BACKGROUND: As Reporter Marcus Mcintosh reported on June 28, 2023, on KCCI: "A judge handed down a 50-year sentence Wednesday for an Iowa day care provider convicted of killing a baby under her care.In May, a Pottawattamie County jury found Alison Dorsey, 39, guilty in connection to the death of 11-week-old Luka Hodges. Investigators said Luka died from head trauma in October 2019 while under the care of Dorsey in her Massena home. Court records show that on Oct. 7, 2019, Luka wasn't breathing, and Dorsey called 911. The next day a doctor at Children's Hospital in Omaha told investigators that the baby had "severe head injuries." Prosecutors say Dorsey shook Luka, resulting in his death. Dorsey's defense team claimed the injuries happened before Luka was in Dorsey's care, but medical experts debunked that in their testimony in the trial. The jury found Dorsey guilty of second-degree murder and endangering the welfare of the child, resulting in death. Dorsey's first trial in 2021 ended with a hung jury. Luka’s mother, Kaitlin Hodges, gave an emotional victim impact statement during the sentencing. "I hope she serves the maximum possible (sentence) for the life taken away from Luka, the life taken away from his twin, the lives taken away from his brother and sister, and the life taken away from Nick and I. She needs to be punished to the fullest extent of the law for her choosing to shake him so hard he lost literally everything," Hodges said.
https://www.kcci.com/article/iowa-day-care-provider-sentenced-in-baby-death/44372291
PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Attorneys state that Dorsey’s first trial was held in Cass County, where the purported crime occurred and resulted in a hung jury; allegedly 10-2 in favor of a complete acquittal. The trial was then moved to Pottawattamie County. At the second trial, Dorsey was sentenced to the 50-years’ incarceration period with the mandatory 35-years’ prison sentence minimum."
STORY: "Former Massena daycare provider seeks appeal review after conviction in infants deathly Reporter Mandy Billings, published by Western Iowa Today, one November 14, 2024.
GIST: "A former Massena Daycare provider is seeking further review of the court of appeals decision that affirmed her convictions for second-degree murder and child endangerment causing death.
Alison Dorsey was found guilty of the death of 11-week-old Luka Hodges while at her daycare in Massena on October 7, 2019.
Alison Dorsey argues that the change of venue from Cass County to Pottawattamie County was improper, substantial evidence did not support the verdict, evidence of the victim’s rib injury was improperly admitted, she was unfairly deprived of her right to call additional character witnesses regarding certain traits, and the court erred in denying her motion for a new trial.
Iowa Supreme Court oral arguments are scheduled for 1:30 p.m. today (November 14).
Attorneys state that Dorsey’s first trial was held in Cass County, where the purported crime occurred and resulted in a hung jury; allegedly 10-2 in favor of a complete acquittal.
The trial was then moved to Pottawattamie County. At the second trial, Dorsey was sentenced to the 50-years’ incarceration period with the mandatory 35-years’ prison sentence minimum."
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;