PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Cartagena was originally found unconscious on October 2 by Bastien in her Allentown home. Bastien was reportedly in the room when he heard the gunshot go off and had gun residue on his hand. However, Bastien said he handled the gun following the shooting by pushing it away, telling the police the death was a suicide after calling 911. Cartagena ultimately died on October 4, 2023. The coroner ruled the death a homicide, leading to Bastien's arrest and homicide charge."
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POST: "Homicide Charges Dropped Against Pennsylvania Man Thanks to Second Forensic Opinion," published by 'Forensic Magazine ' on August 19, 2024.
GIST: "Thanks to a second opinion from a forensic scientist, homicide charges against a Pennsylvania man have officially been dropped.
The Lehigh County District Attorney's Office announced last week that Ethan Bastien, 22, will not be charged with the October 2, 2023 shooting death of Sian Cartagena, 18.
“After a full evaluation of all of the evidence and in consultation with this expert, we are now convinced that the death of Sian Cartagena is more likely than not a suicide,” the district attorney's office said.
According to police officials, Cartagena died of a bullet wound to the back of the head from a firearm recently purchased by Bastien.
After the death was originally ruled a homicide, a second forensic examiner told officials the death was most likely a suicide. This forensic specialist is particularly interested in gun deaths and bullet entry wounds.
According to 69 News, the first medical examiner was the one that recommended a second opinion.
Bastien had been in prison since his arrest in October, but was released on August 15.
"Many people don't understand that even though we make an arrest, we still continue to do an investigation," Lehigh County District Attorney Gavin Holihan said. "We follow up on facts, we look for new information, and you know, we don't stop.”
Cartagena was originally found unconscious on October 2 by Bastien in her Allentown home. Bastien was reportedly in the room when he heard the gunshot go off and had gun residue on his hand.
However, Bastien said he handled the gun following the shooting by pushing it away, telling the police the death was a suicide after calling 911.
Cartagena ultimately died on October 4, 2023. The coroner ruled the death a homicide, leading to Bastien's arrest and homicide charge.
Following her daughter's death, Cartagena's mother started a GoFundMe page to raise money for the cost of her funeral services.
On the charity page, Cartagena’s mother said her daughter was in an abusive relationship with Bastien.
Following the news of the withdrawn charges, Cartagena's mother expressed dismay at the decision.
“I don’t feel this is fair and that any justice was served,” she told 69 News following the decision. “I don’t feel like this is adding up.”
And while the charges have been dropped, officials still believe Bastien could be responsible.
"The evidence is solid, but the conclusions that we draw from the evidence are where we wanted more confirmation," Holihan said.
Amy E. Sonin, the attorney for Bastian, spoke about the news to 69 News.
"He's obviously pleased with that result," Sonin said. "We're pleased with that result.”
The entire post 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;
