Tempe Train Disaster: Greece: Part Two: (Alarming development): A bomb has exploded outside offices of Greek rail accident company in Athens, Agency France (with AP) reports noting that: "Hellenic Train said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by. The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway accident, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured."… Local media said a newspaper and a news website had received an anonymous call shortly before Friday’s blast, with the caller warning that a bomb had been planted outside the railway company offices and would explode within about 40 minutes. In a statement, Hellenic Train said the explosion had occurred "very close to its central offices" and said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by."

PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The crash exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system, including in safety systems and has triggered mass protests − led by relatives of the victims − against the country’s conservative government. Critics accused authorities of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or holding senior officials accountable. So far, only rail officials have been charged with any crimes.  Several protests in recent weeks have turned violent, with demonstrators clashing with police. Earlier Friday, a heated debate in Parliament on the rail crash led to lawmakers voting to refer a former Cabinet minister to judicial authorities to be investigated over alleged violation of duty over his handling of the immediate aftermath of the accident."

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STORY: Bomb explodes outside offices of Greek rail accident company in Athens, published by Le Monde (with AP) on April 12, 2025.

SUB-HEADING: "Hellenic Train said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by. The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway accident, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured."

GIST: "A bomb planted near the offices of Hellenic Train, Greece's main railway company, exploded Friday night, April 11, in a busy district of central Athens, authorities said. There were no reports of injuries.

The explosion comes amid widespread public anger over a 2023 railway accident, Greece’s worst, in which 57 people were killed and dozens more injured when a freight train and a passenger train heading in opposite directions were accidentally put on the same track.

Local media said a newspaper and a news website had received an anonymous call shortly before Friday’s blast, with the caller warning that a bomb had been planted outside the railway company offices and would explode within about 40 minutes.

In a statement, Hellenic Train said the explosion had occurred "very close to its central offices" and said the blast had caused limited damage and no injuries to any employees or passers-by.

It said authorities had acted immediately upon receiving information about the warning call and that the company was cooperating fully with authorities and ensuring the safety of its staff.

Police cordoned off the site along a major avenue in the Greek capital, keeping residents and tourists away from the building in an area with several bars and restaurants. Officers at the scene said a bag containing an explosive device had been placed near the Hellenic Train building on Syngrou Avenue.

Police forensics experts wearing white coveralls were collecting evidence at the scene.

Heated debate in Parliament

Criticism over the government’s handling of the February 28, 2023 collision at Tempe in northern Greece has mounted over the last few weeks in the wake of the second anniversary of the disaster, which killed mostly young people who had been returning to university classes after a public holiday.

New

The crash exposed severe deficiencies in Greece’s railway system, including in safety systems and has triggered mass protests − led by relatives of the victims − against the country’s conservative government.

 Critics accused authorities of failing to take political responsibility for the disaster or holding senior officials accountable.

 So far, only rail officials have been charged with any crimes.

 Several protests in recent weeks have turned violent, with demonstrators clashing with police.

Earlier Friday, a heated debate in Parliament on the rail crash led to lawmakers voting to refer a former Cabinet minister to judicial authorities to be investigated over alleged violation of duty over his handling of the immediate aftermath of the accident."

The entire story can be read at:

https://www.lemonde.fr/en/international/article/2025/04/12/bomb-explodes-outside-offices-of-greek-rail-accident-company-in-athens_6740131_4.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;

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Tempe Train Disaster: Greece: (Part One): Tempe victims’ families have presented research pointing to an illegal cargo as cause of the 'fireball', eKathimerini (Reporter Aris Dimitrakopoulos), reports, noting that: The association’s president, Maria Karystianou, said that the initial report by the Hellenic Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA) was accurate, adding that the fire was caused by illegal fuel cargo. “The report brought to light some truths that are uncomfortable but cannot be denied,” she said, adding that the president of HARSIA had challenged his own experts for “daring to speak the scientific truth.”

BACKGROUND: The Press Project: Link Below:

Tempe case timeline: Cover-up allegations, forensic revelations, and Greece's crisis of accountability;

"The Tempe train disaster on 28 February 2023, which claimed 57 lives, exposed critical failures in Greece’s railway safety systems and sparked widespread allegations of a cover-up. Despite repeated warnings from railway workers, key safety upgrades were never implemented, and investigations have since revealed political interference, missing evidence, and potential fuel smuggling on the freight train. Two years on, mass protests, new forensic findings, and fresh legal battles continue to fuel demands for justice and accountability".

https://thepressproject.gr/tempe-case-timeline-cover-up-allegations-forensic-revelations-and-greeces-crisis-of-accountability/

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Nikos Karnavos, a chemical engineer and member of the team of experts commissioned by the victims’ families, presented their findings. According to Karnavos, samples taken and analyzed by the State General Chemical Laboratory showed that the soil at the crash site contained abnormally high levels of hydrocarbons, at least 400 times above natural limits, levels that could not be explained by anything other than the presence of illegal cargo on the freight train. “The fact that there was fuel cannot be disputed, there was fuel that burned people,” he said. Karnavos also noted that silicone oil does not ignite under the conditions that existed during the crash. He explained that two of the three engines containing silicone oil were not damaged at all, and significant amounts of the oil were found intact at the scene."

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STORY: "Tempe victims' families present research pointing to illegal cargo as cause of fireball,   eKathimerini (Reporter Aris Dimitrakopoulos) on April 11, 2025.

GIST: "Research presented at a press conference Friday by experts representing the Tempe Victims Association indicates that the freight train involved in the Tempe collision was carrying illegal flammable materials.

The association’s president, Maria Karystianou, said that the initial report by the Hellenic Air and Rail Accident Investigation Authority (HARSIA) was accurate, adding that the fire was caused by illegal fuel cargo.

“The report brought to light some truths that are uncomfortable but cannot be denied,” she said, adding that the president of HARSIA had challenged his own experts for “daring to speak the scientific truth.”

Nikos Karnavos, a chemical engineer and member of the team of experts commissioned by the victims’ families, presented their findings.

According to Karnavos, samples taken and analyzed by the State General Chemical Laboratory showed that the soil at the crash site contained abnormally high levels of hydrocarbons, at least 400 times above natural limits, levels that could not be explained by anything other than the presence of illegal cargo on the freight train.

“The fact that there was fuel cannot be disputed, there was fuel that burned people,” he said.

Karnavos also noted that silicone oil does not ignite under the conditions that existed during the crash. He explained that two of the three engines containing silicone oil were not damaged at all, and significant amounts of the oil were found intact at the scene.

Pavlos Aslanidis, the father of one of the Tempe victims, emotionally told the press that 27 people were burned in the incident and demanded accountability.

“Twenty-seven children were burned alive in that explosion. One of them was my son,” he said.

The press conference was organized as the presence or absence of illegal cargo on the freight train became a central point of contention between several victims’ families and the state.

The original HARSIA report acknowledged the presence of an unidentified substance that may have contributed to the explosion and subsequent fire.

Earlier this week, however, HARSIA President Christos Papadimitriou made the controversial decision to remove this section after statements from foreign universities consulted by the agency clarified that they had only reviewed the methodology and did not contribute to or endorse the conclusion."

The entire story can be read at:

https://www.ekathimerini.com/news/1266772/tempe-victims-families-present-research-pointing-to-illegal-cargo-as-cause-of-fireball/

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;

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Michael Clark; Colorado: (A disgraced Colorado Bureau of Investigation scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods story): Major (Welcome) Development: A judge has overturned Miclhael Clark's conviction in a 1994 Boulder murder case, because of flawed DNA testing by disgraced Colorado Bureau of Investigation scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods, The Denver Post (Reporter Noelle Phillips) reports, noting that it is the first case to be thrown out since the CBI (Colorado Bureau of Investigation) beginning in 2023 discovered hundreds of criminal investigations in which Woods cut corners in her DNA testing — a scandal that has cost Colorado millions of dollars already and shaken the state’s criminal justice system."

QUOTE OF THE DAY: "This is a really good day,” said Adam Frank, Clark’s attorney. “Michael Clark’s conviction is gone.” Dougherty had filed a motion late Friday afternoon asking the judge to vacate Clark’s conviction because Woods’ interpretation of the DNA testing in the Grisham case is now in question after an independent lab retested crime scene evidence. “Based on those results, as well as the significant claims of juror misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel, our office determined that the conviction must be vacated,” Doughtery said in a statement. “It is the right thing to do, after considering all three issues. In light of the charges in this case, we will carefully and thoroughly analyze all the evidence to determine the right and just outcome.” The juror misconduct claim involved the discovery that one of the jurors ignored the judge’s instructions and visited the crime scene during the trial, according to the DA’s motion."

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "A hearing is scheduled for June 6 at which Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty is expected to announce whether or not he will retry Clark on charges stemming from the 1994 killing."

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STORY: "Conviction in 1994 Boulder murder thrown out over flawed DNA work by Missy Woods," by Reporter Noelle Phillips, published by The Denver Post, on April 11, 2025. (Noelle Phillips is an award-winning, 30-year veteran of newspapers. She has covered everything from local government in rural Kentucky to combat in the Middle East. At The Denver Post, Noelle writes about air quality, wildfires and other topics impacting the quality of life in Colorado. She is a Nashville native so that's the accent you hear during interviews. She's a proud Western Kentucky University journalism school graduate. Noelle believes in holding the powerful accountable and that strong journalism is the best hope for democracy.)

SUB-HEADING: "Boulder County DA asked judge to vacate case, may retry Michael Clark in killing of Marty Grisham."

GIST: "A judge overturned the conviction in a 1994 Boulder murder case Friday because of flawed DNA testing by disgraced Colorado Bureau of Investigation scientist Yvonne “Missy” Woods.

It’s the first case to be thrown out since the CBI beginning in 2023 discovered hundreds of criminal investigations in which Woods cut corners in her DNA testing — a scandal that has cost Colorado millions of dollars already and shaken the state’s criminal justice system.

Boulder District Court Judge Nancy Woodruff Salomone vacated the first-degree murder conviction of 49-year-old Michael Clark, who has been serving a sentence of life without parole since being convicted in 2012 in the cold-case shooting death of Boulder city employee Marty Grisham.

A hearing is scheduled for June 6 at which Boulder County District Attorney Michael Dougherty is expected to announce whether or not he will retry Clark on charges stemming from the 1994 killing.

“This is a really good day,” said Adam Frank, Clark’s attorney. “Michael Clark’s conviction is gone.”

Dougherty had filed a motion late Friday afternoon asking the judge to vacate Clark’s conviction because Woods’ interpretation of the DNA testing in the Grisham case is now in question after an independent lab retested crime scene evidence.

“Based on those results, as well as the significant claims of juror misconduct and ineffective assistance of counsel, our office determined that the conviction must be vacated,” Doughtery said in a statement. “It is the right thing to do, after considering all three issues. In light of the charges in this case, we will carefully and thoroughly analyze all the evidence to determine the right and just outcome.”

The juror misconduct claim involved the discovery that one of the jurors ignored the judge’s instructions and visited the crime scene during the trial, according to the DA’s motion.

With the conviction vacated, Clark’s $100,000 bail is reinstated, according to prosecutors. He is expected to be transferred to the Boulder County Jail from the Fremont Correctional Facility on Monday, and is eligible to be released if he posts bail. He is married and has three children.

“We want to get him home to them as soon as humanly possible,” Frank said.

Inside the investigation of a CBI scientist’s years of misconduct: “God forbid we have someone in prison that shouldn’t be”

Clark was always a suspect in the 1994, killing but investigators only had circumstantial evidence at the time. It was Woods' DNA testing of a Carmex lip balm container found at the scene that led investigators to finally charge Clark in the cold case in 2012.

Doughtery's motion to vacate said an independent lab retested Woods' original analysis and created a new sample from the Carmex container. It was testing of that new sample that found new results that could statistically exclude Clark.

"There could be a number of reasons for these results, including the advances in DNA technology," the DA's motion stated. "Regardless of the reason, this is new evidence."

Grisham, who worked as the city of Boulder's information services director, was shot four times on the night of Nov. 1, 1994, after he answered a knock at his apartment door. The killer fled before Grisham's girlfriend could see him.

The killing was a cold case for nearly two decades before Boulder police reopened it in 2009. In 2011, Woods took DNA samples from the Carmex container and determined they excluded 99.4% of the world’s male population, but could include Clark.

Clark was charged with first-degree murder and convicted by a jury in 2012.

He already had brought up the DNA testing in an appeal of his murder conviction, saying his defense lawyer never hired another DNA expert to challenge Woods' conclusions.

Then the CBI discovered in 2023 that Woods had mishandled hundreds of DNA samples and covered up her shortcuts by altering, deleting or omitting data from lab work -- skipping protocols that are in place to ensure accurate results.

Woods was charged with 102 felonies in January. That case is pending.

Her shoddy work has rattled Colorado's justice system. While Clark becomes the first person to successfully challenge a conviction, others are expected to follow.

The CBI estimates Woods’ misconduct has already cost the agency more than $11 million, a figure that includes state funds allocated to pay for re-testing and compensate district attorneys’ offices across Colorado to address wrongful-conviction claims tied to Woods' work."

The entire story can be read at: 

https://www.denverpost.com/2025/04/11/michael-clark-murder-conviction-vacated-marty-grisham-missy-woods/

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;

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