BACKGROUND: "After Calusinski’s conviction in Lake County court, well-known defense attorney Kathleen Zellner — who has helped clear many people accused of high-profile killings and represents Steve Avery of Netflix’s “Making a Murderer” series — agreed to handle Calusinski’s appeal. Her case has been featured on national news and true-crime programs.But if Calusinski has won sympathy in the court of public opinion, she has gained little traction in court. In 2016, amid assertions from Calusinski’s defenders that a new X-ray of Benjamin’s skull had been found in the Lake County coroner’s office that undermined the prosecution’s case, her lawyers were granted the opportunity to present what they said was new evidence of her innocence. But after three days of testimony, the judge ruled that the murder conviction against Calusinski would stand. Shanes said the defense’s claims — among them that the “new” X-ray proved Benjamin died of a pre-existing condition — “amount to Monday-morning quarterbacking.” Last year, an Illinois appeals court also upheld Calusinski’s conviction and, months later, the Illinois Supreme Court declined to hear the case. But Calusinski’s father, Paul, long her most vocal champion, said the family will keep fighting and vowed to take the case to federal court." The Charles Smith Blog;
https://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2024/06/melissa-calusinski-illinois-bulletin.html
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The Lake County State's Attorney, who prosecuted the case, filed an objection to the clemency petition. The office released a statement, saying in part, "We are open to evidence at any time. In regards to Melisssa Calusinski, no such new evidence has been presented to our convocation integrity unit or in this clemency process." Calusinski and the family's attorney believe otherwise."
"We believe Governor Pritzker is going to do the right thing with as much new evidence as we have here," Paul Calusinski said.STORY: "Melissa Calusinski, daycare worker convicted of toddler's murder, pleads case at clemency hearing," by General Assignment Reporter John Garcia, published by abc7, on July 9, 2024.
SUB-HEADING: "Melissa Calusinski, the Lincolnshire daycare worker convicted in 2009 2009 of murdering Benjamin Kingan, pled her clemency case to the parole board Tuesday."
GIST: Melissa Calusinski, the daycare worker who was convicted of murder in the 2009 death of 16-month-old Benjamin Kingan, made her case for clemency at a parole board hearing Tuesday.
Her father, Paul Calusinski, said he has always believed his daughter of innocent of the murder that sent her to prison 16 years ago.
"Melissa had nothing absolutely to do with Ben's death," he said.
Prosecutors said the former Lincolnshire daycare worker threw the boy to the ground, causing a fatal head injury, and said she made a videotaped confession. She was sentenced to 31 years in prison.
Calusinski, however, claimed the confession was coerced and her attorneys have long-claimed X-ray evidence indicates the boy had a previous injury that may have led to his death.
They presented a several-hundred-page clemency petition at Tuesday's hearing.
"We know and she knows the truth is coming out, and we can all see a light at the end of the tunnel," her father said.
Friends and supporters have followed the case for years and have a Facebook page to communicate developments.
The Lake County State's Attorney, who prosecuted the case, filed an objection to the clemency petition. The office released a statement, saying in part, "We are open to evidence at any time. In regards to Melisssa Calusinski, no such new evidence has been presented to our convocation integrity unit or in this clemency process."
Calusinski and the family's attorney believe otherwise.
"We believe Governor Pritzker is going to do the right thing with as much new evidence as we have here," Paul Calusinski said.
The parole board has no timeline for when they need to submit their recommendations to the governor, but Paul Calusinski remains hopeful."
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;
