PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Prosecuting Attorney Monty Platz started his closing arguments with a number… 19 minutes. Platz dispelled the argument Luka suffered his injuries before he arrived at the daycare. Defense Attorney Mark Edward Munger noted an earlier testimony by the State Medical Examiner and found the cause of death undetermined. Munger referred to the Defendants own testimony."
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STORY: "Jury Deliberation Begins in State Versus Alison Dorsey Trial," by Reporter Tom Robinson, published by Western Iowa Today (KSOM) on May 8, 2023.
GIST: "The State versus Alison Dorsey Trial is now in the hands of the Jury. Testimony ended at around 10:30 this morning in Pottawattamie County District Court.
The Honorable Judge Amy Zacharias presented jury instructions at 12:30 p.m., and the closing arguments began at 1:00 p.m.
Ms. Dorsey is on trial in the death of 11-month-old Luka Hodges on October 7, 2019, while in her daycare in Massena.
The case went to trial in Cass County District Court in the fall of 2021, resulting in a hung jury. Due to publicity, the case was moved to Pottawattamie County.
The state argues the infant died of abusive head trauma (Shaken Baby Syndrome).
The defense presented arguments the injuries occurred before October 7, 2019.
Ms. Dorsey testified that the infant began to breathe differently and called the mother to see if she could hear the breathing. The mom worked about 15-to-20 minutes from the daycare, so Alison called the father, who lived just a few blocks away. When the father arrived at the daycare, the baby was not breathing.
Prosecuting Attorney Monty Platz started his closing arguments with a number… 19 minutes.
Platz dispelled the argument Luka suffered his injuries before he arrived at the daycare.
Defense Attorney Mark Edward Munger noted an earlier testimony by the State Medical Examiner and found the cause of death undetermined.
Munger referred to the Defendants own testimony.
Alison Dorsey has been charged with Murder in the 1st Degree and Child Endangerment Resulting in Death.
Judge Amy Zacharias spent around 25 minutes reviewing the jury instructions and what must be considered when finding the defendant guilty on the current or lesser charges or finding the defendant not guilty.
The Jury will continue deliberations at 8:30 on Tuesday Morning."
The entire story can be read at:
https://westerniowatoday.com/2023/05/08/272992/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resource. 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:
https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985
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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YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:
David Hammond, one of Broadwater’s attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, “Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it’s the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.”
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