Linda stanley: Colorado: Major (Welcome) Development: Game over! She has been officially disbarred for her misconduct in the Barry Morphew case (9 News Reporters Wilson Reese and Marc Sallinger - including launching an investigation into the judge on the case… "She was disbarred for a long list of ethical violations, many of which stemmed from her handling of the high-profile Suzanne Morphew murder. Stanley brought murder charges against Barry Morphew in 2021 after his wife Suzanne went missing from their home in Chaffee County on Mother's Day of 2020. Stanley was accused of withholding evidence from prosecutors, launching a secret investigation into the judge on the case, and talking to journalists and true-crime podcasters about other cases she was prosecuting.'

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: ""11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley was officially removed from office Friday after a branch of the Colorado Supreme Court ordered that she be disbarred.  Stanley cannot be a district attorney if she does not have a law license.  The order issued on Friday removes her from office effective immediately and says she must not engage in the practice of law or aid others in the practice of law in Colorado. Within 14 days of Friday's ruling, Stanley is required to file an affidavit confirming her compliance with the order."

-------------------------------------------------

STORY: "Colorado district attorney removed from office," by Wilson Reese and Marc Sallinger, published by 9News, on November 2, 2024.

SUB-HEADING: "Former 11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley was officially disbarred Friday, effective immediately, by the Colorado Supreme Court."

GIST: "11th Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley was officially removed from office Friday after a branch of the Colorado Supreme Court ordered that she be disbarred. 

Stanley cannot be a district attorney if she does not have a law license. 

The order issued on Friday removes her from office effective immediately and says she must not engage in the practice of law or aid others in the practice of law in Colorado.

Within 14 days of Friday's ruling, Stanley is required to file an affidavit confirming her compliance with the order.

The 11th Judicial District Court filled the position temporarily with Jeff Lindsey to finish out Stanley's term until January.

 Lindsey is also the only candidate running for the position in the November election and is expected to take the role of District Attorney for Fremont, Chafee, Custer and Park counties permanently when the new term starts in early 2025.  

Stanley lost her law license when she was disbarred in September following a disciplinary hearing in June. She had appealed the decision, arguing in part that she needed the job to help pay the legal bills and fines that will come with her disbarment. 

A panel under the Colorado Supreme Court ruled in an 83-page decision that Stanley can't practice law in Colorado anymore. 

She was disbarred for a long list of ethical violations, many of which stemmed from her handling of the high-profile Suzanne Morphew murder.

Stanley brought murder charges against Barry Morphew in 2021 after his wife Suzanne went missing from their home in Chaffee County on Mother's Day of 2020. 

Stanley was accused of withholding evidence from prosecutors, launching a secret investigation into the judge on the case, and talking to journalists and true-crime podcasters about other cases she was prosecuting. 

Last month, Stanley filed a motion to stay her disbarment pending her appeal in the case, which was denied. She asked the court to stay her disbarment until Jan. 14, when her term ended. She previously asked the judge to delay her disbarment.

Mark Hurlbert and Robert Weiner, two prosecutors who worked with Stanley to charge Morphew, settled a complaint by the Office of Attorney Regulation Counsel last month that was filed in response to alleged wrongdoings stemming from the Morphew case. 

Barry Morphew filed a civil lawsuit against Chaffee County, prosecutors, Colorado Bureau of Investigation employees and FBI employees seeking $15 million over what he claimed was "malicious prosecution." That suit was dismissed by a U.S. District Court judge in September."

The entire story can be read at:

https://www.9news.com/article/news/local/local-politics/colorado-district-attorney-linda-stanley-disbarred/73-93fb49f4-b709-42b3-a79f-f2b895f7e3b7

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
  
  ———————————————————————————————
  
  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;

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Detroit, Michigan: From our 'We're following this one closely,' department: :Fox2 News (Reporters Rob Wolchek and Brendan Vrabel) reports on Dakarai Larriett's $10 million lawsuit against the Michigan State Police, for allegedly violating his rights and conspiring to plant drugs on him during a traffic stop…"He said that footage showed the troopers conspiring to plant the drugs the night of his traffic stop. Larriett said a trooper accused him of smelling like something fruity, then gave him a 30-minute sobriety test, even though he said he was sober. He was then immediately taken to a medical clinic where he said he tested negative for all alcohol, but was still taken to jail. Larriett said, while in jail, police went even further, claiming he was hiding a bag of drugs inside himself. "That looks like a bag of drugs, confess now, or you're going to face a trafficking charge as well," Larriett recounted police telling him. "And they continued scanning my body." Larriett said he had to publicly use the bathroom to prove it. "I've never even been arrested," he said. "I'm a corporate executive working for Whirlpool for three years, based out of Benton Harbor. I don't know anything about this world. I've never even been in a jail before. I was mind-blown the whole night." When he was released from custody, the DUI charges were dropped.

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Months later, Larriett discovered the footage of the alleged conspiracy to plant drugs and an alleged social media page for one of the MSP troopers. "He's homophobic, he's transphobic. He's racist. He's misogynistic," Larriett said. "I don't know why this man is on the force." Both MSP troopers are still working as of Oct. 29."

-----------------------------------------------

STORY: "Man files $10M lawsuit against Michigan State Police for alleged drug plant,   by Reporters Rob Wolchek and Brendon Vrabel, published by Fox2 News, on October 29, 2024.

SUB-HEADING: "A man has filed a lawsuit against state police for what he claimed was a conspiracy to plant drugs on him during a traffic stop. The troopers involved have a month to respond to the lawsuit."

GIST: "An alleged drug planting conspiracy resulted in a man filing a $10 million lawsuit against the Michigan State Police (MSP).

The man, Dakarai Larriett, accused two MSP troopers of violating his rights and conspiring to plant drugs on him during a traffic stop in Benton Harbor on April 10.

"For a Black man, in a situation like that, you say the wrong thing, and you're dead," Larriett told FOX 2.

He said that footage showed the troopers conspiring to plant the drugs the night of his traffic stop.

Larriett said a trooper accused him of smelling like something fruity, then gave him a 30-minute sobriety test, even though he said he was sober. He was then immediately taken to a medical clinic where he said he tested negative for all alcohol, but was still taken to jail.

Larriett said, while in jail, police went even further, claiming he was hiding a bag of drugs inside himself.

"That looks like a bag of drugs, confess now, or you're going to face a trafficking charge as well," Larriett recounted police telling him. "And they continued scanning my body."

Larriett said he had to publicly use the bathroom to prove it.

"I've never even been arrested," he said. "I'm a corporate executive working for Whirlpool for three years, based out of Benton Harbor. I don't know anything about this world. I've never even been in a jail before. I was mind-blown the whole night."

When he was released from custody, the DUI charges were dropped. Months later, Larriett discovered the footage of the alleged conspiracy to plant drugs and an alleged social media page for one of the MSP troopers.

"He's homophobic, he's transphobic. He's racist. He's misogynistic," Larriett said. "I don't know why this man is on the force."

Both MSP troopers are still working as of Oct. 29.

State police sent a statement reading:

"MSP is committed to unbiased policing and the fair treatment of all individuals. We take any allegations of misconduct with the utmost seriousness. At no time did troopers attempt to plant narcotics on Mr. Larriett or in his vehicle. The term "stash" referred to the trooper’s inability to locate his supply of Preliminary Breath Test (PBT) straws, which are required for administering a PBT. Upon learning of the allegations in Mr. Larriett’s lawsuit, we initiated an internal affairs investigation. As it pertains to the traffic stop, the investigation concluded the stop was conducted in accordance with department policy and legal standards. Sexist, racist and homophobic remarks are not in line with the values of MSP. The allegation about these personal social media posts is part of the internal affairs investigation, which is still underway."

The troopers involved have a month to respond to the lawsuit."

The entire story can be read at: 

https://www.fox2detroit.com/news/man-files-10m-lawsuit-against-michigan-state-police-alleged-drug-planting-conspiracy.amp

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
  
  ———————————————————————————————
  
  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;

-----------------------------------------------------------------

Julian Washington: Bermuda: Aftermath: (Part 2): Candy Zuleger: The 'forensics expert' behind his miscarriage of justice… The recently exonerated man's lawyer argued before the Judicial Committee of The Privy Council that she 'tailored' DNA analysis and that she was to impartial and used, "suspect-centric, circular reasoning when analyzing DNA samples in Julian Washington's case…"Ms Clift-Matthews shared technical details on how the analysis of that sample was flawed and said that Trinity (Zuleger's company) lacked the necessary protocols to conduct the analysis, rendering the evidence Ms Zuleger gave at Mr Washington’s Supreme Court trial “meaningless” and without scientific basis. Ms Zuleger told the trial jury that there was a 1-in-46 million chance that the defendant was not a possible contributor to the DNA found on the casings. However, Ms Clift-Matthews said the DNA evidence was inconclusive and should have been discounted. She added that Ms Zuleger’s report failed to indicate that there was any ambiguity about the results or flag up the “fact that the DNA was a complex sample”. The barrister said there was “nothing on the face of the report to alert counsel on either side that it wasn’t a perfectly valid and scientifically sound report” and the flaws were only discovered after being "unpicked by an expert at this level of proceedings“

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Ms Clift-Matthews told the court that there could be an “issue” with expert evidence given in criminal trials in Bermuda because expert witnesses do not have to make a declaration of impartiality. “In Bermuda, you do not have the equivalent of the [British] Criminal Procedure Rules, which set out the duties of an expert witness,” she explained. “You do not have the equivalent of the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] guidance for expert witnesses which, again, sets it out very clearly what the duties of the expert witness are.” She said experts in criminal trials in the United States had only a duty to their client and, although they had to tell the truth“, … you’d be surprised at how close to the wind some actually sail”.

-------------------------------------------------------------

STORY: "Expert witness 'tailored' DNA analysis, Privy Council told," by Reporter Sam Strangeways, published by The Royal Gazette, on June 19, 2024.

SUB-HEADING: "A forensics expert who gave evidence for the prosecution in numerous criminal trials in Bermuda was not impartial and used "suspect-centric, circular reasoning"…

-------------------------------------------------------------------------

A forensics expert who gave evidence for the prosecution in numerous criminal trials in Bermuda was not impartial and used “suspect-centric, circular reasoning” when analysing DNA samples in a murder case, a court heard yesterday.

The Privy Council in London was told that Candy Zuleger, of now-defunct Trinity DNA Solutions in Florida, had “basically tailored her statistical analysis to the suspect” in the case against Julian Washington, who went on to be convicted of the 2012 gun murder of Stefan Burgess.

Barrister Amanda Clift-Matthews, for Mr Washington, made the claims after describing how Ms Zuleger swabbed four bullet casings found at the murder scene and created a “composite” DNA sample from them.

Ms Clift-Matthews shared technical details on how the analysis of that sample was flawed and said that Trinity lacked the necessary protocols to conduct the analysis, rendering the evidence Ms Zuleger gave at Mr Washington’s Supreme Court trial “meaningless” and without scientific basis.

Ms Zuleger told the trial jury that there was a 1-in-46 million chance that the defendant was not a possible contributor to the DNA found on the casings.

However, Ms Clift-Matthews said the DNA evidence was inconclusive and should have been discounted.

She added that Ms Zuleger’s report failed to indicate that there was any ambiguity about the results or flag up the “fact that the DNA was a complex sample”.

The barrister said there was “nothing on the face of the report to alert counsel on either side that it wasn’t a perfectly valid and scientifically sound report” and the flaws were only discovered after being "unpicked by an expert at this level of proceedings“.

Mr Washington, 34, was jailed for life for 24-year-old Mr Burgess’s murder almost a decade ago, but he was released from prison last month after the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted that there was a “miscarriage of justice” in his case.

He had lost an appeal against conviction at the Court of Appeal but took the matter to Bermuda’s highest court of appeal, in Britain, with the help of the Death Penalty Project charity.

Although the Director of Public Prosecutions accepted that the DNA evidence at his trial was flawed and Mr Washington is no longer in prison, the plaintiff requested yesterday’s hearing before a board of five Privy Council judges to enable there to be a written judgment in the case.

Ms Clift-Matthews told the court that there could be an “issue” with expert evidence given in criminal trials in Bermuda because expert witnesses do not have to make a declaration of impartiality.

“In Bermuda, you do not have the equivalent of the [British] Criminal Procedure Rules, which set out the duties of an expert witness,” she explained.

“You do not have the equivalent of the CPS [Crown Prosecution Service] guidance for expert witnesses which, again, sets it out very clearly what the duties of the expert witness are.”

She said experts in criminal trials in the United States had only a duty to their client and, although they had to tell the truth“, … you’d be surprised at how close to the wind some actually sail”.

Cindy Clarke, the Director of Public Prosecutions, told The Royal Gazette: “We do not accept that [there] is any issue with the use of expert witnesses in Bermuda criminal cases.”

She said the board was directed to the earlier Privy Council case of Myers, Cox and Brangman, which dealt with the “reception of expert evidence in Bermuda”.

As well as the murder conviction, Mr Washington was found guilty of the attempted murder of Davano Jahkai Brimmer, using a firearm to commit an indictable offence, and handling ammunition.

He always maintained his innocence and Ms Clift-Matthews noted that he had an alibi and a witness to support his alibi.

Ms Zuleger was given a contract worth almost $1 million in 2009 by the Bermuda Police Service to set up a DNA database and gave evidence at numerous criminal trials on the island until 2016.

Ms Clarke has said a review of 400 cases was launched in light of Mr Washington’s appeal.

Tom Poole, KC, for the Crown, told yesterday’s hearing that the review was continuing and was expected to conclude by the end of July.

He said if it was identified that there were “many more cases” in which there was flawed DNA evidence, they would become the “primary focus” of an inquiry into whether any resulting convictions were unsafe.

Cases where defendants were still in prison would be prioritised, Mr Poole added.

The Department of Public Prosecutions initially opposed having a written ruling, but changed its position last Friday.

Ms Clarke said: “We remain of the view that an oral hearing in this matter could have been avoided.”

She added that it was decided not to object if the board felt it appropriate to give a written opinion but added: “In short, we did not think it necessary for the board to give reasons in circumstances where the appeal had been disposed of by consent and where there are additional cost implications involved.”

The board will deliver its written ruling at a later date."

The entire story can be read at: 

https://search.app/C8fsmmNpP6dr9MAk9

Julian Washington: Bermuda: Aftermath: (Part 1): Inside Story: 'The Death Penalty Project explains how DNA expert evidence explains, by way of a press release, how DNA evidence relied on by prosecution to convict a man of murder over 10 years ago was fundamentally flawed - and what was behind the decision of the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council to formally quashJulian Washington's conviction for murder and attempted murder, after he wrongfully spent over 10 years in prison…"To secure Julian’s conviction, the prosecution in Bermuda relied upon the testimony of a DNA expert at trial. The jury were told Julian’s DNA was found on bullet casings recovered from the scene. In his appeal to the Privy Council, The Death Penalty Project obtained fresh evidence to challenge the DNA expert’s testimony. During the proceedings before the Privy Council, the prosecution conceded that the DNA evidence presented at trial was flawed. In its judgment, the Privy Council set out its reasons for concluding that a miscarriage of justice had occurred, resulting in Julian’s conviction being set aside. They expressed concern that the inaccurate evidence given by the DNA expert in the proceedings “effectively compelled the jury” to find Julian guilty."

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Julian’s case has prompted concerns about other cases in Bermuda and elsewhere, in which the prosecution may have relied on similar flawed expert testimony, rendering any trial unfair and seriously undermining confidence in the administration of justice. As a result of this case, the Government in Bermuda has confirmed that reviews are being undertaken in nearly 250 cases to correct potential miscarriages of justice."

—————————————————

PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "The DNA evidence at trial was analysed by Ms Candy Zuleger, the laboratory director of the now defunct Trinity DNA Solutions, a company based in Florida. Her evidence was instrumental in sending Julian to prison, even though it was based on fundamentally flawed analysis. At trial, Ms Candy Zuleger told the jury that that there was a 1 in 46,000,000 (forty-six million) chance that the DNA found on the bullet casings was not from Julian. This evidence was inaccurate and should not have been placed before the jury. The Death Penalty Project initiated Julian’s appeal to the Privy Council in 2022 after obtaining expert evidence that highlighted the serious flaws with the analysis and explanation of the DNA evidence at trial. This prompted the Government to obtain independent expert evidence which agreed that the DNA evidence in Julian’s case should have been deemed inconclusive. These errors were so serious that, prior to the hearing before the Privy Council, the Government conceded that the DNA evidence was flawed, and Julian’s conviction was unsafe leading to his immediate release from prison on unconditional bail in May 2024."

-------------------------------------------------------

PRESS RELEASE: "DNA expert evidence relied on by prosecution to convict a man of murder over 10 years ago was fundamentally flawed," released by The Death Penalty Project, on October 31, 2024.

GIST: "Today, the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council formally quashed Julian Washington’s conviction for murder and attempted murder, after he spent over 10 years in prison for a crime he did not commit.

To secure Julian’s conviction, the prosecution in Bermuda relied upon the testimony of a DNA expert at trial. The jury were told Julian’s DNA was found on bullet casings recovered from the scene. In his appeal to the Privy Council, The Death Penalty Project obtained fresh evidence to challenge the DNA expert’s testimony. During the proceedings before the Privy Council, the prosecution conceded that the DNA evidence presented at trial was flawed.

In its judgment, the Privy Council set out its reasons for concluding that a miscarriage of justice had occurred, resulting in Julian’s conviction being set aside. They expressed concern that the inaccurate evidence given by the DNA expert in the proceedings “effectively compelled the jury” to find Julian guilty.

Julian’s case has prompted concerns about other cases in Bermuda and elsewhere, in which the prosecution may have relied on similar flawed expert testimony, rendering any trial unfair and seriously undermining confidence in the administration of justice.

As a result of this case, the Government in Bermuda has confirmed that reviews are being undertaken in nearly 250 cases to correct potential miscarriages of justice.

Background

On 8 January 2012, as he was leaving a friend’s house, Stefan Burgees was killed by a gunman dressed in all black, with a black helmet and visor and black gloves. His friend, Davano Brimmer, was also shot but survived. The shooter fled and six bullet casings were retrieved by officers at the scene.

DNA was recovered from the bullet casings and analysed against the DNA of several suspects, including Julian. Julian’s clothes were seized so that they could be sampled for gunshot residue, but no gunshot residue particles were found.  When interviewed by the police, Julian told them that he did not know anything about the murder and had nothing to do with it. He provided an alibi which was corroborated at trial.

Julian was convicted on 6 May 2014 and was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum of 30 years to be served before being considered for release.

DNA evidence

The DNA evidence at trial was analysed by Ms Candy Zuleger, the laboratory director of the now defunct Trinity DNA Solutions, a company based in Florida. Her evidence was instrumental in sending Julian to prison, even though it was based on fundamentally flawed analysis.

At trial, Ms Candy Zuleger told the jury that that there was a 1 in 46,000,000 (forty-six million) chance that the DNA found on the bullet casings was not from Julian. This evidence was inaccurate and should not have been placed before the jury.

The Death Penalty Project initiated Julian’s appeal to the Privy Council in 2022 after obtaining expert evidence that highlighted the serious flaws with the analysis and explanation of the DNA evidence at trial. This prompted the Government to obtain independent expert evidence which agreed that the DNA evidence in Julian’s case should have been deemed inconclusive.

These errors were so serious that, prior to the hearing before the Privy Council, the Government conceded that the DNA evidence was flawed, and Julian’s conviction was unsafe leading to his immediate release from prison on unconditional bail in May 2024.

Julian’s conviction for murder and attempted murder has now been formally quashed by the Privy Council meaning that Julian walks away a free man after spending more than 10 years wrongfully convicted and imprisoned.

Commenting on the failures in this case, the Privy Council stressed the importance of expert witnesses being made aware of their duties to the court, especially where the expert is not from the jurisdiction in which they are giving evidence.

The Government has confirmed that a review of hundreds of prosecutions commenced on 24 April 2024. For all cases in which there was a conviction, and the Crown had relied on DNA analysis from Trinity DNA Solutions, the Government advised that an independent DNA expert would review the matter to determine if there were similar flaws in the evidence.

Parvais Jabbar, Co-Executive Director of The Death Penalty Project said:

“Julian’s case has exposed a problem at the heart of the criminal justice system in Bermuda. Whilst we are delighted that Julian has been publicly vindicated, this is not an isolated incident. There will be more cases in which flawed DNA evidence was used at trial. An urgent independent review is needed to quickly and effectively determine the scale of the problem and remedy further miscarriages of justice.”

Julian Washington said:

“I feel a sense of victory tempered with the bitterness of injustice. The process that led to my wrongful conviction, the flawed evidence and biased testimony that sealed my fate, is a scar that may never fully heal. The wounds of the legal battle run deep, leaving behind a trail of pain, stress, and trauma that lingers in my soul. The pain, stress, and trauma that spread throughout the courtroom affected not just myself, but the families inside the court room as well.”

Notes to editors:

The Death Penalty Project (DPP) is a legal action NGO based at, and supported by, London legal firm, Simons Muirhead Burton LLP. The organisation has special consultative status before the United Nations Economic and Social Council. DPP provides free representation to people facing the death penalty worldwide. It uses the law to protect prisoners facing execution and promote fair criminal justice systems, where the rights of all people are respected.

For interview requests, quotes, or more information please contact DPP’s team: rebecca.olschner-wood@smb.london and Parvais.Jabbar@smb.london

The Legal Team

Julian was represented by Icah Peart KC of Garden Court Chambers (UK), Amanda Clift-Matthews of Doughty Street Chambers (UK) and Vaughan Caines of Forensica Legal (Bermuda), instructed by The Death Penalty Project at Simons Muirhead Burton LLP.

Expert evidence on behalf of Julian in this case was provided by Dr Dan E. Krane who is a Professor of Biological Sciences at Wright State University in Dayton, Ohio, and the President/ CEO of Forensic Bioinformatics Inc.

Trinity DNA Solutions

Trinity DNA Solutions was a Florida-based company. It is understood that Trinity DNA Solutions signed a multi-year contract with the Government of Bermuda in 2009. Ms Candy Zuleger, the then laboratory director of Trinity DNA Solutions, has testified over 230 times as a forensic DNA expert in Alabama, Arizona, Bermuda, Bahamas, Florida (all circuits) and Kansas. It is understood that Trinity DNA Solutions closed in 2018.

The Privy Council

The Judicial Committee of the Privy Council, or ‘the Privy Council’, is the final court of appeal for the UK overseas territories and Crown dependencies, and for those Commonwealth countries that have retained the appeal to His Majesty in Council or, in the case of Republics, to the Judicial Committee.

Sitting at the Supreme Court of the United Kingdom, the Privy Council is formed of the Justices of the UK Supreme Court, and presides over criminal, constitutional and civil appeals of the States and Overseas Territories which appeal to the Privy Council.

Media Coverage

Julian’s case has previously been reported in the media, please see the following links for The Justice Gap, Caribbean News Global and The Royal Gazette for article 1 and article 2."

The entire release can be read at:

https://search.app/roQvg2jH1EJ8A7R49

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
  
  ———————————————————————————————
  
  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;

-----------------------------------------------------------------