PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The Brady Letter mentions a murder case from 1981 against a man named Santos Romero. Records obtained by 9NEWS show Romero's defense attorneys hope analysis done by Woods in 2022 holds, because it could help dismiss a conviction against their client. Romero was convicted of two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit sexual assault. Documents filed in November say evidence analyzed by Woods in 2022 found no male DNA on vaginal swabs. After CBI announced Woods left the agency and was under criminal investigation, a motion filed in February said CBI reviewed her work in Romero's case and didn't find any issues with her findings. "The fact that someone has reviewed Agent Woods' conclusions and found no issues is exculpatory information," the motion from the defense said. "Now two different scientists have concluded that there was no male DNA on autopsy vaginal swabs collected from each victim. This evidence is critical to Mr. Romero's postconviction argument that postconviction DNA evidence is newly discovered evidence requiring that his convictions be vacated. Romero's attorneys have requested documents from CBI to help them with their request for a new trial."
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STORY: "Larimer County DA notifies attorneys in 57 cases about credibility concerns with DNA analyst," by Reporter Kelly Reinke, published by 9News, on April 23, 3024.
SUB-HEADING: "According to the district attorney's office, anomalies were found in Yvonne "Missy" Woods' work on these 57 cases."
GIST: "The district attorney in Larimer County has notified attorneys in more than 50 cases that the credibility of a DNA analyst may be in question.
Earlier this year, a review found Yvonne "Missy" Woods manipulated data in hundreds of cases when she worked at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation. Woods is now under criminal investigation. CBI has provided district attorneys across the state a list of cases that could be impacted. That list has not been released to the public.
The Brady Letter sent to 57 defense attorneys says information in files from CBI may affect Woods' credibility in court, or may otherwise "negate the guilt of the accused or mitigate the offense, or would affect a defendant's decision about whether to accept a plea disposition."
According to the district attorney's office, anomalies were found in Woods' work on these 57 cases.
"The District Attorney is not able to provide any information or opinion as to whether these anomalies may have any impact on any conclusions Ms. Woods reached in your case," the letter said.
The Brady Letter mentions a murder case from 1981 against a man named Santos Romero. Records obtained by 9NEWS show Romero's defense attorneys hope analysis done by Woods in 2022 holds, because it could help dismiss a conviction against their client.
Romero was convicted of two counts of murder and conspiracy to commit sexual assault. Documents filed in November say evidence analyzed by Woods in 2022 found no male DNA on vaginal swabs.
After CBI announced Woods left the agency and was under criminal investigation, a motion filed in February said CBI reviewed her work in Romero's case and didn't find any issues with her findings.
"The fact that someone has reviewed Agent Woods' conclusions and found no issues is exculpatory information," the motion from the defense said. "Now two different scientists have concluded that there was no male DNA on autopsy vaginal swabs collected from each victim. This evidence is critical to Mr. Romero's postconviction argument that postconviction DNA evidence is newly discovered evidence requiring that his convictions be vacated."
Romero's attorneys have requested documents from CBI to help them with their request for a new trial.
The next court hearing is in June."
The entire story can be read at:
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
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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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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.
https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801