QUOTE OF THE DAY: “This case is just the tip of the iceberg,” Kevin Mehr, one of the civil rights attorneys representing Shelton, said. “This kind of forensic misconduct has never been seen in American history. Alan Phillips and all of these victims deserve justice and we intend to make sure they have it.”
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The claim, filed this week, seeks $100 million in damages, arguing that Woods’ flawed and potentially criminal conduct led directly to Phillips’ 2022 conviction, as the case against him was heavily based on DNA evidence. Woods has been accused of mishandling more than 1,000 cases over her nearly three-decade career with the CBI. She now faces 102 felony charges, including cybercrime, perjury, attempt to influence a public servant and forgery. The claim alleges not only that Woods mishandled the evidence used to convict Phillips, but that members of the CBI “were aware of anomalies in Ms. Woods prior reporting of DNA results prior to the time that Mr. Phillips was arrested, charged, tried, and convicted,” and failed to disclose that information."
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STORY: "Attorneys file $100M claim against CBI over alleged wrongful murder conviction linked to Missy Woods," by Digital and TV News Producer Sadie Buggle, published by KRDO, on June 27, 2025. (Sadie Buggle) has been a digital and TV news producer at KRDO13 since June 2024. She produces the station’s daily noon show and writes digital articles covering politics, law, crime, and uplifting local stories.)
GIST: "Attorneys for a woman whose father was convicted of a decades-old double murder have filed a $100 million claim, alleging his conviction was based on falsified forensic evidence from a now-disgraced Colorado Bureau of Investigation scientist.
On January 6, 1982, two women hitchhikers vanished from the popular ski town of Breckenridge. They were later found shot to death.
The women, Annette Schnee, 21, and Barbara Oberholtzer, 29, had no connection, authorities said. Their bodies were discovered in separate locations months apart.
Investigators say then-30-year-old Alan Lee Phillips was rescued nearby on the same night the women disappeared, after his truck got stuck during a snowstorm.
DNA testing by Colorado authorities years later identified Phillips as a suspect in the murders.
He was subsequently convicted in 2022 on two counts of first-degree murder, among other charges, and served two life sentences. Phillips served only a year behind bars before dying in prison at the age of 72.
Now, attorneys representing his daughter, Andrea Shelton, have filed an official notice of claim against the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and disgraced former forensic scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods, alleging that Phillips was wrongfully convicted of the murders.
The claim, filed this week, seeks $100 million in damages, arguing that Woods’ flawed and potentially criminal conduct led directly to Phillips’ 2022 conviction, as the case against him was heavily based on DNA evidence.
Woods has been accused of mishandling more than 1,000 cases over her nearly three-decade career with the CBI. She now faces 102 felony charges, including cybercrime, perjury, attempt to influence a public servant and forgery.
The claim alleges not only that Woods mishandled the evidence used to convict Phillips, but that members of the CBI “were aware of anomalies in Ms. Woods prior reporting of DNA results prior to the time that Mr. Phillips was arrested, charged, tried, and convicted,” and failed to disclose that information.
“This case is just the tip of the iceberg,” Kevin Mehr, one of the civil rights attorneys representing Shelton, said. “This kind of forensic misconduct has never been seen in American history. Alan Phillips and all of these victims deserve justice and we intend to make sure they have it.”
KRDO13 reached out to the Colorado Bureau of Investigation, who said they would not comment on pending litigation.
Click here for a copy of the claim."
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;
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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;
