PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "At a hearing Monday, the Attorney's Office confirmed Sontoya's case is one of 71 in the current phase of its review. The Minnesota Attorney General's Office is also reviewing cases it prosecuted where McGee testified on the state's behalf. Innocence Project attorney James Mayer has said cases that hinged on McGee's testimony deserve scrutiny. He told the courtroom Monday that the Innocence Project is not at a point of asking the court for relief in Sontoya's case, but said a complete review requires the complete file. "Where there's smoke, there's fire. In this case, there is fire," he said at the hearing, referring to McGee's work. "The question is how far the fire has spread."
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PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "At least four people have been released from prison or had their sentences reduced as a result of inaccuracies or flaws in McGee's work, according to court records. An investigation by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office into McGee's work in the case of Thomas Rhodes, who was released after 25 years in prison due to a wrongful conviction in his wife's death, accused McGee of reasoning backward "from the nonmedical evidence to the medical findings."
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PASSAGE THREE OF THE DAY: "In an order Monday, Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro ordered the Ramsey County Attorney's Office to give the Innocence Project access to a 113-page medical examiner file he said contained some documents not previously available to the defense. Castro wrote the Ramsey County Attorney's Office was not aware of the file until it got it as part of its review process a year ago. The document contained autopsy exam notes and other documents, he wrote. Castro ordered access to the file, which he said is private under Minnesota law, be restricted to attorneys, support staff and Sontoya under supervision. He noted Sontoya's right to due process must be balanced with Romo's privacy and the considerations of her family, who have endured a long and difficult ordeal."
STORY: "Judge grants Minnesota Innocence Project access to records in case involving Ramsey County medical examiner under scrutiny," by Ramsay County Reporter Greta Kaul, published by The Star Tribune, on May 21, 2024.
SUB-HEADING: The nonprofit law firm is reviewing the case of Michael Sontoya, convicted of sexual assault and first-degree murder and sent to prison for life without parole in the murder of Gabriela Romo of Inver Grove Heights.
SUB-HEADING: "Michael McGee, the former chief medical examiner in Ramsey County, conducted Gabriela Romo’s autopsy and testified in the trial that led to the conviction of Michael Sontoya.
GIST: "A Ramsey County judge on Monday granted the Great North Innocence Project access to records related to an autopsy performed by embattled former Ramsey County Medical Examiner Michael McGee in a 2009 murder case.
The Innocence Project, a nonprofit law firm, is reviewing the case of Michael Sontoya, who was convicted of sexual assault and murder and sent to prison for life without possibility of parole in the death of Gabriela Romo of Inver Grove Heights.
In asking for the records, the Innocence Project cited "rising concerns of unreliable, misleading, and/or false testimony" in cases relying on McGee's work.
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office, which prosecuted the case, did not oppose the Innocence Project's request.
The County Attorney's Office is conducting its own review of McGee's work in Ramsey County going back four decades.
At a hearing Monday, the Attorney's Office confirmed Sontoya's case is one of 71 in the current phase of its review. The Minnesota Attorney General's Office is also reviewing cases it prosecuted where McGee testified on the state's behalf.
Innocence Project attorney James Mayer has said cases that hinged on McGee's testimony deserve scrutiny.
He told the courtroom Monday that the Innocence Project is not at a point of asking the court for relief in Sontoya's case, but said a complete review requires the complete file.
"Where there's smoke, there's fire. In this case, there is fire," he said at the hearing, referring to McGee's work. "The question is how far the fire has spread."
At least four people have been released from prison or had their sentences reduced as a result of inaccuracies or flaws in McGee's work, according to court records.
An investigation by the Minnesota Attorney General's Office into McGee's work in the case of Thomas Rhodes, who was released after 25 years in prison due to a wrongful conviction in his wife's death, accused McGee of reasoning backward "from the nonmedical evidence to the medical findings."
McGee's attorneys could not be reached for comment and have not commented for other recent Star Tribune stories about his work.
In an order Monday, Ramsey County Judge Leonardo Castro ordered the Ramsey County Attorney's Office to give the Innocence Project access to a 113-page medical examiner file he said contained some documents not previously available to the defense.
Castro wrote the Ramsey County Attorney's Office was not aware of the file until it got it as part of its review process a year ago. The document contained autopsy exam notes and other documents, he wrote.
Castro ordered access to the file, which he said is private under Minnesota law, be restricted to attorneys, support staff and Sontoya under supervision.
He noted Sontoya's right to due process must be balanced with Romo's privacy and the considerations of her family, who have endured a long and difficult ordeal."
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
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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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