Sunday, March 27, 2022

Keith Carnes: Missouri: Recanting witnesses and much more (including a state Atttorney-General who, in the face of a mountain of exculpatory evidence, some concealed by the state) is utterly opposed to Carne's release: Bulletin: His claim of innocence (backed up by a 'Master's Report) will be heard by the State Supreme Court next week. (March 30th)..."Carnes was charged with murder and armed criminal action in the 2003 shooting death of Larry White. Senior Judge Gene R. Martin found Carnes guilty in a November 2005 bench retrial, which included testimony from two women — Wendy Lockett and Lorianne Morrow — who have since recanted their testimony."..."The Missouri Supreme Court will consider Carnes’ claim of innocence, especially in light of a court-ordered special master’s findings, and whether he’s entitled to release based on withheld evidence at trial and other procedural issues. A 111-page special master’s report found, among other things, that Morrow’s recantation and new testimony that Carnes is innocent was credible. The report also substantiated other eyewitness accounts that place Carnes on a nearby porch during the deadly shooting. It also found Lockett’s testimony was inconsistent with physical evidence at the murder scene and determined that the state withheld a confidential informant’s statement from Carnes until after he’d filed an amended motion for postconviction relief."


PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The Supreme Court denied a motion to release Carnes immediately in late January after Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt opposed his release, which drew sharp criticism from Carnes’ attorneys in the wake of similar tactics opposing Kevin Strickland’s release. Carnes was originally convicted of White’s murder in April 2005, but the court later overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial. He has maintained his innocence while jailed and throughout a years-long appeals process. Strickland eventually was freed despite Schmitt's obstruction."


--------------------------------------------------


STORY: "Next MO (Missouri) Supreme Court hearing in Keith Carnes case next week," by Reporter Tod Palmer, published by 41 KSHN Kansas City.

The Missouri Supreme Court will conduct another hearing March 30 in Keith Carnes’ quest to be released from prison.


Carnes was charged with murder and armed criminal action in the 2003 shooting death of Larry White.


Senior Judge Gene R. Martin found Carnes guilty in a November 2005 bench retrial, which included testimony from two women — Wendy Lockett and Lorianne Morrow — who have since recanted their testimony.


The Missouri Supreme Court will consider Carnes’ claim of innocence, especially in light of a court-ordered special master’s findings, and whether he’s entitled to release based on withheld evidence at trial and other procedural issues.


A 111-page special master’s report found, among other things, that Morrow’s recantation and new testimony that Carnes is innocent was credible.


The report also substantiated other eyewitness accounts that place Carnes on a nearby porch during the deadly shooting.


It also found Lockett’s testimony was inconsistent with physical evidence at the murder scene and determined that the state withheld a confidential informant’s statement from Carnes until after he’d filed an amended motion for postconviction relief.


The Supreme Court denied a motion to release Carnes immediately in late January after Missouri Attorney General Eric Schmitt opposed his release, which drew sharp criticism from Carnes’ attorneys in the wake of similar tactics opposing Kevin Strickland’s release.


Carnes was originally convicted of White’s murder in April 2005, but the court later overturned the conviction and ordered a new trial.


He has maintained his innocence while jailed and throughout a years-long appeals process.


Strickland eventually was freed despite Schmitt's obstruction."


The entire story can be read at:


https://www.kshb.com/news/crime/next-missouri-supreme-court-hearing-in-keith-carnes-case-next-week

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;



SEE BREAKDOWN OF  SOME OF THE ON-GOING INTERNATIONAL CASES (OUTSIDE OF THE CONTINENTAL USA) THAT I AM FOLLOWING ON THIS BLOG,  AT THE LINK BELOW:  HL:




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;

—————————————————————————————————

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!STORY: Woman whose rape DNA led to her arrest to sue San Francisco," published by The Associated Press, on March 10, 2022.