THE BRIEF: "A judge ordered the release of secret grand jury testimony of Dr. Michael McGee.
- Ramsey County prosecutors announced in September 2024 that they were reviewing seven homicide cases that involved McGee’s testimony.
- Prosecutors launched their initial review into McGee’s cases in 2023 after a judge in another case called his testimony "unreliable, misleading and inaccurate.”
The other side."
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "In July, a Ramsey County District Court judge signed an order allowing attorneys for Michael Sontoya to review secret grand jury testimony from McGee and other staffers. According to a court filing, the Great North Innocence Project, which represents Sontoya and is helping prosecutors review seven homicide cases involving McGee’s testimony, will review the transcripts and cross-reference them with what he said at the trial."
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STORY: "Judge allows review of grand jury testimony in 2009 murder case," by Reporter Mike Mazoni, published by Fox 9, on September 10, 2025.
GIST: "A Ramsey County District Court judge will allow attorneys for a convicted murderer to review secret grand jury transcripts as part of a review of cases involving an embattled former medical examiner.
What we know
In July, a Ramsey County District Court judge signed an order allowing attorneys for Michael Sontoya to review secret grand jury testimony from McGee and other staffers.
According to a court filing, the Great North Innocence Project, which represents Sontoya and is helping prosecutors review seven homicide cases involving McGee’s testimony, will review the transcripts and cross-reference them with what he said at the trial.
The backstory
In May 2009, Sontoya, now 48, was sentenced to life in prison without parole for sexually assaulting and murdering his then-girlfriend, Gabriela Romo, 31, in St. Paul in September 2008. McGee performed the autopsy on Romo, finding that she bled to death from a 14-inch laceration that stretched from her pelvis to her abdomen.
Sontoya lost his initial appeal in 2010 after a judge found that evidence of his guilt was "overwhelming." In 2023, the Minnesota Supreme Court upheld a lower court’s decision to deny his post-conviction relief petition.
Husband maintains innocence
What they're saying
"He also just wants closure. This has been an extremely emotional roller coaster. His community was ruined, his reputation ruined. And 17 years come this month," said Isabella Sontoya, who married Sontoya in 2022. "The people that know that they have innocence and are innocent – they will keep fighting, and they’ll keep vocalizing their innocence until their freedom and even after they are free...."
The other side
Both the Ramsey County Attorney’s Office and the Great North Innocence Project declined to comment."
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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