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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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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GIST: "It’s
been a question hanging over jurors in a Warren County courtroom ever
since the Brooke Skylar Richardson trial began. And it's a question
that's troubled her attorneys for years. Richardson is charged with aggravated murder and involuntary manslaughter. She is accused of deliberately killing her baby and burying her in the backyard. “I tried to cremate the baby,” Richardson said after a police interview in 2017. This was the second time police spoke to her, and this interview would ultimately lead to her arrest. Skylar Richardson talks with parents after police interview. Video
of the interview, which is several hours long, hasn’t been played in
court yet. But Assistant Prosecutor Julie Kraft read a transcript of
part of the recording when Richardson’s father walked into the interview
room. “Honey, tell us what happened,” he said. Richardson,
who was 18 at the time, had denied burning her baby several times
before that. She also denied deliberately killing her baby. Her attorneys say she delivered a stillborn child and buried her in the backyard because she didn’t know what else to do. Prosecutors
say she killed her baby, burned her and buried her to hide the
evidence. Richardson attended high school prom a few days before giving
birth, and she didn’t want anyone to know she was pregnant. In
a police report detailed in court, a detective wrote Richardson lit her
baby’s foot on fire with a lighter. The flames flared up to the baby’s
chest before Richardson put them out. “That’s silly,” said Charlie H. Rittgers, her attorney. A
forensic pathologist who conducted the baby’s autopsy testified on
Friday. Rittgers often raised his voice and grew frustrated while
questioning her. He was mad because this doctor was a critical witness for the defense. Back
in 2017, about two months after Richardson buried her baby in the
backyard, her OB-GYN called police. Authorities interviewed Richardson
and asked her questions about umbilical cords, abortions and placentas. “I never meant to hurt her,” she said. “I didn’t kill her,” she said. “It wasn’t alive,” she said. Police
let her go. But they searched her home and dug up the skeletal remains
of her baby. The bones were put in a small body bag and taken to the
morgue. Officials grouped the bones into different
categories and eventually tried to put the child back together. When
inspecting the rib bones, a forensic anthropologist noticed the ends of
the bones were darker than the rest. The police were called, again. This time, they were told Richardson’s baby had been burned. Her
attorneys said this suggestion turned the case into something much more
sinister than it actually was. It also sent authorities back to
Richardson, where they were desperate to obtain a confession, Rittgers
said. And they did. Richardson’s
attorneys say it was a false one, made by a scared teenager who
struggles with an eating disorder and just told police what they wanted
to hear. That’s probably why Assistant Prosecutor
Kraft read a portion of Richardson’s interview after police left her.
Without being asked anything by police, the teenager said she tried to
cremate her child. She was talking to her dad. But
Richardson’s attorney said she had already been broken by then. She had
told police she might have squeezed her baby too hard, the baby cried
and the baby might have been alive for five minutes. She also said the baby gurgled, which Rittgers called ridiculous. The attorney said babies that young can't gurgle. In
court on Friday, photos of the baby’s bones and reconstructed skeleton
were displayed on a television screen a few feet away from Richardson. She shook while looking at them. Richardson’s trial, which began on Tuesday, could last up to three weeks."
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/09/06/skylar-richardson-trial-i-tried-cremate-baby/2230393001/
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;
The entire story can be read at:
https://www.cincinnati.com/story/news/2019/09/06/skylar-richardson-trial-i-tried-cremate-baby/2230393001/
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;
