CNN: !2.00 Noon: Monday’s hearing:
"The hearing remains on the public schedule and is expected to include other witnesses. But as of Sunday evening, it was unclear whether Roberson would appear at the hearing, his attorney, Gretchen Sween, told CNN, as the Texas Attorney General’s Office and the Texas Department of Criminal Justice have so far failed to reach an agreement with the committee on the logistics of Roberson’s testimony.
The committee’s subpoena requires Roberson to testify in person, according to Sween, and lawmakers have said they fully expect the inmate to appear at the Capitol.
Sween wants Roberson to testify in person so the lawmakers and public can fully understand how his autism affects his interactions with other people – one of the contributing factors in his conviction, his advocates say.
But Texas prison officials will allow Roberson to testify only virtually, the attorney general’s office said in a letter to committee Chairman Rep. Joe Moody Friday night, citing criminal justice department policies, the interest of public safety and Roberson’s well-being.
“Our hands are tied. The AG is representing TDCJ, and is calling the shots, while simultaneously attacking the underlying subpoena before the Texas Supreme Court. We expected that the subpoena would be honored pursuant to Texas law and the Committee’s intent. But there was a sleight of hand here,” Sween said in a statement to CNN.
Texas prison officials would not directly address whether Roberson would travel to Austin for the hearing or testify virtually, saying they are working with the attorney general’s office.
The attorney general’s office has not responded to multiple requests for comment since the subpoena for Roberson was issued."
https://www.cnn.com/2024/10/21/us/robert-roberson-texas-execution-shaken-baby/index.html
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;
