
Richardson has a personality disorder
that predisposes her to submit to people in authority. He also said
Richardson told him was was sexually abused when she was a girl. Dr.
Stuart Bassman said Richardson has been vulnerable to being taken
advantage of since she was 12 years old, when a boy she “looked up to”
sexually abused her. Richardson’s brother, Jackson Richardson,
testified as a character witness and discussed her eating disorder. He
said he noticed she started monitoring her eating when she was in the
eighth grade. He said he heard her get sick “on a constant basis” but never talked to her about it because he didn’t want to upset her. Dr. Mark Levaughn, a forensic pathologist, said Wednesday the cause and manner of
death of Richardson’s newborn is undetermined. Levaughn reviewed several documents and examined the newborn’s
remains and came to the conclusion that the bones showed no evidence of
burning or violent traumatic injury. Levaughn also said there is
“absolutely no identifiable evidence of live birth.”
https://www.wcpo.com/news/local-news/warren-county/lebanon/closing-arguments-to-begin-in-brooke-skylar-richardson-murder-trial
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;
