PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false confessions because of the disturbing number of exonerations in the USA, Canada and multiple other jurisdictions throughout the world, where, in the absence of incriminating forensic evidence the conviction is based on self-incrimination – and because of the growing body of scientific research showing how vulnerable suspects are to widely used interrogation methods such as the notorious ‘Reid Technique.’ As all too many of this Blog's post have shown, I also recognize that pressure for false confessions can take many forms, up to and including physical violence, even physical and mental torture.
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog:
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Among the demonstrators was Marlon Taylor, whose brother Damon Smith has been in prison since 2000 for a murder he said he didn’t commit a year earlier. At the time, Smith was 24 years old and had no criminal record. During an interrogation, he said Smith threatened to accuse him of being the shooter if he didn’t implicate someone else. Smith denied involvement, but Simon allegedly fabricated a narrative that led to his conviction for first-degree murder after a brief trial. Now serving life without parole, Smith maintains his innocence, accusing Simon of orchestrating a lie that cost him his freedom. “Everything Damon is saying is absolutely true — the threats and fabricated evidence happened,” Taylor tells Metro Times. “She threatened to make him the shooter, and that’s exactly what she did.”
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STORY: "Protesters accuse Prosecutor Worthy of stalling on wrongful convictions," by Reporter Steve Neaving, published by The Metro Times, on November 20, 2024. (Steve Neavling is an award-winning investigative journalist who operated Motor City Muckraker, an online news site devoted to exposing abuses of power and holding public officials accountable. Neavling also hosted Muckraker Report on 910AM from September 2017 to July 2018. Before launching Motor City Muckraker, Neavling was a five-year veteran of the Detroit Free Press);
SUB-HEADING: Retired Detroit Detective Barbara Simon is accused of coercing false confessions, unlawfully detaining suspects, and committing
GIST: "Protesters gathered outside the Wayne County Prosecutor’s Office again Wednesday, renewing their calls for an investigation into cases tied to retired Detroit Detective Barbara Simon, who is accused of using unethical and illegal tactics that led to the wrongful convictions of innocent Black men.
The demonstration comes nearly three months after a previous protest in August, when families, exonerees, and activists demanded a full review of Simon’s cases and accountability for her alleged misconduct. Protesters on Wednesday expressed frustration, saying that Worthy has not met with exonerees or affected families and has yet to take meaningful action, despite her pledge to do so.
“We’ve waited long enough,” said Mark Craighead, who was exonerated after spending seven years in prison for a murder he didn’t commit. “There are still people sitting in prison because of what Barbara Simon did, and Worthy refuses to even talk to us. All we want to do is sit down with her."
Craighead is one of four men exonerated so far in cases linked to Simon, who was the subject of a multi-part series in Metro Times beginning in July. Simon has been accused of coercing false confessions, unlawfully detaining suspects, and committing perjury during her time in the homicide division in the 1990s and early 2000s. Activists say there may be more wrongful convictions that have not been uncovered due to the lack of an independent investigation.
In September, Worthy requested additional funds from the county to expand her Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), which is tasked with freeing innocent people from prison. Worthy told county officials that news reports suggested Simon “may have tainted many cases.”
Worthy also promised to meet with exonerees and families of prisoners who say they were wrongfully convicted because of Simon’s tactics, but Craighead says he hasn’t heard from her office for several months.
Protesters held signs reading, “Kym Worthy is unworthy of your vote” and “We want independent investigators,” while chanting, “No justice, no peace.”
The rally took place outside the Wayne County Criminal Justice Center in Detroit, the same site as the August protest.
Among the demonstrators was Marlon Taylor, whose brother Damon Smith has been in prison since 2000 for a murder he said he didn’t commit a year earlier. At the time, Smith was 24 years old and had no criminal record. During an interrogation, he said Smith threatened to accuse him of being the shooter if he didn’t implicate someone else.
Smith denied involvement, but Simon allegedly fabricated a narrative that led to his conviction for first-degree murder after a brief trial. Now serving life without parole, Smith maintains his innocence, accusing Simon of orchestrating a lie that cost him his freedom.
“Everything Damon is saying is absolutely true — the threats and fabricated evidence happened,” Taylor tells Metro Times. “She threatened to make him the shooter, and that’s exactly what she did.”
Protesters held a large sign with a photo of Smith in prison garb.
“Incarcerated since 1999 for a murder he did not commit,” the sign read. “#FREETHEINNOCENT;
His niece, Ochga Smith, is convinced her uncle is innocent and has sunk a lot of money trying to get him free. But the appeals have gone nowhere, and now she’s frustrated that the prosecutor’s office isn’t moving with more urgency.
“It’s so unfortunate,” Smith says. “We’re just trying to get someone to hear us out. It’s a constant railroading by the justice system.”
Kenisha Garrison says her cousin Nathan Peterson was wrongfully convicted of murder in 2001 and has been in prison since. Peterson said he falsely confessed because of Simon’s unethical and illegal tactics.
“He’s been gone for far too long,” Garrison says. “It’s sad. It’s sad for everyone. He’s innocent.”
When Peterson’s mother died several years ago, he was forbidden from attending the funeral.
“I don’t want to have to call him and tell him someone else close to him has passed away,” Garrison says. “He deserves justice. We just want a meeting with the prosecutor so she can hear us out.”
Maria Miller, spokeswoman for the prosecutor’s office, says Worthy still plans to meet with protesters but has been busy.
“Prosecutor Worthy has gotten a request from Mark Craighead and she has agreed to meet with him,” Miller says. “Due to her schedule, a date has not yet been confirmed, but will be in the future.”
Miller also says at least one assistant prosecutor will be added to the CIU “to review the cases in question.”
“CIU is currently in the process of creating a database of potential cases to assist with the review,” Miller says.
Wayne County sheriff’s deputies forced the protesters to move away from the building at 11 a.m. They complied and rallied on an adjacent sidewalk.
“We have a moral obligation to free the innocent and hold those accountable for their actions,” Lamarr Monson, who was exonerated of murder in 2017, said into a microphone. “That’s what justice is. We must get justice for the wrongfully incarcerated.”
Last month, Monson, 52, reached an $8.5 million settlement with the city after he alleged in a lawsuit that Simon tricked him into falsely confessing.
Simon has cost taxpayers more than $25 million in lawsuit settlements so far.
Monson and Craighead recently launched a nonprofit organization — Freedom Ain’t Free — to connect innocent people behind bars with attorneys, paralegals, private investigators, firearm experts, and other legal resources.
Worthy’s Conviction Integrity Unit (CIU), which has been criticized for its inaction in Simon-related cases, has not announced any new developments. Worthy previously stated she was exploring budgetary solutions to address the issue, but protesters dismissed the statement as insufficient.
Meanwhile, the Detroit Police Department is conducting an internal investigation into Simon’s handling of cases.
Metro Times also revealed in September that Worthy claims Detroit Mayor Mike Duggan allegedly destroyed all of the criminal files when he was Wayne County prosecutor from 2001 to 2004, despite a state law that requires the records to be retained.
That has made it far more difficult for prisoners to prove their innocence.
Craighead filed a complaint with the Michigan Attorney General’s Office, saying Duggan violated the law and should be prosecuted.
Duggan denied any involvement in the record purge."
Th 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;
