PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "But, evidence never heard by Beaty’s jury proved the State’s theory of the case to be wrong. The motorcyclist had in fact broadcasted his motorcycle ride leading up to the crash on “Facebook Live.” Landmarks visible in this Facebook Live video showed the motorcyclist’s actual route of travel, which contradicted the testimony of the purported eyewitness. In addition, an analysis of landmarks visible in the Facebook Live video showed that the motorcyclist was traveling over 100 miles per hour in the seconds before the crash—nearly three times as fast as the trial evidence suggested."
---------------------------------------------------
On April 15, 2025, Judge Jeffrey Sanford of St. Joseph County Superior Court No. 3 in Indiana granted Exoneration Justice Clinic (EJC) client Kara Beaty’s petition for post-conviction relief and vacated her conviction for causing death or catastrophic injury to a motorcyclist. Then, on April 17, Judge Sanford granted the State of Indiana’s motion to dismiss the criminal charges against her, officially exonerating Beaty.
Beaty’s wrongful conviction stemmed from a June 2020 collision between Beaty’s vehicle and a motorcyclist. Beaty, who was just 18 years old at the time of the crash, was charged with causing death or catastrophic injury to the motorcyclist while operating a vehicle with a controlled substance in her blood. Beaty was charged under this statute even though she had only trace amounts of THC in her blood from marijuana use a full day before the crash, and she was not impaired at the time of the crash.
At her August 2023 trial, the key issue was whether Beaty in fact caused the collision with the motorcyclist. The State’s case relied on two key pieces of evidence. First, a purported eyewitness testified that he was traveling behind the motorcyclist at the time of the collision and that the motorcyclist was traveling roughly 30 miles per hour. Second, Commander Tim Spencer of the St. Joseph County Fatal Alcohol and Crash Team testified that he determined, based on the distance that the motorcyclist's body was thrown after the crash, that the motorcyclist’s speed was 37-42 miles per hour at the time of the crash. Beaty was convicted based on this evidence and was sentenced to six years in prison, with three years executed at the Indiana Department of Corrections and three years on probation. On October 10, 2023, Ms. Beaty was sent to Indiana prison.
But, evidence never heard by Beaty’s jury proved the State’s theory of the case to be wrong. The motorcyclist had in fact broadcasted his motorcycle ride leading up to the crash on “Facebook Live.” Landmarks visible in this Facebook Live video showed the motorcyclist’s actual route of travel, which contradicted the testimony of the purported eyewitness. In addition, an analysis of landmarks visible in the Facebook Live video showed that the motorcyclist was traveling over 100 miles per hour in the seconds before the crash—nearly three times as fast as the trial evidence suggested.
Based on this evidence, in June 2024, St. Joseph County elected prosecutor Ken Cotter agreed to release Beaty on an appeal bond to allow her to file a petition for post-conviction relief. At that point, Beaty had served over eight months in Indiana prison. The EJC, along with South Bend attorney John Kindley, then litigated Beaty’s petition for post-conviction relief. On March 28, 2025, Beaty and the State filed a joint motion for the Court to summarily grant Beaty post-conviction relief and vacate her conviction. This week, Judge Sanford granted that motion and then granted the State’s motion to dismiss the criminal charges against Beaty.
This successful outcome would not have been possible without the tireless efforts of the entire EJC team, including three of its students: Drew Garden, Autumn Chassie, and Alex Ragland. The students contributed to the case by drafting discovery, researching the factual and legal issues involved in the case, interviewing witnesses, and assisting with deposition preparation.
Beaty’s exoneration is the EJC’s third exoneration and its second in the past year, after the exoneration of Anthony Bedolla in August 2024. Since its founding, the EJC has remained committed to criminal justice reform, litigating wrongful conviction cases, and educating the public about miscarriages of justice.
Learn more about Notre Dame Law School’s Exoneration Justice Clinic at exoneration.nd.edu.
Reflections from the Exoneration Justice Clinic Team:
Jimmy Gurulé, Director and Professor of Law:
“This was a joint effort with the EJC and St. Joseph County Prosecutor’s Office that joined our motion to vacate Kara’s wrongful conviction. While Kara should never have been convicted of these crimes in the first place, ultimately, justice was done.”
Kevin Murphy, Staff Attorney and Term Teaching Professor:
"Kara's wrongful conviction was particularly devastating because it sent a young woman who had her life ahead of her to prison for a crime that she did not commit. It was a privilege to represent Kara and help undo this tragic injustice. We hope that our work on Kara's case will help her put this horrible chapter of her life behind her."
Lenora Popken, Staff Attorney:
"Kara's wrongful conviction stole from her the critical years of personal development that occur after high school graduation. While her exoneration will not give her back that time, it will allow her to heal and move forward. I cannot wait to see her grow and develop into the person she is meant to be now that this weight is off of her shoulders."
Drew Garden, 3L:
"When the jailhouse door slams behind an innocent person, it can feel like the world has ended. Exoneration work is special because with careful litigation and hard work, we're able to pry that door open and give people their lives back. I'm so happy for Kara and her family, and I'm inspired as always by our dedicated attorneys at the EJC."
Autumn Chassie, 2L:
“It has been a privilege to assist in Kara Beaty’s representation and contribute to the clinic’s work in any way I can. I am deeply grateful for the opportunity to stand alongside Kara in her fight for justice and to be part of a team so unwavering in its commitment to righting wrongful convictions.”
Alex Ragland, 2L:
“After being wrongfully convicted, getting her conviction vacated is a victory for Kara and for the clinic. We all did extensive research into Kara's case, and I'm so happy that our work helped lead to this fantastic result.”
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
———————————————————————————————
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;
--------------------------------------------------------------
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;