QUOTE OF THE DAY: "I couldn't have done this without all my family's support," Allison said after the hearing. "Since being released from prison, it's been overwhelming, you know, almost five years incarcerated and just trying to put my life back together, you know. My family's my strength. I couldn't go through the day to day life without them and they always show it too. They're always here to support to where they're just such a blessing. They really are." "I mean it's completely unjust," Christiane said of the charges after Friday's hearing. "It has nothing to do with what happened to my daughter. It has nothing to do with justice for the family. The family has never wanted this. We have been held hostage for over a decade and we have asked them to stop."
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STORY: "Father awaiting second trial in daughter's death will travel to Chicago," by reporters Jennifer Summers and Elizabeth Roman, published by KTVA on February 21, 2020.
GIST: "A
Wasilla father who was released after his conviction for killing his
15-month-old daughter was overturned will be allowed to travel to
Chicago before his second trial. Clayton
Allison was serving a 30-year sentence for second-degree murder in
the death of Jocelynn Allison, who suffered a fatal injury in his care
on Sept. 24, 2008. In July 2019 — more than four years after a jury found him guilty — the Alaska Court of Appeals reversed his conviction. At
the time, the appellate court said the trial court judge should
have allowed Allison to present potentially exculpatory evidence. He was
released from jail in September 2019. The state's case against Clayton
was based on circumstantial evidence. There were no eyewitnesses to the
alleged abuse or past abuse. Clayton had unwavering support from his
wife, Jocelynn's mother Christiane Allison, and a large group of
community members who believed in his innocence. Allison's family has said Jocelynn's death
could be related to a hereditary tissue disorder Christiane has that
might have explained the severity of their daughter's injuries. At a status hearing on Friday, Allison's family dressed in green to support him. "I
couldn't have done this without all my family's support," Allison said
after the hearing. "Since being released from prison, it's been
overwhelming, you know, almost five years incarcerated and just trying
to put my life back together, you know. My family's my strength. I
couldn't go through the day to day life without them and they always
show it too. They're always here to support to where they're just such a
blessing. They really are." "I
mean it's completely unjust," Christiane said of the charges after
Friday's hearing. "It has nothing to do with what happened to my
daughter. It has nothing to do with justice for the family. The family
has never wanted this. We have been held hostage for over a decade and
we have asked them to stop." Anchorage
Judge Gregory Miller decided Friday that Allison will be allowed to
travel to Chicago in late March. Christiane said they will be going to a
conference being held by the Innocence Network. Allison's trial is scheduled to begin in early November.
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;
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FINAL
WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): "Whenever
there is a wrongful conviction, it exposes errors in our criminal legal
system, and we hope that this case — and lessons from it — can prevent
future injustices."
Lawyer Radha Natarajan:
Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;
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