QUOTE OF THE DAY: "“We are thrilled with the result," Baylea Kannmacher, a staff attorney at the Great North Innocence Project, said in a written statement. "We have always believed in Robert’s innocence. Now he can finally grieve the loss of his son and move on with his life."
PASSAGE ONE OF THE DAY: "Kaiser was tried in 2016 in Stearns County. The prosecution relied on expert testimony from Michael McGee, a pathologist for the medical examiner for Ramsey and Washington counties. (Who should be familiar to the readers of this Blog, HL). McGee opined that the death was homicide. He said William's death may have been caused by shaking or impact on a soft surface, according to court documents."
PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "In taking on the case in 2020, attorneys from the Great North Innocence Project said they had consulted several medical experts who identified cerebral venous thrombosis as the formation of blood clots surrounding the brain, which can lead to seizures and brain injuries, according to court documents. Kaiser and the Great North Innocence Project filed for post-conviction relief in 2020. The court granted the petition in part, citing false testimony from two experts and Kaiser's trial counsel's failure to investigate evidence of cerebral venous thrombosis. That vacated the previous conviction and a new trial was ordered, according to court documents
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STORY: Kaiser found not guilty in child's 2014 death," by Reporter Trent Abrego, published by St. Cloud Today, on May 2, 2025.
SUB-HEADING: "In a retrial, Robert Kaiser, 42, was charged with murder in the 2014 death of 2-month-old William. Kaiser was tried and convicted in the death in 2016, but the verdict was overturned in 2022.
GIST: "Robert John Kaiser, accused of killing his 2-month-old son in 2014, was acquitted by a Stearns County jury on Friday, May 2.
Kaiser, 42, was charged with second- and third-degree murder in the death of 2-month-old William Polries-Kaiser. The jury deliberated for a day after the nearly four-week trial ended on Thursday, May 1.
This was the second time Kaiser was tried in William's death.
In 2016, Kaiser was found guilty of two counts of second-degree murder and was acquitted of one count of first-degree murder. He was sentenced to 20 years in prison.
In 2020, the Great North Innocence Project — an organization that works to free wrongfully convicted persons in Minnesota, North Dakota and South Dakota — began work on his case. Kaiser's conviction was vacated in 2022, and he was released from prison after serving seven-and-a-half years.
“We are thrilled with the result," Baylea Kannmacher, a staff attorney at the Great North Innocence Project, said in a written statement. "We have always believed in Robert’s innocence. Now he can finally grieve the loss of his son and move on with his life."
On Aug. 27, 2014, Kaiser was caring for 2-month-old William in Albany, Minnesota, while the child’s mother was working. During the day, William was pale, sweaty and fussy, according to a court document. By the evening, he was unresponsive and unable to focus his eyes, according to court documents.
Kaiser and William’s mother took the child to the hospital, where he had recurring seizures. A doctor who treated the infant said a CT scan showed subdural hemorrhages, and the doctor believed William suffered traumatic injuries.
William died on Sept. 3, 2014, a week after he was taken to the hospital, according to court documents.
Kaiser was tried in 2016 in Stearns County. The prosecution relied on expert testimony from Michael McGee, a pathologist for the medical examiner for Ramsey and Washington counties. McGee opined that the death was homicide. He said William's death may have been caused by shaking or impact on a soft surface, according to court documents.
The defense argued that the prosecution relied on “false testimony,” which was later upheld by the Supreme Court of Minnesota. Pathologist Jeffrey Lynch testified that macular schisis — a separation of the layers within the macula of the eye — was found in William's eyes. Lynch said macular schisis is caused by abusive head trauma.
"There really isn't any other type of cause of that, that I've seen in my career," Lynch said, according to court documents.
Lynch later explained that it would be wrong to say that abusive head trauma is the only cause of macular schisis.
In taking on the case in 2020, attorneys from the Great North Innocence Project said they had consulted several medical experts who identified cerebral venous thrombosis as the formation of blood clots surrounding the brain, which can lead to seizures and brain injuries, according to court documents.
Kaiser and the Great North Innocence Project filed for post-conviction relief in 2020. The court granted the petition in part, citing false testimony from two experts and Kaiser's trial counsel's failure to investigate evidence of cerebral venous thrombosis. That vacated the previous conviction and a new trial was ordered, according to court documents.
The entire story can be read at:
"https://www.stcloudlive.com/news/local/man-found-not-guilty-in-child
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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