Monday, January 5, 2026

5 January: Jimmy Duncan: New Orleans: Louisiana: (Part 2): 2025, Quite a year in the battle against junk science; Major (Welcome) Development: Verite News has placed him on its 2025 list of 'Top 10 Newsmakers of 2025, noting that: "Seven months ago, a Louisiana district court judge vacated his murder conviction for killing his former girlfriend’s toddler, citing doubts about the evidence used to convict him. The judge granted bail after multiple legal delays, including an unsuccessful request by prosecutors to the Louisiana Supreme Court to stop his release. Now free, Duncan spent Thanksgiving with his family — then celebrated his 57th birthday the next day."

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:  2025: What year in the fight against 'junk science.' The good news:  "Jimmie “Chris” Duncan walked out of the Ouachita Parish Correctional Center and into the arms of his parents after spending the last 27 years on death row. Seven months ago, a Louisiana district court judge vacated his murder conviction for killing his former girlfriend’s toddler, citing doubts about the evidence used to convict him. The judge granted bail after multiple legal delays, including an unsuccessful request by prosecutors to the Louisiana Supreme Court to stop his release." The bad news: "Jimmie Duncan's journey to freedom is far from over as "Prosecutors have asked the state Supreme Court to reinstate his death sentence." So there is still a long way to go. However, release on bail after 27 years on death row is extraordinary,  and the fact that he has made Verite News ' 'top 10 list  of newsmakers in 2025' is positive,  as it shows how 'junk science'  - in his case 'junk bite-mark science - is getting the attention of the public it deserves.  (Verity's motto is: 'Truth, Facts, Fairness.')
Likewise, in 2025 is the year in  which another junk science case made the headlines. You guessed it. The junk science shaken baby syndrome (SBS)  evidence which  led to Robert Roberson's release from death row in Texas, garnered massive public attention across the USA and beyond, as prosecutors were (Hallelujah) once again rebuffed in their obsessive efforts  to execute him.
Robert Roberson's legal arguments were fortified in 2025, when New Jersey's  high court (In the Nieve case)  barred  SBS  as unreliable in child abuse cases - a decision which could affect people convicted of SBS in similar circumstances  wherever they may be.  
Lastly, in 2025,  there was massive coverage  of a SBS case in Tennessee  in which Dr, Bruce Levy,  the  medical examiner  who put Russell Maze behind bars for life, has backed away from his original diagnosis, and is  has gone public to help free him. All that said, 2025 was an extremely important year in the battle - through awareness -  against junk science in  the criminal justice system. I have been steadfastly covering all these cases, and look forward to positive decisions for all of these victims of junk science in 2026.

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

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 GIST: "Jimmie “Chris” Duncan walked out of the Ouachita Parish Correctional Center and into the arms of his parents after spending the last 27 years on death row. 

Seven months ago, a Louisiana district court judge vacated his murder conviction for killing his former girlfriend’s toddler, citing doubts about the evidence used to convict him.

 The judge granted bail after multiple legal delays, including an unsuccessful request by prosecutors to the Louisiana Supreme Court to stop his release.

Now free, Duncan spent Thanksgiving with his family — then celebrated his 57th birthday the next day. 

“We thank God for Jimmie coming home,” Duncan’s stepmom, Sharon Duncan, said in an emailed statement on behalf of the family.

But Duncan’s journey to freedom is far from over. Prosecutors have asked the state Supreme Court to reinstate his death sentence."

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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