PUBLISHER'S NOTE: It looks like this case will offer considerable grist for our mill. I will be following it closely.
Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;
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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Brown has been described in court documents and previous court proceedings as “wearing sweatpants [and] a white t-shirt” the day Critzer was killed. In a December court appearance, Brown said he wanted some of his clothes brought into evidence that he said were not entered by investigators. It was not clear in Monday’s proceedings if the new evidence was being tested for the defense or prosecution."
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STORY: Chester Brown murder trial postponed awaiting lab analysis — including DNA of another person, by Reporter Ireland Hayes, published by "Foothills Forum" on February 11, 2026. (Ireland Hayes is a reporter for Foothills Forum, an independent, community-supported nonprofit tackling the need for in-depth research and reporting on Rappahannock County issues.")
GIST: Five months have passed since the body of Doris Ann Critzer was found in a grisly scene on the kitchen floor of her home, located within easy walking distance to the historic district of the Town of Washington.
A Rappahannock County Circuit Court judge on Monday postponed the murder trial of Chester Brown for seven months to allow time for forensic and DNA analysis to be completed as well as provide Brown’s attorneys time to prepare. Brown is charged in the 2023 murder and strangulation of Washington resident Doris Critzer.
Included in the lab analysis is DNA related to an undisclosed person who Commonwealth’s Attorney Art Goff said has a “strong alibi” at the time of the murder. Goff declined to comment further on the pending DNA analysis, but wrote in an email to the Rappahannock News that there is not a new suspect in the case.
Brown’s five-day trial, originally scheduled from March 30 to April 2, is postponed to Oct. 26-30 with jury selection beginning Friday, Oct. 23. If a Rappahannock jury cannot be chosen, Judge Robert Smith said he has arranged for a Loudoun County jury and courtroom to be available.
Goff objected to the postponement, citing scheduling challenges for the prosecution’s 28 witnesses, including many from the state forensic lab who are hard to nail down because they often are testifying in other, larger jurisdictions.
“It’s like herding cats … It took a lot to get this together,” Goff said. “The sooner we can get this tried the better.” He suggested waiting until Feb. 19, the next Circuit Court date in the case, to see if the pending evidence is returned by then.
Ryan Ruzic, one of Brown’s attorneys, had asked that the trial be moved to a later date, not only because of the pending forensic and DNA analysis but also because he and co-counsel, Paul Fore, were assigned the case in December.
“That only leaves the public defender’s office really only about two months to prepare for a jury trial,” Ruzic told Smith. “It’s not as simple as having [case information] in hand … it takes work, especially in a case as serious as this.”
Ruzic also said the defense had been “literally handed new evidence this morning” which he identified as a “certificate of authenticity” adding that he had not yet had a chance to review it.
Goff told the judge that he is awaiting test results on a white T-shirt, that the lab estimated would be returned in about a week, and DNA analysis related to the other individual, which is estimated to be returned in two to three weeks.
Brown has been described in court documents and previous court proceedings as “wearing sweatpants [and] a white t-shirt” the day Critzer was killed. In a December court appearance, Brown said he wanted some of his clothes brought into evidence that he said were not entered by investigators. It was not clear in Monday’s proceedings if the new evidence was being tested for the defense or prosecution.
Ruzic could not be reached for comment before the newspaper’s deadline.
Smith granted the trial postponement, noting that the crime lab estimated one piece of evidence would not be returned for another two to three weeks, leaving less than 30 days for the defense to review new material before trial. “I see no reason to delay making the decision,” Smith said."
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 AMFINAL 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 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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