PUBLISHER'S NOTE: WORDS TO HEED: FROM OUR POST ON KEVIN COOPER'S APPLICATION FOR POST-CONVICTION DNA TESTING; CALIFORNIA: (Applicable wherever a state resists DNA testing): "Blogger/extraordinaire Jeff Gamso's blunt, unequivocal, unforgettable message to the powers that be in California: "JUST TEST THE FUCKING DNA." (Oh yes, Gamso raises, as he does in many of his posts, an important philosophical question: This post is headed: "What is truth, said jesting Pilate."...Says Gamso: "So what's the harm? What, exactly, are they scared of? Don't we want the truth?")
SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- A major development in Scott Peterson's fight for a new trial, 20 years after he was convicted of murdering his wife, Laci, and their unborn son. The LA Innocence Project asked for new DNA testing, but now, the people are firing back. The original prosecutors in the case argue there is no need for new DNA testing, that Scott Peterson's lies about his role in Laci's death make it unnecessary.
Prosecutors from Stanislaus County, who actually got Scott Peterson his murder conviction in 2004, argued in this motion filed Monday that there is no need for additional DNA testing - Peterson filed a motion and had DNA testing done in 2013, and again in 2019. "That was equally fruitless," wrote the prosecutors.
Legal analyst Steven Clark tells the I-Team, "I think what the prosecution is saying here to the public and to the court is, we got this right. Scott Peterson did have a fair trial, and nothing that can be done now is going to change the outcome of what that jury decided, because the evidence was so overwhelming as to his guilt."
TIMELINE: How the Laci Peterson case unfolded
The prosecution spent much of 337-page court filing outlining how Peterson repeatedly lied about his involvement in the death of Laci and their unborn child, Conner, and how those lies outweigh the need for any additional DNA testing.
Clark adds, "The prosecution has taken some hits during these hearings, suggesting that they hid the ball from the defense team during discovery, and what they're saying here is, look at all of this evidence that was brought forward at the trial. There is no reasonable explanation for any other killer than Scott Peterson."
The document describes how a friend, who didn't know he was married, set Peterson up with Amber Frey. And when that friend learned Peterson was married, she threatened to expose him. The next day, according to prosecutors, Peterson bought the boat and began planning the murder. The document also shows a pair of pliers found on the boat with a hair consistent with Laci's.
RELATED: Former investigator says key evidence wasn't properly investigated in Scott Peterson case
The bodies of Laci and Conner were found in San Francisco Bay months later, after a strong April storm.
The filing also says that before his arrest, Peterson played a cat-and-mouse game with law enforcement changing his appearance. At the time of his arrest, he had $15,000 in cash, other people's ID's and credit cards, multiple cell phones and outdoor equipment.
Still, Steven Clark believes that chances are, the judge will order new DNA testing. "The fact that the court is having these hearings is very significant," he says. "And it, I think, says a lot that the Innocence project got involved in this case. In the first place, they believe there's a good faith reason to at least go back and look at this evidence to make sure that the jury got this right."
The hearing on the DNA issue is at the end of May. That should give us a good indication whether Peterson's attempt for a new trial has a chance. The prosecutors also argue that Laci's family deserves the right to have the case over. They say this new push by Peterson is harassment."
The entire story can be read at:
https://abc7news.com/scott-peterson-prosecutors-say-convicted-killer-request-for-new-dna-tests-is-unnecessary/14723363/
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
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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;
—————————————————————————————————
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;
————————————————————————————
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
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