Tuesday, December 7, 2021

Roman Zadorov. Israel: Judges in his murder retrial have toured the Israeli school where 13-year-old victim was killed, Haaretz reports...“Notice what’s there now and what has changed since then,” (Prosecutor) Kablawi said. “The complex is different, but the toilet stalls are similar to what there was in the girls’ bathroom where the murder took place.” Zadorov’s defense attorney brought a 1.51-meter doll, 4 centimeters taller than the murder victim. He said, “I took someone bigger in order to show how impossible it is to murder inside the cubicle when the door is closed. I’ll show how unrealistic Roman’s re-enactment was.”


QUOTE OF THE DAY: "“I’m not nervous,” said Zadorov Monday morning. “The judges want to examine it thoroughly. I think that the trial this time is more serious than the previous trial, because the judges are getting into the case and asking questions. At the previous trial nothing interested them and here I see a different attitude, they want to find justice.”

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "In July, State Prosecutor Amit Eisman decided on a retrial for Zadorov, who was convicted of murder, saying there was a reasonable chance of a conviction. 

A few days later it was discovered that the special team of prosecutors that decided on a retrial had not previously visited the scene of Rada’s murder in the Nofei Hagolan school.  The (sic)  also failed to clarify whether anything had changed there since the murder. It was learned that Eisman and the four prosecutors who reexamined the case had decided that studying the scene of the murder by means of the photos and film clips included in the investigative material would suffice."


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STORY: "Judges in murder retrial tour Israeli school where 13-year-old victim was killed," by Reporter Adi Hashmoni, published by Haaretz, on December 7, 2021

SUB-HEADING: "Roman Zadorov  is being retried over the murder of Ta'ir Rada. killed at her  school 15 years ago.

GIST: "Nazareth District Court judges on Monday toured the Nofei Hagolan school in Katzrin where Ta’ir Rada was murdered 15 years ago. Participating in the tour were judges Asher Kula, Daniel Tzarfati and Tammar Nissim-Shai, the defendant Roman Zadorov and his defense attorney Yarom Halevy, and the state prosecutors.


“I’m not nervous,” said Zadorov Monday morning. “The judges want to examine it thoroughly. I think that the trial this time is more serious than the previous trial, because the judges are getting into the case and asking questions. At the previous trial nothing interested them and here I see a different attitude, they want to find justice.”


Wiam Kablawi, representing the prosecution, said that during the tour the judges would pass through the places that are relevant to Rada’s murder: the shaded area in which she sat before entering the school building, the water fountain, the bench where Gur Alon, one of the last students to see Rada, was sitting, the shelter where Zadorov worked and the staircases that ascend toward the boys’ and girls’ bathrooms.


“Notice what’s there now and what has changed since then,” Kablawi said. “The complex is different, but the toilet stalls are similar to what there was in the girls’ bathroom where the murder took place.”


Zadorov’s defense attorney brought a 1.51-meter doll, 4 centimeters taller than the murder victim. He said, “I took someone bigger in order to show how impossible it is to murder inside the cubicle when the door is closed. I’ll show how unrealistic Roman’s re-enactment was.”


The tour, conducted as part of the retrial, was held privately. Following it the judges will decide if there is a need for a summation and if so, whether it will be open to the media. At the school’s request, Kula didn’t allow any filming near the school. “The entire tour will be recorded ... by the Israel Police,” wrote the judge. The retrial will continue on Tuesday.


In July, State Prosecutor Amit Eisman decided on a retrial for Zadorov, who was convicted of murder, saying there was a reasonable chance of a conviction. 


A few days later it was discovered that the special team of prosecutors that decided on a retrial had not previously visited the scene of Rada’s murder in the Nofei Hagolan school. 


The (sic)  also failed to clarify whether anything had changed there since the murder. It was learned that Eisman and the four prosecutors who reexamined the case had decided that studying the scene of the murder by means of the photos and film clips included in the investigative material would suffice."


The entire story can be read at:

https://www.haaretz.com/israel-news/.premium-judges-in-retrial-of-israeli-murder-suspect-tour-school-where-teen-victim-was-killed-1.10444973

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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FINAL, FINAL WORD: "Since its inception, the Innocence Project has pushed the criminal legal system to confront and correct the laws and policies that cause and contribute to wrongful convictions.   They never shied away from the hard cases — the ones involving eyewitness identifications, confessions, and bite marks. Instead, in the course of presenting scientific evidence of innocence, they've exposed the unreliability of evidence that was, for centuries, deemed untouchable." So true!
Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;

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FINAL, FINAL, FINAL WORD: "It is incredibly easy to convict an innocent person, but it's exceedingly difficult to undo such a devastating injustice. 
Jennifer Givens: DirectorL UVA Innocence Project.