SEASONAL BREAK: (July 26, 2025):
Dear Readers. It's time for me take a seasonal break and charge my batteries, so to speak, as it has been a very busy year, with over 450 posts to date, focussed on fascinating developments, cases, issues, whatever, in the Charles Smith Blog arena, from around the world. Here's the plan: I have pre-scheduled posts for publication during the break, and then, batteries fully charged, the rejuvenated me (having given you a break!) will rejoin you once again with fresh material. One of my most important tasks from the outset will be to use the Blog to unite with others around the globe who are fighting to stop the execution of Robert Roberson set for October 16 - an innocent man convicted by junk science. Another, will be to continue our efforts to help undo (as much as possible) the damage caused by the notorious South Australian former Chief pathologist Colin Manock, to so many innocent individuals over the years - including Derek Bromley, whose cases cry out for exoneration.
Until my return, keep an eye on Jimmy Duncan's bail hearing which is being reported by Richard A. Webster, on Verite news. The Innocence Project: "A judge has already declared Jimmie Duncan "factually innocent", but prosecutors are still going after him. Now, the victim's mother is calling for his freedom at his July 22 bail hearing.") His most recent story as of July 25, 2025) can be read at: the link below: (A verdict could come as early as Monday July 28). As he has reported: "In April, Judge Alvin Sharp set aside Duncan’s 1998 conviction for murdering 23-month-old Haley Oliveaux, his then-girlfriend’s daughter. Sharp agreed with Duncan’s attorneys that an analysis performed on the girl that purported to match marks on her body to Duncan’s teeth — a key piece of evidence in the trial — was based on discredited science. As ProPublica and Verite News reported in March, the effort to secure Duncan’s freedom has become more urgent in recent months due to a renewed push by Gov. Jeff Landry to restart executions in the state following a decade-plus pause. Attorney Scott Greene, who is part of Duncan’s legal team, said during the hearing that Duncan has “enormous support” from his family, the community and Haley’s mother, Allison Layton Statham. Now that his conviction has been vacated, Greene argued, Duncan should be freed on bail pending another trial."
There is indeed so much grist for the Charles Smith Blog mill! In the meantime please keep sending me your suggestions for future posts at hlevy15@gmail.com. (Many of our posts have been triggered by our readers); Enjoy the summer. Cheers.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.—————————————————————
QUOTE OF THE DAY: "The family has been reunited, and last month’s no-bill from the grand jury cleared Gasser. “Every single medical issue that Jessica was concerned about is shown in all the medical records to be completely true,” Schneider said. “And the thing is, CPS knew this, and law enforcement knew this. Some of the visits to the doctors that they complained about were actually part of a CPS investigation. Jessica was asked to go to a particular place and then got blamed for doctor shopping.” Schneider said he obtained text messages and email exchanges between investigators that he says suggest they knowingly mishandled the case in an attempt to elevate their profiles. “Fame is driving some of this,” Schneider said."
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SECOND QUOTE OF THE DAY: "Ellie still faces medical issues, Jessica said. She will soon turn five years old. “Any normal parent would do exactly as I did,” Jessica said. “If no one was helping your child, what would you do? You would go to somebody else who would. That is all I did."
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STORY: "'I didn’t do anything wrong.' North Texas mom cleared of medically abusing her child talks with WFAA," by Reporter Teresa Woodard, published by WFAA, on July 23, 2025. (Link to full interview provided.)
SUB-HEADING: “Any normal parent would do exactly as I did,” said Jessica Gasser, who was charged with injury to a child but no-billed by a Tarrant County grand jury.
DALLAS — Jessica Gasser wanted to tell her story herself, because it's different from the story others told about her.
“I didn’t do anything wrong,” she said in an interview with WFAA, after a Tarrant County grand jury issued a no-bill in her case, clearing her of two charges of injury to a child.
Her attorney, Mike Schneider, accused investigators of mishandling the case, and Gasser said she isn’t sure she’ll ever recover from the damage.
“I don't think there are words to describe exactly what we went through,” Gasser said.
In a 24-page affidavit dated July 2023, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office accused Gasser of medical child abuse.
The document said Gasser took the child, who was three years old at the time, to doctors in multiple states and exposed her to unnecessary treatments and procedures.
The affidavit also alleged that several providers told investigators they suspected medical child abuse. Gasser and her husband lost custody of their daughter for eight months.
But in 2024, the Texas Department of Family and Protective Services dismissed its case against the family, according to documents Schneider’s law office provided WFAA.
The family has been reunited, and last month’s no-bill from the grand jury cleared Gasser.
“Every single medical issue that Jessica was concerned about is shown in all the medical records to be completely true,” Schneider said. “And the thing is, CPS knew this, and law enforcement knew this. Some of the visits to the doctors that they complained about were actually part of a CPS investigation. Jessica was asked to go to a particular place and then got blamed for doctor shopping.”
Watch Jessica Gasser's full interview with WFAA below
Schneider said he obtained text messages and email exchanges between investigators that he says suggest they knowingly mishandled the case in an attempt to elevate their profiles.
“Fame is driving some of this,” Schneider said.
When asked to respond to those allegations, the Tarrant County Sheriff’s Office told WFAA, “We respect the grand jury’s decision. We have no further comment.”
The Department of Family and Protective Services told WFAA, “CPS cases are confidential per state statute.”
In the 2023 affidavit, investigators also accused Gasser of searching the internet using phrases like, “Is lying to a doctor about a child illegal?” And “How do you fix Munchausen by proxy?”
Munchausen by proxy is the medical term for a caretaker lying about an illness in someone who depends on them.
Gasser confirmed to WFAA she did search for answers to those questions.
“I’m not going to say I didn’t because look at the timeline. That was after they had taken my child, and I had been accused of this. So why wouldn’t I want to know more about what I’m accused of?” she said.
Jessica shared a recent family photo showing all four members of their family: Jessica, her husband, daughter Eillie, and Eliie's big brother.
Ellie still faces medical issues, Jessica said.
She will soon turn five years old.
“Any normal parent would do exactly as I did,” Jessica said. “If no one was helping your child, what would you do? You would go to somebody else who would. That is all I did.""
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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