tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1200083548946457052024-03-18T23:00:07.010-04:00the charles smith blogHarold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comBlogger11053125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-40962089951974332492024-03-18T12:35:00.001-04:002024-03-18T12:36:08.681-04:00Nota Bene: Karen Read; Massachusetts: Publisher's note. I have begun to follow this case as it may turn out to be of interest to the reader's of this Blog. She is charged in connection with the death of a Boston police officer. CNN (Reporters Faith Karimi and Zenebou Sylla) reports that a state trooper investigating the death of a Boston police officer is now under investigation himself, adding another layer of complexity to a case that has sharply divided a Massachusetts suburb. Hmmmmmm! Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog. "Investigators allege O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Read, hit him with her SUV in the Boston suburb of Canton in January 2022 and left him outside in the snow to die. But Read’s defense team alleges that he was fatally beaten in the Canton home of a fellow Boston police officer, and that Read is the victim of a coverup to protect those inside the home that night. Read has said she dropped O’Keefe outside the home shortly after midnight — after they left a bar — then drove off to his house to sleep because she was not feeling well. O’Keefe’s body was found about six hours later outside the home. Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision."<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "The Massachusetts State Police did not specify whether Proctor’s alleged violation is related to Read’s case. “Trooper Proctor remains on full duty,” a State Police spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Thursday. “Please note that we are not stating whether the potential violation relates to a specific case, nor are we specifying the nature of the alleged violation.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">STORY: "A state trooper is investigating the death of a Boston police officer. Now, he’s accused of policy violations," by Senior Writer (CNN Digital) Faith Karimi and News Assistant Zenebou Sylla, published by CNN on March 16, 2024.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;">PHOTO CAPTION:"<span style="color: #0b0b0b;">Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe was found unresponsive in January 2022 outside this residence in Canton, Massachusetts. </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 18px;"><span style="color: #0b0b0b;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">GIST: "A state trooper investigating the death of a Boston police officer is now under investigation himself, authorities said Thursday,<b> </b>adding another layer of complexity to <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/10/us/john-okeefe-boston-police-death-cec/index.html"><span style="color: #0000e3;">a case that has sharply divided a Massachusetts suburb</span></a>.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The Massachusetts State Police said it has opened an internal investigation into a “potential violation of department policy” against Trooper Michael Proctor, one of the lead investigators in the death of Officer John O’Keefe. It did not elaborate on what he is being investigated for.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Investigators allege O’Keefe’s girlfriend, Karen Read, hit him with her SUV in the Boston suburb of Canton in January 2022 and left him outside in the snow to die.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">But Read’s defense team alleges that he was fatally beaten in the Canton home of a fellow Boston police officer, and that Read is the victim of a coverup to protect those inside the home that night. Read has said she dropped O’Keefe outside the home shortly after midnight — after they left a bar — then drove off to his house to sleep because she was not feeling well.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">O’Keefe’s body was found about six hours later outside the home. Read has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, vehicular manslaughter while intoxicated and leaving the scene of a collision.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The Massachusetts State Police did not specify whether Proctor’s alleged violation is related to Read’s case. “Trooper Proctor remains on full duty,” a State Police spokesperson said in a statement to CNN on Thursday.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">“Please note that we are not stating whether the potential violation relates to a specific case, nor are we specifying the nature of the alleged violation.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">David Traub, a spokesperson for the Norfolk District Attorney’s Office, which is prosecuting Read’s case, told CNN they’re aware of the investigation. Proctor remains “on full duty and his responsibilities within our office have not changed,” he said.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The investigation comes the same week Read’s defense team alleged that Proctor did not fully disclose his relationship with key witnesses in the case. During a hearing Tuesday, attorney Alan Jackson alleged that text messages revealed Proctor has close ties with the family of the homeowner, and has communicated with them before and after O’Keefe’s death.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">“We’ve been saying since September 2022 motions that we filed before this court and filed with the Commonwealth that there is a conflict. You’re not investigating the conflict. That conflict was never described to the grand jurors. And we’ve been rebuffed at every single turn,” Jackson <span style="color: #0000e3;"><a href="https://www.google.com/search?sca_esv=a6f2d24d067aab7e&sca_upv=1&rlz=1C5GCCM_en&sxsrf=ACQVn08TSCJmFWV9EO0gu4AJRXcIDFLzEQ:1710511987752&q=Karen+read+trial+March+12,+2024,&tbm=vid&source=lnms&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwiCxafbufaEAxVHrokEHUj5BIgQ0pQJegQIDRAB&biw=1366&bih=810&dpr=2#fpstate=ive&vld=cid:4c65e8b2,vid:IfEKoh-SJxo,st:0">said in court on Tuesday.</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Proctor’s attorney, Michael DiStefano, said his client is cooperating with the investigation.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">“Trooper Proctor remains steadfast in the integrity of the work he performed investigating the death of Mr. John O’Keefe,” he said in a statement obtained by CNN. “To the extent that Trooper Proctor’s personal text messages are alluded to in court proceedings regarding Ms. Read, he respectfully submits that the objective investigative steps he and members of his unit took are in no way undermined by the content of the personal messages.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Norfolk County Assistant District Attorney Adam Lally has said the defense is using the relationships to distract from Read’s alleged guilt, <a href="https://www.boston25news.com/news/local/federal-probe-findings-revealed-court-karen-reads-defense-team-pushes-dismiss-murder-case/4GRLQB5EWNGWDPJGMTVD7AQCYU/"><span style="color: #0000e3;">CNN affiliate WFXT reported</span></a>.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">“It’s a three-card Monte trick. You know, card trick. On the corner, on the side. Look at all of this. Look at this relationship. Look at that relationship,” Lally said.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Read’s trial is scheduled to start next month."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/16/us/state-trooper-investigating-killing-canton-boston-police-officer-policy-violations-cec/index.html">https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/16/us/state-trooper-investigating-killing-canton-boston-police-officer-policy-violations-cec/index.html</a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #393939; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">---------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-31104536349062491132024-03-18T00:30:00.001-04:002024-03-18T11:16:44.403-04:00Jessie Dotson: Tennessee: (From our 'read this and weep,' department: False confession, witness intimidation and so much more. The Death Penalty Information Center reports that he has filed a petition asking a judge to vacate his conviction and death sentence…"The petition details that “Over the course of the evening, Lt. Armstrong threatened to arrest Jessie’s mother, Priscilla Shaw, and sister, Nicole Dotson. He threatened to kill Jessie. He threatened to put Jessie in general population with the Gangster Disciples in the jail at 201 Poplar and let them kill him. He lied to Jessie and told him that they had Jessie’s footprints in blood at the [crime] scene. He made promises to Jessie, but told him he had to hurry or else Lt. Armstrong couldn’t help him. And then, he repeatedly played the tape of C.J. [Dotson], saying that Jessie did it. Jessie broke. He confessed.”<p><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false confessions because of the disturbing number of exonerations in the USA, Canada and multiple other jurisdictions throughout the world, where, in the absence of incriminating forensic evidence the conviction is based on self-incrimination – and because of the growing body of scientific research showing how vulnerable suspects are to widely used interrogation methods such as the notorious ‘Reid Technique.’ As all too many of this Blog's post have shown, I also recognize that pressure for false confessions can take many forms, up to and including physical violence, even physical and mental torture.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog:<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><br /><br /></span></p><p><span style="font-family: Helvetica Neue;">—————————————————————————————</span></p><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false eye-witness identification issues because wrongful identifications are at the heart of so many DNA-related exonerations in the USA and elsewhere - and because so much scientific research is being conducted with a goal to making the identification process more transparent and reliable- and less subject to deliberate manipulation. I have also reported far too many cases over the years - mainly cases lacking DNA evidence (or other forensic evidence pointing to the suspect - where the police have somehow rigged the identification process in order to make an identification inevitable. </div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;">Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.</div><p><span face="Trebuchet MS, Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif">———————————————————————————————------------</span></p><p>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">Three additional children survived the attacks despite sustaining injuries. One of the three survivors, Mr. Dotson’s 9-year-old nephew, C. J. Dotson, identified him as the attacker, providing critical eyewitness testimony that defense counsel now say was unreliable."</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;"> Prosecutors relied heavily on the testimony of C.J. Dotson, who was stabbed in the head during the killings but survived his wounds. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">He would eventually name Mr. Dotson as the person responsible for the killings, but Mr. Dotson’s new filings argue that C.J.’s memory had been “tampered” with by police officers and that he was not in the right state of mind to identify anyone. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">The petition also points to C.J.’s medical records indicating he was on “mind-altering medications” when he was interviewed, including morphine, propofol, and hydrocodone and fentanyl. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">During C.J.’s first interview with a trained forensic child advocate, he named two separate people as suspects and repeated what he heard the suspects say. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">That interview was not completed because the advocate believed that C.J. was too distressed to continue. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">In violation of established protocol, police Sergeant Caroline Mason then questioned C.J., and the petition alleges the Sgt. Mason told C.J. about gifts he would receive if he named a suspect. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">Linda Steele, an FBI expert, interviewed C.J. four days after he spoke with Sgt. Mason, yet her report was never disclosed to the defense. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">Prosecutors also failed to disclose to Mr. Dotson’s trial attorneys that C.J.’s psychologist said the child’s memory was unreliable."</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica;">--------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0c0d23; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">ENTRY: "Tennessee Death Row Prisoner’s New Appeal Alleges Innocence, Prosecutorial Misconduct, and Ineffective Counsel," published by The Death Penalty Information Center, on March 13, 2024.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GIST: "Jessie Dotson, a man sentenced to death for killing six people in 2008 in the Binghampton neighborhood of Memphis, Tennessee, has filed a petition for a writ of a habeas corpus asking a judge to vacate his conviction and death sentence. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">His petition alleges that he is innocent, that police coerced him to falsely confess, and that a number of prosecutorial and defense errors occurred at trial. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mr. Dotson has been on death row since 2008, when he was sentenced to death for the murders of four adults, including his brother, and two children.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> Three additional children survived the attacks despite sustaining injuries. One of the three survivors, Mr. Dotson’s 9-year-old nephew, C. J. Dotson, identified him as the attacker, providing critical eyewitness testimony that defense counsel now say was unreliable.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mr. Dotson’s appeal identifies several trial errors in addition to the ineffective assistance of his counsel. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Defense counsel now argue that the killings occurred as part of a gang retaliation, noting that some of the victims were armed and that Mr. Dotson’s brother had crossed gang members from the Gangster Disciples.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> The petition alleges that the crime scene was characteristic of a “total blackout order,” which is an order to kill a target’s entire family. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With this evidence pointing away from Mr. Dotson, the petition also alleges that police intentionally ignored and did not share information with the defense that supported this theory.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Of the 468 exhibits introduced at trial, none were linked to Mr. Dotson through DNA testing. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> Prosecutors relied heavily on the testimony of C.J. Dotson, who was stabbed in the head during the killings but survived his wounds. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He would eventually name Mr. Dotson as the person responsible for the killings, but Mr. Dotson’s new filings argue that C.J.’s memory had been “tampered” with by police officers and that he was not in the right state of mind to identify anyone.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The petition also points to C.J.’s medical records indicating he was on “mind-altering medications” when he was interviewed, including morphine, propofol, and hydrocodone and fentanyl. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">During C.J.’s first interview with a trained forensic child advocate, he named two separate people as suspects and repeated what he heard the suspects say. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">That interview was not completed because the advocate believed that C.J. was too distressed to continue. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In violation of established protocol, police Sergeant Caroline Mason then questioned C.J., and the petition alleges the Sgt. Mason told C.J. about gifts he would receive if he named a suspect. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Linda Steele, an FBI expert, interviewed C.J. four days after he spoke with Sgt. Mason, yet her report was never disclosed to the defense. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Prosecutors also failed to disclose to Mr. Dotson’s trial attorneys that C.J.’s psychologist said the child’s memory was unreliable.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mr. Dotson’s petition also describes the seven-hour-interrogation he endured while being “sleep deprived and psychologically manipulated,” all the while maintaining his innocence.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> At several points, Mr. Dotson invoked his right to remain silent and asked for an attorney, which the police repeatedly ignored as they continued the interrogation. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The petition details that <i style="color: #6c7889;">“Over the course of the evening, Lt. Armstrong threatened to arrest Jessie’s mother, Priscilla Shaw, and sister, Nicole Dotson. He threatened to kill Jessie. He threatened to put Jessie in general population with the Gangster Disciples in the jail at 201 Poplar and let them kill him. He lied to Jessie and told him that they had Jessie’s footprints in blood at the [crime] scene. He made promises to Jessie, but told him he had to hurry or else Lt. Armstrong couldn’t help him. And then, he repeatedly played the tape of C.J. [Dotson], saying that Jessie did it. Jessie broke. He confessed.”</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #6c7889; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Despite this confession, much of Mr. Dotson’s statements do not align with the crime scene evidence. The information elicited in Mr. Dotson’s confession came from information provided to him by police.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> Defense counsel further allege that Mr. Dotson was not made aware of his Miranda rights before he signed his “confession.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #414046; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><p><a href="https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/tennessee-death-row-prisoners-new-appeal-alleges-innocence-prosecutorial-misconduct-and-ineffective-counsel">https://deathpenaltyinfo.org/news/tennessee-death-row-prisoners-new-appeal-alleges-innocence-prosecutorial-misconduct-and-ineffective-counsel</a></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2471778935188601110" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2596961884314651815" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">---------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-24717789351886011102024-03-17T11:30:00.003-04:002024-03-17T11:30:43.390-04:00Clayton Hood: Colorado: Yvonne (Missy) Woods?): (Misleading evidence relating to DNA): A new trial has been ordered after a judge let prosecutors present misleading DNA evidence of sex assault, 'Colorado Politics' (Politics Reporter Michael Karlik) reports, under the sub-heading: "Judge Patricia Herron allowed jurors to believe there was a reasonable explanation why no DNA from the defendant was on the victim, while suppressing the fact that DNA from other people was present."… "A Douglas County judge allowed prosecutors to mislead the jury into thinking they should still convict a man of sexual assault despite the absence of his DNA, Colorado's second-highest court ruled on Thursday in overturning the convictions of Clayton Angus Hood. Jurors found Hood guilty of raping a teenage girl who lived in his household. They heard at trial that Hood's DNA was not found on or inside the alleged victim's genitalia. But the prosecution minimized that fact, suggesting the victim could have shed or showered off Hood's DNA, still rendering him guilty. However, jurors did not know then-District Court Judge Patricia Herron blocked them from hearing how DNA from three people, including one male, was instead found on the outside of the victim's genitalia. Writing for a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals, Judge Jaclyn Casey Brown explained Herron's decision meant jurors were left to believe the absence of any DNA was not a barrier to convicting Hood. "That impression was false," Brown wrote in the March 14 opinion. "The presence of the other DNA undermined the prosecution’s theory that Hood’s DNA was not present because (the victim) showered or expelled it naturally."<div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">Herron acknowledged the DNA evidence addressed Hood's potential innocence. But then she decided Colorado's "rape shield" law, which generally shields a victim's sexual history from being explored at trial, similarly prevented the jury from hearing about the DNA evidence. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">"I am directing that you not leave the impression that there was another source" of DNA, Herron told the defense. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">Prosecutors Nathaniel Marsh and Zoe Laird ended up arguing to the jury that it should not worry about the absence of Hood's DNA from K.H. because "every woman's body will handle DNA differently."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #131313; font-family: Helvetica Neue;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19);">————————————————————————————</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">"While his DNA was absent from the swab of K.H.’s external genitalia, three other DNA profiles were found. Presenting that evidence was not an invasion of (K.H.’s) privacy. It was the truth," wrote public defender Casey Mark Klekas. "The State doesn’t have a right to mislead the jury so it can get a conviction."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">————————————————————————————————————</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(19, 19, 19); color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">PASSAGE THREE OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;">Days before the appellate panel's decision, </span><a href="https://gazette.com/colorado-watch/colorado-dna-scientist-yvonne-woods-accused-data-manipulation/article_f1527088-dda4-11ee-b2a6-cb48790fd321.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;"><span style="color: #1b255e;">news broke</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 16px;"> that a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA scientist, Yvonne "Missy" Woods, tampered with DNA results and called into question the evidence in more than 1,000 criminal convictions. Although a bureau analyst testified at Hood's trial, it was unclear if the witness was Woods or if she had any connection to the case. The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office did not immediately know about any effect Woods' misconduct had on Hood's prosecution."</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">-----------------------------------------------------</p><div>STORY: "Douglas County judge let prosecutors present misleading evidence of sex assault, appeals court rules," by Politics Reporter Michael Karlik, published by 'Colorado Politics,' pn March 15, 2024/<br /><br />
<p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">SUB-HEADING: "Judge Patricia Herron allowed jurors to believe there was a reasonable explanation why no DNA from the defendant was on the victim, while suppressing the fact that DNA from other people was present."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">GIST: A Douglas County judge allowed prosecutors to mislead the jury into thinking they should still convict a man of sexual assault despite the absence of his DNA, Colorado's second-highest court ruled on Thursday in overturning the convictions of Clayton Angus Hood.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Jurors found Hood guilty of raping a teenage girl who lived in his household. They heard at trial that Hood's DNA was not found on or inside the alleged victim's genitalia. But the prosecution minimized that fact, suggesting the victim could have shed or showered off Hood's DNA, still rendering him guilty.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">However, jurors did not know then-District Court Judge Patricia Herron blocked them from hearing how DNA from three people, including one male, was instead found on the outside of the victim's genitalia. Writing for a three-judge panel of the Court of Appeals, Judge Jaclyn Casey Brown explained Herron's decision meant jurors were left to believe the absence of any DNA was not a barrier to convicting Hood.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">"That impression was false," Brown wrote <a href="https://www.courts.state.co.us/Courts/Court_of_Appeals/Opinion/2024/21CA1808-PD.pdf"><span style="color: #1b255e;">in the March 14 opinion</span></a>. "The presence of the other DNA undermined the prosecution’s theory that Hood’s DNA was not present because (the victim) showered or expelled it naturally."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">On the night of the alleged assault, Hood went out drinking with the victim's father. When he returned to their Castle Rock home, the victim, identified as K.H., later testified Hood entered her bedroom and had sex with her for an hour while she cried. K.H. then showered, went to school and disclosed she had been raped.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">K.H.'s father picked her up from school and they went to the police station. There, the father made a call to Hood in which he confronted Hood about the alleged rape. He added there was "a camera in her room," which was not true.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">"If that's what she said happened, then it happened," Hood responded. When police went to the house afterward, they found Hood had unsuccessfully attempted suicide and they resuscitated him.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The prosecution charged Hood with two sex assault-related counts. Jurors convicted him and he is serving eight years to life in prison.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Prior to trial, the prosecution attempted to exclude evidence of the DNA found on the outside of K.H.'s genitals, which did not belong to Hood. The defense countered the DNA was important: If the government's theory was that K.H.'s shower helped "gid rid" of Hood's DNA from the rape, the presence of others' DNA made it less likely her alleged rapist's DNA would be gone altogether.</p><p style="background-color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.5); color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Herron acknowledged the DNA evidence addressed Hood's potential innocence. But then she decided Colorado's "rape shield" law, which generally shields a victim's sexual history from being explored at trial, similarly prevented the jury from hearing about the DNA evidence.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">"I am directing that you not leave the impression that there was another source" of DNA, Herron told the defense.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Prosecutors Nathaniel Marsh and Zoe Laird ended up arguing to the jury that it should not worry about the absence of Hood's DNA from K.H. because "every woman's body will handle DNA differently."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">On appeal, Hood maintained jurors should have heard the whole story.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">"While his DNA was absent from the swab of K.H.’s external genitalia, three other DNA profiles were found. Presenting that evidence was not an invasion of (K.H.’s) privacy. It was the truth," wrote public defender Casey Mark Klekas. "The State doesn’t have a right to mislead the jury so it can get a conviction."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The Court of Appeals panel agreed with him. Brown observed Herron's primary justification for excluding the DNA evidence — the rape shield law — was wrong. That K.H. had DNA on her from three other sources did not necessarily mean someone else had sex with her. The point, Brown wrote, was that the absence of Hood's DNA was not as meaningless as prosecutors suggested to the jury. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">"That someone else’s DNA was still present on K.H.’s body undermined the prosecution’s theory that the only reason Hood’s DNA was not detected there was because K.H. showered or her body otherwise naturally expelled it," she explained.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The excluded information likely affected the outcome, the panel concluded, because there was virtually no physical evidence linking Hood to the alleged assault.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The Court of Appeals ordered a new trial for Hood.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px; text-align: center;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Days before the appellate panel's decision, <a href="https://gazette.com/colorado-watch/colorado-dna-scientist-yvonne-woods-accused-data-manipulation/article_f1527088-dda4-11ee-b2a6-cb48790fd321.html"><span style="color: #1b255e;">news broke</span></a> that a former Colorado Bureau of Investigation DNA scientist, Yvonne "Missy" Woods, tampered with DNA results and called into question the evidence in more than 1,000 criminal convictions. Although a bureau analyst testified at Hood's trial, it was unclear if the witness was Woods or if she had any connection to the case.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The 18th Judicial District Attorney's Office did not immediately know about any effect Woods' misconduct had on Hood's prosecution.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The case is <i>People v. Hood."</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #131313; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><a href="https://www.coloradopolitics.com/courts/douglas-county-judge-let-prosecutors-present-misleading-evidence-of-sex-assault-appeals-court-rules/article_25b7a10c-e30b-11ee-8e1d-27774cf0f899.html">https://www.coloradopolitics.com/courts/douglas-county-judge-let-prosecutors-present-misleading-evidence-of-sex-assault-appeals-court-rules/article_25b7a10c-e30b-11ee-8e1d-27774cf0f899.html</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2596961884314651815" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">---------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-25969618843146518152024-03-17T00:30:00.000-04:002024-03-17T00:30:00.231-04:00Steven Avery: Bulletin: (Wisconsin): He is requesting new scientific evidence in the Teresa Halbach case, WLUK (Reporter Brian Kerhin) reports…"Avery is serving a life sentence for the 2005 murder of Halbach, a freelance photographer. Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey was also convicted. Their cases received worldwide attention with the 2015 release of the Netflix series "Making A Murderer." The 11-page motion, filed Thursday, asks for testing for “touch DNA evidence in the vehicle.”<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-variant-caps: normal;"><br /></i></p><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-variant-caps: normal;">PASSAGE OF THE DAY: </i><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">“The untested items of evidence that Mr. Avery requests to conduct testing on are as follows: the driver and passenger seats, the dashboard, the near shift, the steering wheel, the interior and exterior hood latch release, the broken blinker light (Item A15). the hood prop, the battery cable, the battery, the rear cargo area, the interior and exterior cargo door, the lug wrench (Item A16). and the license plate,” the motion states. </span><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">“The touch DNA testing performed on the items described above has the potential of identifying a third-party who may have committed the murder of Ms. Halbach, or in the alternative, has the potential to further implicate Mr. Avery in her murder.”</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">--------------------------------------------------</span></p><div><br /></div><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-variant-caps: normal;">STORY: "Steven Avery requests new scientific tests on car evidence in Teresa Halbach </i><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(15, 15, 15);"><i>case," by Reporter Brian Kerhin, published by Fox 11 News, on March 15, 2024.</i></span></span></p><p style="background-color: #e9e9e9; color: #6d6d6d; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 24px;"><b></b><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">by Brian Kerhin, FOX 11 NewsFri, March 15th 2024 at 9:10 AM</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GIST: "<span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-size: 18px;">MANITOWOC (WLUK) -</span><a href="https://fox11online.com/news/local/steven-avery-files-new-appeal-for-conviction-in-teresa-halbach-murder-brendan-dassey-making-a-murderer-angela-sutkiewicz-trial-evidentiary-hearing-netflix-kathleen-zellner-supreme-court" style="font-size: 18px;"><span style="color: #ae0004;"> Steven Avery has filed a new motion</span></a><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-size: 18px;">, seeking scientific testing relating to evidence in the car of murder victim Teresa Halbach.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0f0f0f; font-size: 18px;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Avery is <a href="https://fox11online.com/news/crime/wisconsin-supreme-court-denies-steven-averys-latest-appeal-making-a-murderer"><span style="color: #ae0004;">serving a life sentence</span></a> for the 2005 murder of Halbach, a freelance photographer. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;"><a href="https://fox11online.com/news/local/supreme-court-declines-to-hear-making-a-murderer-case"><span style="color: #ae0004;">Avery's nephew Brendan Dassey</span></a> was also convicted. Their cases received worldwide attention with the <a href="https://fox11online.com/news/local/lakeshore/making-a-murderer-creates-buzz-threats-for-avery-prosecutor"><span style="color: #ae0004;">2015 release of the Netflix series "Making A Murderer."</span></a></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">The 11-page motion, filed Thursday, asks for testing for “touch DNA evidence in the vehicle.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #ae0004; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 11px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">“The untested items of evidence that Mr. Avery requests to conduct testing on are as follows: the driver and passenger seats, the dashboard, the near shift, the steering wheel, the interior and exterior hood latch release, the broken blinker light (Item A15). the hood prop, the battery cable, the battery, the rear cargo area, the interior and exterior cargo door, the lug wrench (Item A16). and the license plate,” the motion states. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">“The touch DNA testing performed on the items described above has the potential of identifying a third-party who may have committed the murder of Ms. Halbach, or in the alternative, has the potential to further implicate Mr. Avery in her murder.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Avery’s attorneys contend this testing would be allowed under a 2007 order by the judge who was then handling the case, and this type of testing has not been requested previously.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Prosecutors have not responded to the motion.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">The new motion is in addition to an appeal pending before the state appeals court. In that case, Avery's attorney<a href="https://fox11online.com/news/crime/steven-avery-teresa-halbach-making-a-murderer-case-manitowoc-county-brendan-dassey-new-trial-motion-judge-angela-sutkiewicz"><span style="color: #ae0004;"> is appealing a ruling denying him a new trial </span></a>or hearing on claims there is an alternate suspect actually responsible for Halbach's death.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Prosecutors have a deadline next month to file their reply brief in that proceeding. It will likely be several months before a decision is published.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Dassey has no appeals pending. His latest appeal was rejected by the U.S. Supreme Court in 2018."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://fox11online.com/news/local/steven-avery-requests-new-scientific-tests-on-car-evidence-in-teresa-halbach-case-manitowoc-county-brendan-dassey-dna-making-a-murderer-kathleen-zelner">https://fox11online.com/news/local/steven-avery-requests-new-scientific-tests-on-car-evidence-in-teresa-halbach-case-manitowoc-county-brendan-dassey-dna-making-a-murderer-kathleen-zelner</a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">---------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-91535128038734856972024-03-16T01:00:00.002-04:002024-03-16T09:04:33.983-04:00Chester Weger: Illinois: Starved Rock State Park: Bulletin: His team is confident that DNA evidence will exonerate him, WLPO (Reporter Tom Henson) reports… "As the clock ticks down toward his next courtroom appearance, the man who admitted to killing a female hiker at Starved Rock State Park more than 60 years ago continues to claim his innocence…"Chester Weger was paroled from prison in 2020 after confessing to killing Lillian Oetting, one of three women found murdered in 1960 in a canyon at Starved Rock State Park. He later recanted that confession and is now trying to get his conviction vacated. Weger is scheduled to appear at a status hearing in about a month."<div><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">About a month ago, WLPO reported that prosecutors fighting Weger's effort to now claim innocence had been working on a motion to dismiss. </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">Weger's legal team has speculated that a hair found on another victim's glove belonged to another person. </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">Attorney Andy Hale says the hair belongs to one of three brothers, each of whom was at least 60 at the time of the murders. </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">According to the News Tribune, the three brothers were Leo Bray, Charles Bray, and Edward Bray. </span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">Attorney Hale has said that the discovery of the other person's hair is powerful evidence of Weger's innocence."</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52);">——————————————————————————</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">Hale has thus far avoided addressing a key question: How is another man's hair on another woman's glove proof that Weger didn't kill the woman he admitted to murdering?"</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: #343434; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); color: #343434; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">STORY: "Weger Team Confident DNA Evidence Exonerates Confessed Murderer," by Reporter Tom Henson, published by WLPO, on March 12, 2024.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white;"><span>GIST: "</span><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial;">As the clock ticks down toward his next courtroom appearance, the man who admitted to killing a female hiker at Starved Rock State Park more than 60 years ago continues to claim his innocence.</span></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div><div>
<p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Chester Weger was paroled from prison in 2020 after confessing to killing Lillian Oetting, one of three women found murdered in 1960 in a canyon at Starved Rock State Park.</span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> He later recanted that confession and is now trying to get his conviction vacated.</span></p>
<p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Weger is scheduled to appear at a status hearing in about a month.</span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> About a month ago, WLPO reported that prosecutors fighting Weger's effort to now claim innocence had been working on a motion to dismiss.</span></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 12px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><a href="https://adclick.g.doubleclick.net/aclk?sa=l&ai=CxVON5Qv1ZemrK8fk0_wPjo-MsAehmrmRbdP0iq3-CIzAtauuARABINWJkxZg_aCZgegDoAGnl6rVA8gBCakCunUcZgLGqD7gAgCoAwHIAwqqBLoDT9DRXXSqF5NTMQHJhNIZEm3MiskisnNf2gnZxln0EvEIfnVwzzm1Ck_I0iidnk4wiIFLj2nBxerWWzcpQEDkIEF1f94Q4U45aqx_xyIFJq7faSBzdgJ2p9t6XHh8yhGzh1hXeYNjwaoaJ-LAv23yooqnm0PHO8zPMuU9BiUtf5pVIGdScES6S2zGgupv3EUofh-OwgbZaQ_yO374rfNvL3Qj4r31AQsWMWzrwjrvz0luEdRohTXdzYMSAZAGkaHCMpHoyVR7rpTdcFNEH7jTWOHUNcy22GkdTnIg3YUscw_e9VSr2p_3ixLIuWIoMNNSfgSXZOn_hHtpLZKcLOJ9xxRi9GispGwUaAUGuCmYNwSwS3LpvoutRUrgxSv1X2qkERhXu8vPc0UyCm4JrSujUIOZ_aDXQSQICZNaJadCg-gJH0DElAi_1EYWmC-I8mrLOK-_Y2V0CLVIXxl7nBq9YiVKPQU3QETF4PayR0QMrGjQ-5dVTgqMr_1_FpBcMektGz49pEZuMkLIIdp-Q7-sCate8YAdQ9K93-uSZfbitBhKEsBl46o627g0Fs4Yla18lm4l9Rubz-Xr08AE26PNvPQB4AQBiAXuzqOmBqAGLoAHwejVKqgH2baxAqgHr76xAqgH1ckbqAemvhuoB47OG6gHk9gbqAfulrECqAf-nrECqAeaBqgH89EbqAeW2BuoB6qbsQKoB4OtsQKoB-C9sQKoB_-esQKoB9-fsQLYBwDSCCQIgGEQARgdMgKKAjoJgECAwICAgKAoSL39wTpY-fml5uX3hAPyCBthZHgtc3Vic3luLTU1Nzc1NDc5NTg4MDQ5NDKxCXvQUzN813gYgAoDmAsByAsBgAwBqg0CQ0HIDQHiDRMI5aWm5uX3hAMVR_KUCR2OBwN2uBPkA9gTDYgUB9AVAZgWAfgWAYAXAbIYCRICkk8YLiIBAA&ae=2&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIqbKn5uX3hAMVR_KUCR2OBwN2EAEYASAAEgJQTPD_BwE&num=1&cid=CAQSTgB7FLtqjIEiJV5W60P3y7v7VmpAP8zan7-CZrDWP-6yyQM5vlFOQ2jUWgTBwDya1wJLkcI6-ka-xrnXsGbiWt4aMtmm9HG4Xxuafv7gVhgB&sig=AOD64_0QneLq1kAFM0huObMt7pxKivSZxA&client=ca-pub-4807561457669996&rf=4&nb=9&adurl=https://www.sunnidaleboardingkennels.com/"></a></span></p>
<p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Weger's legal team has speculated that a hair found on another victim's glove belonged to another person. </span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Attorney Andy Hale says the hair belongs to one of three brothers, each of whom was at least 60 at the time of the murders.</span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> According to the News Tribune, the three brothers were Leo Bray, Charles Bray, and Edward Bray. </span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Attorney Hale has said that the discovery of the other person's hair is powerful evidence of Weger's innocence.</span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Hale has thus far avoided addressing a key question: How is another man's hair on another woman's glove proof that Weger didn't kill the woman he admitted to murdering?</span></p>
<p style="color: #262626; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 16px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br /></span></p>
<p style="color: #343434; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">The next hearing in the case will be on April 10<span style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;">th</span>.</span></p>
<p style="color: #343434; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> </span></p>
<p style="color: #343434; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"> The entire story can be read at:</span></p><p style="color: #343434; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><br /></span></p><span style="background-color: #f3f3f3;"><a href="https://www.starvedrock.media/wlpo/weger-team-confident-dna-evidence-exonerates-confessed-murderer/article_bfc0f362-dff9-11ee-a461-8ff43aef1931.html">https://www.starvedrock.media/wlpo/weger-team-confident-dna-evidence-exonerates-confessed-murderer/article_bfc0f362-dff9-11ee-a461-8ff43aef1931.html</a><br /></span></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-51173853195084095932024-03-16T00:30:00.103-04:002024-03-16T00:30:00.145-04:00Veteran Miami Prosecutor Michael Von Zamft: Jailhouse informants/prosecutors who cross the line; Major Development: He has resigned - a rare step for a prosecutor - "after a judge found that state investigators manipulated witnesses, including possibly providing conjugal visits to jailhouse informants in exchange for their testimony, in a high-profile death penalty case against a notorious gang leader. During his career Michael Von Zamft has led some of the biggest murder, conspiracy and racketeering cases in the Florida state attorney’s office in Miami and at times served as a trainer and supervisor to younger prosecutors. He resigned this week following a stunning rebuke by the judge, who disqualified him and another prosecutor, Stephen Mitchell, from the resentencing trial of gang leader and convicted murderer Corey Smith. Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson said she found evidence of “witness testimony manipulation” and “severe recklessness” by prosecutors stretching back to the case’s origins 24 years ago and continuing to the present.“The allegations in this claim are like a rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland,” the judge wrote in her 15-page order. “The prosecutors in this case have lost sight of their responsibility, and justice demands their disqualification.”<p><br /></p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">What do police, often jailhouse, informants have to do with forensic science? (I'm glad you asked). Investigative Reporter Pamela Colloff give us a clue when she writes - at the link below - "I’ve wanted to write about jailhouse informants for a long time because they often appear in troubled cases in which the other evidence is weak." That's my experience as will as a criminal lawyer and an observer of criminal justice. Given the reality that jurors - thanks to the CSI effect - are becoming more and more insistent on the need for there to be forensic evidence, it is becoming more and more common for police to rely on shady tactics such as use of police snitches, staging lineups, coercing, inducing, or creating false confessions out of thin air, procuring false eyewitness testimony or concealing exculpatory evidence. "</span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Harold Levy: </span><span style="font-family: Times;">Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></div><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Times;">—————————————————————---</span></p><p>QUOTE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">David Oscar Markus, a Miami defense attorney who has successfully litigated misconduct allegations against federal prosecutors, said the admonishment of the prosecutors is as brave as it is rare. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">“Sadly this is not some isolated incident,” Markus said. “If a defense lawyer had come close to this conduct, he would be in handcuffs and charged with obstruction. But little is done to prosecutors who cross the line.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">-----------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Among the irregularities the judge found was testimony from inmates who said they were granted favors including conjugal visits when they were brought to the Miami Police Department’s Homicide Unit to coordinate their testimony against Smith as state witnesses. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">But the most damaging allegations against Von Zamft came from recordings of his conversations with an inmate in which, in anticipation of the resentencing trial, he discussed arranging jailhouse meetings among several witnesses so they can coordinate their testimony — something Smith’s lawyers were never told, as is required in criminal prosecutions. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">In a 2022 phone call, Von Zamft also discussed sidelining another witness whose version of events had shifted over the years, saying that if she didn’t testify as he wanted, “I will find a way to make her unavailable” and read her previous testimony into the record. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">“On television, Perry Mason, defense attorney extraordinaire, always managed to find the smoking gun at the end of every episode,” the judge wrote of that exchange. “In real life, this happens very rarely. It happened here.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">-----------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">STORY: "Veteran Miami prosecutor quit's after judge's rebuke over conjugal visits for jailhouse informants," by Associated Press Reporter Joshua Goodman, published on March 8, 2024, (Joshua </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Goodman is a Miami-based investigative reporter who writes about the intersection of crime, corruption, drug trafficking and politics in Latin America. He previously spent two decades reporting from South America.)</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white;">GIST: "</span><span color="rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85)" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">A veteran prosecutor in Miami has resigned after a judge found that state investigators manipulated witnesses, including possibly providing conjugal visits to jailhouse informants in exchange for their testimony, in a high-profile death penalty case against a notorious gang leader.</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: rgba(0, 0, 0, 0.85); font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">During his career Michael Von Zamft has led some of the biggest murder, conspiracy and racketeering cases in the Florida state attorney’s office in Miami and at times served as a trainer and supervisor to younger prosecutors.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">He resigned this week following a stunning rebuke by the judge, who disqualified him and another prosecutor, Stephen Mitchell, from the resentencing trial of gang leader and convicted murderer Corey Smith.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Judge Andrea Ricker Wolfson said she found evidence of “witness testimony manipulation” and “severe recklessness” by prosecutors stretching back to the case’s origins 24 years ago and continuing to the present.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">“The allegations in this claim are like a rabbit hole in Alice in Wonderland,” the judge wrote in her 15-page order. “The prosecutors in this case have lost sight of their responsibility, and justice demands their disqualification.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle said Friday that she accepted the resignation of Von Zamft, her colleague of almost 30 years, and reaffirmed her commitment that all prosecutors seek “truth and justice” lawfully and with “honesty, integrity and professionalism.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #145583; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;">Her office did not respond to questions by The Associated Press about whether she had initiated any discipline actions against the prosecution team behind the case or filed a complaint to the Florida Bar.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #145583; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">“I will ask my top litigators to examine every aspect of this case and determine the best path forward,” Rundle said in a statement, in which she also defended the decision to seek the death penalty for Smith. “We are also the voice of the murder victims who cannot speak for themselves.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Von Zamft declined to comment.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Among the irregularities the judge found was testimony from inmates who said they were granted favors including conjugal visits when they were brought to the Miami Police Department’s Homicide Unit to coordinate their testimony against Smith as state witnesses.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">But the most damaging allegations against Von Zamft came from recordings of his conversations with an inmate in which, in anticipation of the resentencing trial, he discussed arranging jailhouse meetings among several witnesses so they can coordinate their testimony — something Smith’s lawyers were never told, as is required in criminal prosecutions.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">In a 2022 phone call, Von Zamft also discussed sidelining another witness whose version of events had shifted over the years, saying that if she didn’t testify as he wanted, “I will find a way to make her unavailable” and read her previous testimony into the record.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">“On television, Perry Mason, defense attorney extraordinaire, always managed to find the smoking gun at the end of every episode,” the judge wrote of that exchange. “In real life, this happens very rarely. It happened here.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">David Oscar Markus, a Miami defense attorney who has successfully litigated misconduct allegations against federal prosecutors, said the admonishment of the prosecutors is as brave as it is rare.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">“Sadly this is not some isolated incident,” Markus said. “If a defense lawyer had come close to this conduct, he would be in handcuffs and charged with obstruction. But little is done to prosecutors who cross the line.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Smith was an alleged leader of what’s known as the John Doe Gang, a drug organization that sold marijuana and crack cocaine in a poor, predominantly Black neighborhood of Miami in the late 1990s.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">His conviction in 2004 in the killing of four individuals was touted at the time as a major victory against gangs and was the culmination of years of federal and state investigations.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Another prosecutor who worked on that case, Bronwyn Miller, was appointed as a judge on the Miami-Dade County Court. She now sits on the Third District Court of Appeal in Florida.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Smith was sentenced to death for two of the killings on the recommendation of a majority of jury members, but in 2017 state law changed to require a unanimous vote in capital punishment cases. As a result the death sentence was vacated.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">Despite her admonishment of the prosecutors, Wolfson rejected Smith’s argument that there is a broader culture of misconduct that should bar Rundle’s office from pressing forward on the case.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">“We cannot help but remain concerned that given the tenure of these attorneys, the issues raised were not unique to them or this case,” Craig Whisenhunt and Allison Miller, attorneys for Smith said in a statement.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"><a href="https://apnews.com/article/miami-prosecutor-resigns-von-zamft-misconduct-27b190eb01588bf083a7e697ae9f8a08">https://apnews.com/article/miami-prosecutor-resigns-von-zamft-misconduct-27b190eb01588bf083a7e697ae9f8a08</a></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6474179720101128451" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7622967230099398944" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><p></p>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-64741797201011284512024-03-15T11:18:00.003-04:002024-03-15T17:13:38.604-04:00Quincy Amerson: North Carolina: (Flawed accident reconstruction/junk science): Exonerated thanks to the Duke Law School Wrongful Convictions Clinic, an accident reconstruction expert called the evidence used to convict Amerson "nothing more than speculation, aided by junk science," and the state's own witness agreed: Duke University: Author Jeannie A. Naujeck…"Amerson was wrongfully convicted in April 2001 for the death of Sharita Rivera, a 7-year-old girl whose body was found lying on a country road in Johnsonville, North Carolina, in the early morning hours of August 7, 1999. By the time police arrived on the scene, the girl’s body had been struck by several vehicles, according to witness reports and court testimony. The girl’s mother, Patrice Rivera, was found stabbed to death at their home several miles away. Police quickly formed a belief that the girl had been hit and killed intentionally, based on their assessment of elements of the scene including blood spray around the child’s body, tire imprints near the road, and the remains of a wheel well liner found a quarter of a mile away. They arrested Amerson, then 24, who lived two houses from the Riveras, after he told police he had driven the same route that evening in his girlfriend’s car. That vehicle was found to have blood and tissue on the underside and was missing a wheel well liner like the one found. No other physical evidence connecting Amerson to the crime was found in either the Riveras’ home or his, and debris from other cars was found at the site."<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>QUOTE OF THE DAY: <span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">“This case illustrates the troubling indifference of prosecutors, including the North Carolina Attorney General, who refuse to address the facts of these cases while blindly defending indefensible conduct by state actors, sometimes for decades, as in Quincy’s case,” Coleman said. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">“Until the public demands more from these elected officials, innocent people will continue to languish in North Carolina prisons solely because the men and women who have the power to free them are indifferent to miscarriages of justice. That is what urgently needs to change.”</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">----------------------------------------------</p><div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">But Amerson was convicted by a Harnett County jury of first-degree murder, based in part on the testimony of a state trooper who conducted an initial accident reconstruction that appeared to be focused solely on Amerson. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">During his investigation, Coleman learned that the jury was never provided with significant evidence showing that the child was accidentally hit on the road after fleeing her home during or after her mother’s murder. Evidence suggested that up to half a dozen different vehicles, two of them the same model as the car Amerson was driving, struck the child’s body over the course of the night, making her death likely a tragic accident, not criminal murder. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">On December 15, 2016, Coleman sent the first of three letters to then-district attorney Vernon K. Stewart and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein asking the state to hire its own credible expert to review the original accident reconstruction report, even offering to share the cost. He never received a reply. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">In January 2020 Coleman hired accident reconstruction expert Shawn Harrington to examine the collision site and the evidence presented at trial. He concluded that the state trooper whose initial reconstruction helped convict Amerson had reached erroneous and far-fetched conclusions unsupported by any legitimate methodology. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;">“His opinions and conclusions are nothing more than speculation aided by junk science,” Harrington said in his report. It is far more likely that the child died after multiple drivers inadvertently struck her on the unlit back road and left the scene, Harrington told </span><a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a41552489/sharita-rivera-quincy-amerson/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #2965a8;">Popular Mechanics</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 14px;"> in a story about the case, calling the trooper’s 1999 reconstruction work “embarrassing.”</span></div><div><br /></div><div>RELEASE: Wrongful Convictions Clinic secures 11th exoneration: Quincy Amerson is free after 23 years, by author Jeannie A. Naujeck, published by the Duke University School of Law.<br /><br />
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f63b2; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">SUB-HEADING: "An accident reconstruction expert called the evidence used to convict Amerson "nothing more than speculation, aided by junk science." The state's own witness agreed."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">GIST: "Quincy Marquies Amerson, a client of the Duke Law School Wrongful Convictions Clinic, walked free late Wednesday for the first time in more than two decades after the clinic presented exculpatory evidence in his 2001 murder conviction and the state dismissed its case.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Amerson, now 49, spent nearly 23 years in prison after being convicted of first-degree murder in the 1999 death of a child in Harnett County and sentenced to life without parole. He was effectively exonerated of the crime on February 16, after a Superior Court judge found that prejudicial evidence and testimony had denied him a fair trial and vacated his conviction and sentence.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">But he had to wait in jail for almost another month until District Attorney Suzanne Matthews signed and filed a dismissal ending the case on March 13.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Amerson was released from the Harnett County Detention Center in Lillington, North Carolina, late Wednesday afternoon. The state didn't give his family or counsel enough notice to witness Amerson's first moment of freedom, but he went home to his parents, who had supported their son throughout his ordeal. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“We are very happy for Quincy and his family. However, there was never any doubt that he was innocent,” said <a href="https://law.duke.edu/fac/colemanj/"><span style="color: #2965a8;">James E. Coleman, Jr.</span></a>, the John S. Bradway Distinguished Professor of the Practice of Law and director of the Wrongful Convictions Clinic, who has been working to exonerate Amerson since 2006.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“When the prosecutor finally had to address the irrefutable facts demonstrating his innocence, she was forced to concede that the evidence on which the State relied to convict Quincy of murder in 2001 was, in the words of her own expert, ‘invalid’ and did not support the conclusion Quincy had killed the young victim.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Amerson spent his first full day of freedom savoring time with family and enjoying the simple pleasure of driving around with his father. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">"I was always optimistic," Amerson told WRAL. "I never gave up hope. I had loved ones who were along for the whole ride."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">He said he passed the time in prison reading, writing, and reaching out to anyone who might be able to help — "anything to keep my mind off of that situation."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Samuel de Sousa Dias Martins Bettini ’24, a member of the most recent team working on the case, noted that Amerson’s release is the culmination of years of effort by Duke Law faculty, students, and alumni.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“While it was extremely frustrating the way the State handled this case from beginning to end, from the initial investigation to the DA's overdue dismissal, we are immensely happy for Quincy and his family,” Bettini said.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“Working on this case has been the most rewarding experience I have had in all these years in law school —and perhaps in my life so far. My hope is that our system can progressively have more prosecutors who are more interested in delivering the truth than winning convictions, more interested in doing what is right than advancing their political agenda.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Daniel Becker ’09, who was one of the first Duke Law students to work on Amerson’s innocence claim and has remained involved with the case since graduating, said he was pleased by the outcome, though it was long delayed. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“It's great to see the tireless work of the clinic and its teams of students paid off, and I am honored to have been a small part of that larger effort. Most importantly, I'm incredibly happy for Quincy and his family,” said Becker.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“This case is a reminder that sometimes the system gets it wrong, creating a serious injustice that takes years to untangle. I’ve been amazed by the dedication of the clinic and its students over the years, and this favorable result is just the latest example of the incredible work the Duke Law Wrongful Convictions Clinic does.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Amerson is the 11th North Carolina man to be exonerated by the clinic since its founding in 2008 by Coleman and Charles S. Rhyne Clinical Professor Emerita of Law <a href="https://law.duke.edu/fac/newman"><span style="color: #2965a8;">Theresa Newman</span></a> ’88.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">The clinic's motto is "We never, never, never give up," and students who go through the clinic call themselves "lifers" for their ongoing commitment to its work after they graduate from Duke Law.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><b>Convicted by "speculation, aided by junk science" </b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Amerson was wrongfully convicted in April 2001 for the death of Sharita Rivera, a 7-year-old girl whose body was found lying on a country road in Johnsonville, North Carolina, in the early morning hours of August 7, 1999. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">By the time police arrived on the scene, the girl’s body had been struck by several vehicles, according to witness reports and court testimony. The girl’s mother, Patrice Rivera, was found stabbed to death at their home several miles away.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Police quickly formed a belief that the girl had been hit and killed intentionally, based on their assessment of elements of the scene including blood spray around the child’s body, tire imprints near the road, and the remains of a wheel well liner found a quarter of a mile away.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">They arrested Amerson, then 24, who lived two houses from the Riveras, after he told police he had driven the same route that evening in his girlfriend’s car. That vehicle was found to have blood and tissue on the underside and was missing a wheel well liner like the one found. No other physical evidence connecting Amerson to the crime was found in either the Riveras’ home or his, and debris from other cars was found at the site.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">But Amerson was convicted by a Harnett County jury of first-degree murder, based in part on the testimony of a state trooper who conducted an initial accident reconstruction that appeared to be focused solely on Amerson.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">During his investigation, Coleman learned that the jury was never provided with significant evidence showing that the child was accidentally hit on the road after fleeing her home during or after her mother’s murder. Evidence suggested that up to half a dozen different vehicles, two of them the same model as the car Amerson was driving, struck the child’s body over the course of the night, making her death likely a tragic accident, not criminal murder.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">On December 15, 2016, Coleman sent the first of three letters to then-district attorney Vernon K. Stewart and North Carolina Attorney General Josh Stein asking the state to hire its own credible expert to review the original accident reconstruction report, even offering to share the cost. He never received a reply.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">In January 2020 Coleman hired accident reconstruction expert Shawn Harrington to examine the collision site and the evidence presented at trial. He concluded that the state trooper whose initial reconstruction helped convict Amerson had reached erroneous and far-fetched conclusions unsupported by any legitimate methodology.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“His opinions and conclusions are nothing more than speculation aided by junk science,” Harrington said in his report. It is far more likely that the child died after multiple drivers inadvertently struck her on the unlit back road and left the scene, Harrington told <a href="https://www.popularmechanics.com/science/a41552489/sharita-rivera-quincy-amerson/"><span style="color: #2965a8;">Popular Mechanics</span></a> in a story about the case, calling the trooper’s 1999 reconstruction work “embarrassing.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Matthews replaced Stewart as Harnett County DA on January 1, 2001. The state eventually did hire its own accident reconstruction expert who essentially reiterated Harrington's findings, testifying in Superior Court on January 17 of this year that the trooper’s conclusions were unsupported and his 1999 reconstruction was invalid. The court found the expert's testimony credible. With that, the state lost evidence “absolutely necessary” to establish probable cause in Amerson's conviction and did not offer any additional evidence to support it.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">In late January, Superior Court Judge C. Winston Gilchrist notified both parties that he would overturn Amerson's conviction. On February 16, he granted Coleman’s Motion for Appropriate Relief, officially vacating Amerson’s conviction and sentence in Sharita Rivera’s death. But Amerson’s freedom was delayed nearly a month longer until the state's dismissal was finally signed by Matthews, district attorney for the 12th prosecutorial district that includes Harnett and Lee counties.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“This case illustrates the troubling indifference of prosecutors, including the North Carolina Attorney General, who refuse to address the facts of these cases while blindly defending indefensible conduct by state actors, sometimes for decades, as in Quincy’s case,” Coleman said.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">“Until the public demands more from these elected officials, innocent people will continue to languish in North Carolina prisons solely because the men and women who have the power to free them are indifferent to miscarriages of justice. That is what urgently needs to change.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">-------------------------------------</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><span style="font-size: medium;"><i>Luke Mears '24 called the outcome "25 years too long" to achieve: </i></span><i>"To steal so much of someone’s life purposelessly and without evidence is just heartbreaking, but we are, of course, happy and relieved with the result," Mears said.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;"><i>---------------------------------</i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">"We are incredibly grateful to Quincy, his family, and his friends for their patience and support as we navigated the frustrations of this case. I will keep this entire experience with me throughout my legal career — both the realities of the legal field and the indifference some people have, but also the lessons learned from having such an incredible mentor in Professor Coleman and working with such incredible people."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 10px;">Becker, now counsel at KPMG where he conducts internal investigations for a large company, said seeing the consequences of the mistakes in Amerson's case has had a profound impact on his work.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I’m acutely aware that I am susceptible, like anyone else, to making a mistake or missing something,” Becker said. “I hope that that awareness, which I owe in large part to my work on this case where mistakes in the investigation led to a tragic result, makes me better at what I do.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #363636; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire release can be read at:</p><br /><a href="https://law.duke.edu/news/wrongful-convictions-clinic-secures-11th-exoneration-quincy-amerson-free-after-23-years">https://law.duke.edu/news/wrongful-convictions-clinic-secures-11th-exoneration-quincy-amerson-free-after-23-years</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7622967230099398944" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-76229672300993989442024-03-15T01:00:00.005-04:002024-03-15T08:27:40.850-04:00Garrett Coughlin: Colorado: Bulletin: His murder retrial has been postponed due to an investigation into beleaguered DNA analyst Yvonne "Missy" Woods: News9, (Reporter Kelly Reinke) reports…"A review at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation found scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods manipulated data in more than 650 cases. This triple homicide is one of them. The trial against Garrett Coughlin, now 31 years old, was supposed to start in April. A judge rescheduled it for July. Coughlin was 24 years old when he was arrested in 2017 for shooting and killing three people in Coal Creek Canyon. The victims were Wallace White, his wife Kelly Sloat-White, and his brother Emory Fraker. Coughlin was found guilty in 2019, but the conviction was tossed out in 2020 due to misconduct by two jurors. Court documents say during an internal affairs investigation into Woods at CBI in late 2023, prosecutors in Boulder County learned there were anomalies in her work on Coughlin's case."<p><br /></p><p>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">Coughlin was found guilty in 2019, but the conviction was tossed out in 2020 due to misconduct by two jurors. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">Court documents say during an internal affairs investigation into Woods at CBI in late 2023, prosecutors in Boulder County learned there were anomalies in her work on Coughlin's case. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">A judge on Wednesday said a representative from CBI has retested the evidence. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">The prosecution said the reported anomalies did not impact the findings. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">Defense attorneys for Coughlin don't trust that and expressed interest in doing more testing, which could take two months to complete. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">A defense attorney also told the judge they want time to review CBI's 94-page report on the internal affairs investigation. Prosecutors are getting a copy of the report too. It is not available to the public."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">———————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;">STORY: "Murder retrial postponed due to investigation into the DNA analyst," by Reporter Kelly Reinke, published by 9News, on March 13, 2024.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GIST: Garrett Coughlin was accused of shooting and killing three people in Coal Creek Canyon. He was found guilty in 2019, but the conviction was tossed out in 2020.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GIST: "A retrial in a 2017 triple homicide in Boulder County has been pushed back several months because the DNA analyst on the case is under investigation. </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0b4997;"><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/colorado-dna-analyst-manipulated-results-internal-investigation/73-9d7dac10-23b5-44c2-a30e-3d72fb12f2f1">A review at the Colorado Bureau of Investigation found</a></span> scientist Yvonne "Missy" Woods manipulated data in more than 650 cases. This triple homicide is one of them. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The trial against Garrett Coughlin, now 31 years old, was supposed to start in April. A judge rescheduled it for July. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Coughlin was 24 years old when he was arrested in 2017 for shooting and killing three people in Coal Creek Canyon. The victims were Wallace White, his wife Kelly Sloat-White, and his brother Emory Fraker. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Coughlin was found guilty in 2019, but the conviction was tossed out in 2020 due to misconduct by two jurors. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Court documents say during an internal affairs investigation into Woods at CBI in late 2023, prosecutors in Boulder County learned there were anomalies in her work on Coughlin's case.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A judge on Wednesday said a representative from CBI has retested the evidence.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The prosecution said the reported anomalies did not impact the findings. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Defense attorneys for Coughlin don't trust that and expressed interest in doing more testing, which could take two months to complete. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A defense attorney also told the judge they want time to review CBI's 94-page report on the internal affairs investigation. Prosecutors are getting a copy of the report too. It is not available to the public. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Attorneys had to fight for this report. In a rare move, the district attorney's office subpoenaed CBI to hand over the report."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at: </p><p><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/murder-trial-in-boulder-county-postponed-investigation-into-dna-analyst-cbi/73-fa4330d6-594a-4ec8-9d37-781145f9341a">https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/murder-trial-in-boulder-county-postponed-investigation-into-dna-analyst-cbi/73-fa4330d6-594a-4ec8-9d37-781145f9341a</a></p><p><br /></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 13px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-58814440202098478962024-03-15T00:30:00.151-04:002024-03-15T00:30:00.142-04:00Beleaguered Queensland DNA lab fiasco: Networked Knowledge Media Report: 'The Australian' story by reporters David Murray and Hedley Thomas reveals how a document described as a “fact sheet” misled dozens of scientists and Queensland Health on the eve of the launch of a DNA testing system that was doomed to fail and became, what is described in the story as 'the world’s biggest forensics disaster.'…"This key document, discovered as part of investigations by the second commission of inquiry into Queensland’s DNA fiasco, was not the subject of any findings by the inquiry’s commissioner, Annabelle Bennett SC, and barely featured during public hearings in which scientists were questioned. The “fact sheet” sent to staff by then-managing scientist Vanessa Ientile just days before the new robotic system was launched in October 2007 falsely claimed it generated “higher yields” of DNA than the manual method in use. The lab was rushing to launch the automated system to deal with testing backlogs that were causing the state government to come under fire from the courts, the opposition and the public."<p><br /></p><p>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">Scientists responsible for implementing the system knew at the time that it was failing to recover DNA, and there had been warnings internally that it was not ready to go live because yields were too low. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">Independent forensic biologist Kirsty Wright said reporting scientists in </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">the lab who were sent the document were deceived by its claims that the new system was exceptional at recovering DNA. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">Those scientists had gone on to provide false and misleading information to courts in criminal cases, Dr Wright said. “I believe this is the most crucial document in the inquiry. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;"> It shows fake data was presented to the lab in a ‘fact sheet’. It shows deception,” she said. “This document proves it was introduced by lies.”</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">-----------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p>STORY: Networked Knowledge Media Report: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">2023 DNA lab’s fake facts key 'proof of its lies," by David Murray and Hedley Thomas: The </span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;">Australian; Published on November 24, 2024." (From Networked Knowledge DNA Inquiry Homepage);</span></p><p>GIST: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">A document described as a “fact sheet” misled dozens of scientists and Queensland Health on </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">the eve of the launch of a DNA testing system that was doomed to fail and became the </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">world’s biggest forensics disaster.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This key document, discovered as part of investigations by the second commission of inquiry into Queensland’s DNA fiasco, was not the subject of any findings by the inquiry’s commissioner, Annabelle Bennett SC, and barely featured during public hearings in which scientists were questioned.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The “fact sheet” sent to staff by then-managing scientist Vanessa Ientile just days before the new robotic system was launched in October 2007 falsely claimed it generated “higher yields” of DNA than the manual method in use. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The lab was rushing to launch the automated system to deal with testing backlogs that were causing the state government to come under fire from the courts, the opposition and the public.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">An accompanying graph in the document purported to present proof that the new automated system was vastly superior at recovering DNA from samples. The document used different data that presented a factually wrong but seemingly superior set of results.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Scientists responsible for implementing the system knew at the time that it was failing to recover DNA, and there had been warnings internally that it was not ready to go live because yields were too low. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Independent forensic biologist Kirsty Wright said reporting scientists in</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">the lab who were sent the document were deceived by its claims that the new system was exceptional at recovering DNA.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Those scientists had gone on to provide false and misleading information to courts in criminal cases, Dr Wright said. “I believe this is the most crucial document in the inquiry.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> It shows fake data was presented to the lab in a ‘fact sheet’. It shows deception,” she said. “This document proves it was introduced by lies.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The document and associated emails were provided to retired Federal Court judge Dr Bennett as part of her $2.5m six-week inquiry into the failed testing system but were not mentioned in her final report this week. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Criminals may have evaded justice in nine years of cases that the “fatally flawed” system was in use, in a devastating blow to victims of crime, the inquiry</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">found.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">No one was held responsible, with Dr Bennett blaming governance failures in the lab and finding there was no evidence that scientists engaged in deliberate misconduct. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The second commission of inquiry followed retired judge Walter Sofronoff KC’s original inquiry into the lab last year.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The inquiries were launched as a result of Dr Wright’s investigations with The Australian’s podcasts Shandee’s Story and Shandee’s Legacy. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">What scientists in the lab were seeing in the “fact sheet” were results from the manual DNA IQ method, not the automated method that was about to be launched. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">While the manual method had been found to work well, the</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">automated method was failing to recover DNA in the hands of the lab.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The senior scientist leading the automation project, Tom Nurthen, told the inquiry he was concerned in 2007 that the new robotic system was not ready to go live because yields were too low. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He said he raised these concerns with Ms Ientile in project update meetings on October 9 and October 16, 2007.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Minutes of the second meeting record a decision to implement the system and then</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“optimise”, or fix it, later.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">On October 24, 2007, Ms Ientile emailed staff the “fact sheet” that</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">falsely claimed the new automated system generated “higher yields” of DNA.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One member of the automation group, scientist Vojtech Hlinka, emailed Ms Ientile just eight minutes later, telling her it was “slightly misleading” because the yields presented were from a manual method not the automated method. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“This data has not been shown and it may arouse some questions when we do start getting results that are not significantly better in yield,” Mr Hlinka wrote.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Ms Ientile forwarded the reply to Mr Nurthen the same day. “For you to deal with please,” she wrote.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The new system was launched on October 27, 2007.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">There was no evidence the problems it had recovering DNA were ever resolved before it ceased being used in 2016, Dr Bennett found. Dr Wright said she expected the document to be a key line of questioning at the inquiry but that did not eventuate.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“This is not consistent with the conclusions of the commission of inquiry report, that the scientists involved were doing the best they could at the time, and the method was only introduced because there was lack of quality assurance,” Dr Wright said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">If reporting scientists had been shown the system’s real results “there is no way they would take them to court or let the method be introduced”, Dr Wright said. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Iman Muharam, Ms. (sic) <span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">Ientile and</span> Mr Nurthen are named on the fact sheet as authors. They deny any wrongdoing."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="http://netk.net.au/DNA/DNA54.pdf">http://netk.net.au/DNA/DNA54.pdf</a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-8903862538013326552024-03-14T15:49:00.003-04:002024-03-14T18:34:48.673-04:00Jacques Deslisle: Quebec: (Major Development): Bulletin: The former Quebec Court of Appeal Judge pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his wife, The CBC (Reporter Rachel Watts) reports, noting that Delisle and his prosecutors "disagreed" on the facts."…The prosecutors took the position that manslaughter was the appropriate charge to plead to because, "an assisted suicide did not happen." The former judge's lawyers contended that a plea to "assisting suicide" was more appropriate. In the end, the prosecutors prevailed, and Delisle was given a sentence which amounted to one day in jail, of which only a few hours were served…"Delisle wants everything to end today," said his lawyer, Jacques Larochelle. Larochelle said while they agreed to the plea, parties disagreed on the facts, as the Crown maintained that Delisle took an active part in the death of his wife. Taking into consideration that Delisle served eight years and 310 days in prison, his lawyers have agreed to the Crown's request that Delisle spend one more day incarcerated.<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: Of particular interest to this Blog: "<span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px;">After spending nearly nine years in prison, he was then awarded another trial when the federal justice minister, David Lametti, said that a "miscarriage of justice likely occurred" in part because one of the Crown's experts </span><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/jacques-delisle-1.5978415" style="color: #aa77aa; font-size: 16px; text-decoration: none;"><span style="color: #0938bc;">made serious mistakes</span></a><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26); color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px;"> in the original pathology report that led to Delisle's conviction."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">QUOTE OF THE DAY: <span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px;">Criminal defence lawyer Rénald Beaudry: who was at the court house on Thursday. "He was pleased to witness the end of what has been a long legal battle. </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px;">"Even members of the public were starting to say 'leave him alone, he's 88 years old, [he spent] nine years in prison, so we can move on.' So I suppose that also weighed on the prosecution," said Beaudry. </span><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px;">"There's no winner, not the family, not the prosecution. The only winner is the legal system, which has finally found a solution after 15 years. It's been very long, it's been very costly."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-size: 16px;">------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-family: "Stag Medium", Trebuchet; font-size: small;">STORY: "Former Quebec judge </span><span style="font-family: "Stag Medium", Trebuchet;">pleads guilty to manslaughter in the death of his wife," by Reporter Rachel Watts, published by CBC News, on March 14, 2023. (</span><span style="caret-color: rgb(9, 56, 188); color: #0938bc; font-size: 16px;">Rachel Watts is a journalist with CBC News in Quebec City.)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><span style="font-size: small;">SUB-HEADING: "</span><span face=""Open Sans", sans-serif">Delisle handcuffed and sentenced to 1 additional day in jail."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">GIST: "After nearly 15 years of legal battles, Jacques Delisle, a former judge on the Quebec Court of Appeal, has pleaded guilty to manslaughter in the death of his wife.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Appearing in a Quebec City court room on Thursday wearing a mask, Delisle approached the stand and accepted the plea.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"Delisle wants everything to end today," said his lawyer, Jacques Larochelle.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Larochelle said while they agreed to the plea, parties disagreed on the facts, as the Crown maintained that Delisle took an active part in the death of his wife.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Taking into consideration that Delisle served eight years and 310 days in prison, his lawyers have agreed to the Crown's request that Delisle spend one more day incarcerated. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Following a pause, the judge sentenced Delisle to one day in jail, saying that it ensures that the time he already served can be taken into consideration in his sentence. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Delisle hobbled out of the room and muttered "oh no" as he was handcuffed by police.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Speaking with reporters, Larochelle clarified that although Delisle is sentenced to one day in jail, he will only serve a few hours and will be released later today.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 21.6px;"><i>'This case, somewhere, sometime, has to come to an end': Crown </i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Larochelle said he initially suggested a charge of assisting suicide, which he thought was more appropriate, but he says it was not accepted "for reasons that are beyond my comprehension." </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"In the end, it comes to the same result," said Larochelle. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"There is not this cloud over him anymore, that's certainly a relief."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Noah Weisbord, associate professor of criminal law at McGill University, says aiding someone to commit suicide is illegal in Canada but "doesn't have the moral opprobrium that manslaughter does."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"Assisted suicide has less of a stigma, so it looks like you're doing something that's somewhat justifiable ... If the person really was in pain, for example," said Weisbord. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Crown prosecutor François Godin said he accepted the manslaughter plea but would not accept the plea of assisted suicide because he says "that's not what happened." </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"We still believe Mr. Delisle would have been found of first-degree murder if he would have stood trial," said Godin. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"This case, somewhere, sometime, has to come to an end. It's been 15 years, he spent almost nine years in prison, 88 years old. We do not believe he would have been able to stand trial." </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 21.6px;"><i>'There's no winner,' says criminal defence lawyer</i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Criminal defence lawyer Rénald Beaudry, who was at the court house on Thursday, agrees. He was pleased to witness the end of what has been a long legal battle.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"Even members of the public were starting to say 'leave him alone, he's 88 years old, [he spent] nine years in prison, so we can move on.' So I suppose that also weighed on the prosecution," said Beaudry. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">"There's no winner, not the family, not the prosecution. The only winner is the legal system, which has finally found a solution after 15 years. It's been very long, it's been very costly."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 21.6px;"><i>Delisle was ordered new trial after nearly 9 years in prison </i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">In his first trial in 2012, he was convicted of the first-degree murder of his wife, 71-year-old Marie Nicole Rainville, who died in 2009.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Rainville, who had been partially paralyzed due to a stroke, died of a gunshot to the head. Delisle's first trial hinged on detailed forensic analysis over whether she had taken her own life or he had killed her.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Delisle, now 88, said he gave her the gun, but he denied shooting her. Delisle had maintained his innocence.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">After spending nearly nine years in prison, he was then awarded another trial when the federal justice minister, David Lametti, said that a "miscarriage of justice likely occurred" in part because one of the Crown's experts <a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/jacques-delisle-1.5978415"><span style="color: #0938bc;">made serious mistakes</span></a> in the original pathology report that led to Delisle's conviction.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">Delisle's second trial was also plagued by delays. He was first awarded a stay of proceedings in 2022 by a Quebec Superior Court judge, but then ordered to go ahead with the trial when the Quebec Court of Appeal overturned that decision. He has been walking free awaiting a decision on the second trial.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 28px;">The Supreme Court of Canada was slated to announce whether it would hear the case on Thursday, but on Wednesday, the supreme court withdrew the case following a discontinuance notice by Delisle's team.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 9.6px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><p><a href="https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/montreal/delisle-judge-wife-death-guilty-plea-manslaughter-1.7143502">delisle-judge-wife-death-guilty-plea-manslaughter-1.7143502</a></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-49468042228191567252024-03-14T09:29:00.002-04:002024-03-14T09:29:50.183-04:00Beleaguered Colorado crime lab: Tim Cushing of 'Techdirt' - one of my favourite analysts of forensic science (and many other areas of science and technology) gone wrong, digs into what appears to be the latest potentially massive American crime lab scandal, in a commentary headed, "Investigation: ‘Gold Standard’ Of Evidence Turned To Pyrite By Colorado Crime Lab Employee,' which he says comes from Techdirt's 'looks-like-law-enforcement-can't-be-trusted-to-handle-evidence dept.'…These weren’t the actions of a new hire who simply didn’t know what they were doing or thought the real purpose of their employment was to support whatever investigators suggested would be the proper conclusion. Yvonne Woods worked for the CBI’s crime lab for nearly 30 years before her malfeasance was uncovered. And this isn’t even all of it. What’s detailed above only covers half her career. Another investigation is underway to look into the details of her first 15 years of employment by the state."<div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">As for Woods, her lawyer insists this was nothing more than a bit of incomplete paperwork. Attorney Ryan Brackey claims Woods “never created or reported any false inculpatory DNA matches or exclusions.” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">Maybe so, but that’s not what the CBI’s investigation (performed in conjunction with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation) determined. </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">The agency said its forensics team discovered Woods deleted and altered data that served to conceal evidence of her tampering as well as her failure to “troubleshoot issues within the testing process.” The agency said Woods’ manipulations “appear to have been the result of intentional conduct.” </i><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">This says something else. It says tampered evidence made its way into court and that evidence of this tampering was covered up by the forensic scientist. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">Woods’ attorney also claims she never “testified falsely” in any hearing or trial that resulted in a false conviction or wrongful imprisonment. And, sure, this could possibly be true. But if the state’s Bureau of Investigation has already found 15 years of wrongdoing (and is currently digging into the other 15 years), the only way this assertion could be considered true at this point is if Woods </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">never</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;"> offered testimony during criminal proceedings. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">And that’s obviously not the case."</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">———————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "One lawsuit naming Woods as part of the chain of events leading to the wrongful imprisonment of a man has been filed. With the results of the first half of the CBI’s investigation being made public — along with the date range and approximate number of cases affected — there will certainly be more to follow. DNA’s only as good as the people examining it and the processes they follow. In the case of Woods and the CBI crime lab, this evidence doesn’t even begin to approach anything considered to be a “gold standard.” Instead, it’s just one thing to be manipulated in favor of law enforcement or, at best, something to be handled as carelessly as routine clerical busywork."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">----------------------------------------------------------------------</p><div><br /></div><div>COMMENTARY: "Investigation: 'Gold Standard' Of Evidence Turned To Pyrite By Colorado Crime Lab Employee, by Tim Cushing, published by Techdirt, on March 11, 2024. From Techdirt's </div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"> <i>looks-like-law-enforcement-can't-be-trusted-to-handle-evidence</i> dept.</span></div><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #343434; font-family: Georgia;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(52, 52, 52); font-size: 12.3px;"><b>GIST: "</b></span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;">Law enforcement investigators and prosecutors have </span><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2016/09/23/doj-tells-forensic-experts-to-stop-overstating-scientific-certainty-presented-evidence/" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>overwhelmingly embraced</b></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;"> plenty of pseudoscience over the years, treating everything from bite marks to </span><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20130723/00563923895/dojfbi-admit-they-may-have-abused-hair-analysis-to-convict-hundreds-to-thousands-innocent-people.shtml" style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>hair samples</b></span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-size: 14px;"> as conclusive evidence capable of singling out guilty parties.</span></div><div><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Trebuchet MS;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38); font-size: 14px;"><br /></span></span>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Most claims were specious, <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2015/04/20/report-nearly-every-fbi-forensics-expert-gave-flawed-testimony-almost-all-trials-over-20-year-period/"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>backed only by “expert” statements</b></span></a> from law enforcement crime lab employees solely interested in confirming prevailing law enforcement theories. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And that’s when things are on the up and up. In multiple cases, forensic scientists and other crime lab employees <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2020/11/24/another-drug-lab-scandal-one-that-took-kids-their-parents-ends-prison-time/"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>have faked tests</b></span></a> and <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2018/04/10/more-drug-lab-misconduct-results-massachusetts-court-tossing-nearly-12000-convictions/"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>falsified evidence</b></span></a> to cover up everything from laziness to their own illegal drub habits.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">DNA has long been considered the evidence no one can question. But it’s far from fallible. DNA indicates little more than something exists where other people exists. DNA is prone to cross-contamination — something that led law enforcement on a <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phantom_of_Heilbronn"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>years-long pursuit of a nonexistent serial killer</b></span></a> before investigators realized the DNA found at multiple crime scenes was actually that of the person packing the swabs investigators used when examining crime scenes.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Multiple factors make DNA <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/articles/20180424/06201439696/innocent-man-charged-with-murder-because-his-dna-was-found-fingernails-victim-whom-he-had-never-met.shtml"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>far less reliable</b></span></a> than it’s portrayed in popular media. DNA can be taken from one scene and deposited at another. <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2019/10/30/federal-court-says-touch-dna-analysis-is-mostly-guesswork-that-cant-be-used-as-evidence/"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>Exclusion-focused tests</b></span></a> can result in false positives simply by deciding the most common DNA at the site is an indicator of guilt. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The lack of <a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2018/09/27/study-buried-four-years-shows-crime-lab-dna-testing-is-severely-flawed/"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>rigorous, consistent standards</b></span></a> across all law enforcement agencies means a lot of so-called “evidence” derived from DNA at crime scenes is mostly the result of a forensic examiner’s interpretation of the data, rather than an empirical conclusion based on standardized best practices.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Then there’s things like this, where whatever value DNA evidence might have had was destroyed by lab misconduct, <a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/03/09/us/colorado-bureau-of-investigation-data-scientist-manipulation-case/index.html"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b>as Emma Tucker and Andi Babineau report for CNN</b></span></a>.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>A now-former forensic scientist with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) manipulated or omitted DNA test results in hundreds of cases, an internal affairs investigation found, which prompted a full review of her work during her nearly 30-year career at the agency.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The CBI </i><a href="https://cbi.colorado.gov/news-article/colorado-bureau-of-investigation-releases-findings-from-internal-affairs-probe-into"><span style="color: #163d7c;"><b><i>released the findings</i></b></span></a><i> of the investigation into Yvonne “Missy” Woods Friday, which concluded Woods’ handling of DNA testing data affected 652 cases between 2008 and 2023, including posting incomplete results in some cases. A review of her work from 1994 to 2008 is also underway, according to the CBI.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>“This discovery puts all of her work in question, and CBI is in the process of reviewing all her previous work for data manipulation to ensure the integrity of all CBI laboratory results,” the agency said. “CBI brought in third-party investigative resources to protect the integrity of the inquiry.”</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">These weren’t the actions of a new hire who simply didn’t know what they were doing or thought the real purpose of their employment was to support whatever investigators suggested would be the proper conclusion. Yvonne Woods worked for the CBI’s crime lab for nearly 30 <i>years</i> before her malfeasance was uncovered.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And this isn’t even all of it. What’s detailed above only covers half her career. Another investigation is underway to look into the details of her first 15 years of employment by the state.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">As for Woods, her lawyer insists this was nothing more than a bit of incomplete paperwork. Attorney Ryan Brackey claims Woods “never created or reported any false inculpatory DNA matches or exclusions.” </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Maybe so, but that’s not what the CBI’s investigation (performed in conjunction with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation) determined.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>The agency said its forensics team discovered Woods deleted and altered data that served to conceal evidence of her tampering as well as her failure to “troubleshoot issues within the testing process.” The agency said Woods’ manipulations “appear to have been the result of intentional conduct.”</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This says something else. It says tampered evidence made its way into court and that evidence of this tampering was covered up by the forensic scientist.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Woods’ attorney also claims she never “testified falsely” in any hearing or trial that resulted in a false conviction or wrongful imprisonment. And, sure, this could possibly be true. But if the state’s Bureau of Investigation has already found 15 years of wrongdoing (and is currently digging into the other 15 years), the only way this assertion could be considered true at this point is if Woods <i>never</i> offered testimony during criminal proceedings.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And that’s obviously not the case:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i>Boulder District Attorney Michael Dougherty told CNN in a statement his office has identified 15 open cases and 55 closed cases in which Woods has testified as a witness.</i></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><i><br /></i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One lawsuit naming Woods as part of the chain of events leading to the wrongful imprisonment of a man has been filed. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With the results of the first half of the CBI’s investigation being made public — along with the date range and approximate number of cases affected — there will certainly be more to follow.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">DNA’s only as good as the people examining it and the processes they follow. In the case of Woods and the CBI crime lab, this evidence doesn’t even begin to approach anything considered to be a “gold standard.” </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Instead, it’s just one thing to be manipulated in favor of law enforcement or, at best, something to be handled as carelessly as routine clerical busywork."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire commentary can be read at:</p><br /><a href="https://www.techdirt.com/2024/03/11/investigation-gold-standard-of-evidence-turned-to-pyrite-by-colorado-crime-lab-employee/">https://www.techdirt.com/2024/03/11/investigation-gold-standard-of-evidence-turned-to-pyrite-by-colorado-crime-lab-employee/</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-85095598175226124252024-03-14T00:30:00.003-04:002024-03-14T00:30:00.180-04:00Scott Peterson: California: Major Development: 'Just test the fucking DNA': Lawyers for a small legal-defense team that has launched a Hail Mary bid to uncover new evidence in the gruesome case of notorious double murderer Scott Peterson — whose wife Laci and unborn child were found dead on the shores of San Francisco Bay — are seeking materials from police investigations they say were improperly withheld during Peterson’s trial, The Mercury News (Reporter Ethan Baron) reports…"Lawyers for a small legal-defense team that has launched a Hail Mary bid to uncover new evidence in the gruesome case of notorious double murderer Scott Peterson — whose wife Laci and unborn child were found dead on the shores of San Francisco Bay — are seeking materials from police investigations they say were improperly withheld during Peterson’s trial."…Mitchell’s group last month filed motions seeking the purported missing evidence, and asking for a court order for DNA testing on items they claim are related to the case. The Los Angeles Innocence Project, a nonprofit whose most recent charity filing with the IRS in 2022 showed a $350,000 annual budget and six employees, has said it is investigating Peterson’s “claim of actual innocence.”<div><br /></div><div><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;">"<span style="color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: </span><span style="color: #262626; font-family: times;">WORDS TO HEED: FROM OUR POST ON KEVIN COOPER'S APPLICATION FOR POST-CONVICTION DNA TESTING; CALIFORNIA: (Applicable wherever a state resists DNA testing): "Blogger/extraordinaire Jeff Gamso's blunt, unequivocal, unforgettable message to the powers that be in California: "JUST TEST THE FUCKING DNA." (Oh yes, Gamso raises, as he does in many of his posts, an important philosophical question: This post is headed: "What is truth, said jesting Pilate."...Says Gamso: "So what's the harm? What, exactly, are they scared of? Don't we want the truth?") </span></p><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><a href="https://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2018/06/kevin-cooper-2-california-application.html" style="color: #aa77aa; text-decoration: none;">https://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2018/06/kevin-cooper-2-california-application.html</a></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></div><div data-en-clipboard="true" data-pm-slice="1 1 []" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;"><br /></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 25px;"><span style="font-family: helvetica;">————————————————————-------------------------------</span></p></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Peterson’s appearance Tuesday in a case-status conference arose from the group’s court filings seeking information about the investigation, and DNA testing of potential evidence,</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/column-scott-peterson-scores-legal-lifeline-longshot-innocence-project-case-2024-02-12/" style="font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #0b5892; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Reuters reported last month</span></a><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">The group’s lawyers are looking into a burglary at a house across the street, around the time of Laci’s disappearance, and suggest in court filings that she may have witnessed the crime and been taken by the burglars, according to Reuters. The L.A. Innocence Project is asking the court to order DNA testing on materials connected to the burglary, and on tarps and a large plastic bag found on the shore near the bodies of Laci and her son, Reuters reported. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">The national Innocence Project has distanced itself from the Los Angeles group, saying in a press release issued after the court filings that the Southern California nonprofit was “wholly independent of the Innocence Project.”</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">————————————————————————————</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Hill set three separate hearings on the case in San Mateo County Superior Court, with Peterson saying he would attend each by Zoom. Mitchell asked that the hearing on her team’s request for DNA testing be held before the hearing on investigative materials, “so if there is going to be testing ordered we can get that started.” </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">That DNA hearing was set for May 29. A hearing for the request from Mitchell’s team to seal court records was scheduled for April 16, with the group’s request for investigative materials was set to be heard July 15."</span></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><div><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;"><br /></span></div><div>STORY: 'Notorious killer Scott Peterson's legal team claims evidence withheld from murder trial,' by Reporter Ethan Baron, published by Mercury News, on March 12, 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div>
<p style="color: #2a2620; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">SUB-HEADING: "Hail Mary bid seeks police reports, DNA testing."</span></p><p style="color: #2a2620; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">GIST: "Lawyers for a small legal-defense team that has launched a Hail Mary bid to uncover new evidence in the gruesome case of notorious double murderer Scott Peterson — whose wife Laci and unborn child were found dead on the shores of San Francisco Bay — are seeking materials from police investigations they say were improperly withheld during Peterson’s trial.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">“Mr. Peterson’s been waiting for 20 years for police reports and audio recordings and video recordings that should have been provided,” Paula Mitchell, lawyer and executive director for the Los Angeles Innocence Project, said at a court hearing in Redwood City on Tuesday. “We are eager to get our investigation underway.”</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Peterson, wearing a blue work shirt and with his dark hair pulled back into a short ponytail, appeared on a courtroom screen via a video link from a room at Mule Creek State Prison east of Sacramento. After a glitch saw him muted so he could be seen speaking but could not be heard, Peterson, now 51, answered briefly and politely when occasionally questioned by Judge Elizabeth Hill. Asked by the judge if he consented to appearing via Zoom, Peterson responded, “Absolutely. Thank you, your honor.”</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Peterson was originally handed a death sentence over the Christmas Eve 2002 killings of his 27-year-old wife and the son she had carried for nearly eight months and planned to name Conner. The case, involving a handsome defendant, his dimpled substitute-teacher wife, and a mistress who started taping Peterson’s phone calls and talking to police after she found out Laci was missing, attracted worldwide attention.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Nearly two dozen journalists attended Tuesday’s hearing in San Mateo County Superior Court, where a thicket of TV cameras was set up outside the courtroom.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Mitchell’s group last month filed motions seeking the purported missing evidence, and asking for a court order for DNA testing on items they claim are related to the case. The Los Angeles Innocence Project, a nonprofit whose most recent charity filing with the IRS in 2022 showed a $350,000 annual budget and six employees, has said it is <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/01/19/la-innocence-project-is-representing-scott-peterson-who-was-convicted-of-killing-his-wife-and-unborn-child/"><span style="color: #0b5892; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">investigating Peterson’s “claim of actual innocence</span></a>.”</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Mitchell declined to speak to news media before or after the half-hour hearing. “We’ll let our case play out in court,” she said when asked why her group took Peterson’s case.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">In 2020, the California Supreme Court overturned Peterson’s death sentence, and two years later Peterson was <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/10/25/scott-peterson-finally-moved-off-californias-death-row-2/"><span style="color: #0b5892; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">finally moved from San Quentin State Prison</span></a> north of San Francisco to Mule Creek State Prison. His life sentence carries no possibility of parole.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Soon after he was transferred to Mule Creek, Peterson <a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2022/12/20/california-judge-rejects-new-trial-for-scott-peterson/"><span style="color: #0b5892; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">lost a years-long quest for a new trial</span></a>, after unsuccessfully arguing that a juror’s experience of domestic violence had biased her against him.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">No forensic evidence tied Peterson to the murders of Laci and the child. On Dec. 24, 2002, Peterson had reported his wife missing from Modesto where the couple lived.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">In mid-April 2003, the bodies of Laci and her son washed up separately along the edge of the Bay, within a mile of where Peterson told police he motored from the Berkeley Marina to go fishing on Christmas Eve day.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Prosecutors argued that Peterson was having an affair with a Fresno massage therapist when he killed Laci, took her body out in his newly bought fishing boat and dumped her in the bay, weighted with cement.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Peterson’s lawyers had argued that strangers abducted Laci Peterson while she walked the couple’s dog.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16.5px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Peterson’s appearance Tuesday in a case-status conference arose from the group’s court filings seeking information about the investigation, and DNA testing of potential evidence, <a href="https://www.reuters.com/legal/government/column-scott-peterson-scores-legal-lifeline-longshot-innocence-project-case-2024-02-12/"><span style="color: #0b5892; text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Reuters reported last month</span></a>.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">The group’s lawyers are looking into a burglary at a house across the street, around the time of Laci’s disappearance, and suggest in court filings that she may have witnessed the crime and been taken by the burglars, according to Reuters. The L.A. Innocence Project is asking the court to order DNA testing on materials connected to the burglary, and on tarps and a large plastic bag found on the shore near the bodies of Laci and her son, Reuters reported.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;"></span><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">The national Innocence Project has distanced itself from the Los Angeles group, saying in a press release issued after the court filings that the Southern California nonprofit was “wholly independent of the Innocence Project.”</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">Hill set three separate hearings on the case in San Mateo County Superior Court, with Peterson saying he would attend each by Zoom. Mitchell asked that the hearing on her team’s request for DNA testing be held before the hearing on investigative materials, “so if there is going to be testing ordered we can get that started.”</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">That DNA hearing was set for May 29. A hearing for the request from Mitchell’s team to seal court records was scheduled for April 16, with the group’s request for investigative materials was set to be heard July 15."</span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;">The entire story can be read at: </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-shadow: rgba(255, 255, 255, 0) 1px -1px 1px;"><br /></span></p><a href="https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/notorious-killer-scott-petersons-new-legal-team-claims-evidence-withheld-from-his-murder-trial/">https://www.mercurynews.com/2024/03/12/notorious-killer-scott-petersons-new-legal-team-claims-evidence-withheld-from-his-murder-trial/</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div><div><br /></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-91917313262396726622024-03-13T11:18:00.002-04:002024-03-13T11:19:23.597-04:00James Hunter: Colorado: A beleaguered DNA Analyst Yvonne "Missy" Woods case: He wants to retest evidence by this DNA analyst accused of tampering, 9news (Reporter Kelly Reinke) reports…"Woods was a 29-year veteran at CBI and was considered the gold standard in her industry. An internal affairs investigation found she "cut corners" and tampered with results, impacting 652 cases between 2008 and 2023. There could be more, as the agency is still reviewing her work from 1994 to 2008."<div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">James Hunter who is now 64-years-old said he's been in prison for 22 years for a sexual assault he didn't commit. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">His attorney, Mark Burton, planned to file a lawsuit before CBI announced its investigation into Woods. Burton said the findings from the agency so far validate their suspicions. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">According to a lawsuit filed in November 2023, evidence examined and tested by Woods led to Hunter's conviction. Burton believes there needs to be more testing. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">"Mr. Hunter was prosecuted and tried based on fabricated and false evidence," the lawsuit says. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">Burton will ask a federal judge to give them access to the evidence so it can be retested. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">"Because we are very confident that if we get access to the DNA material that the police agency holds that we can show our client is incarcerated unjustly," Burton said. "</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">----------------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div><br /></div><div>STORY: "Man asks to retest evidence by DNA analyst accused of tampering," by Reporter Kelly Reinke, published by 9News, one March 12, 2024..</div><div><br /></div><div><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;">SUB-HEADING: "Man convicted of sex assault asks for evidence to be retested while DNA analyst is under investigation"</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;">(SUB-HEADING): "On Wednesday, a federal judge is set to hear arguments on whether evidence should be retested two decades after the man was sentenced."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GIST: "A federal judge will hear arguments on Wednesday on whether evidence examined by a <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/colorado-dna-analyst-manipulated-results-internal-investigation/73-9d7dac10-23b5-44c2-a30e-3d72fb12f2f1"><span style="color: #0b4997;">DNA analyst </span></a>who is now under investigation should be retested. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The <a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/colorado-dna-analyst-manipulated-results-internal-investigation/73-9d7dac10-23b5-44c2-a30e-3d72fb12f2f1"><span style="color: #0b4997;">Colorado Bureau of Investigation</span></a> (CBI) said an internal affairs investigation found Yvonne "Missy" Woods manipulated data on hundreds of cases.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">James Hunter who is now 64-years-old said he's been in prison for 22 years for a sexual assault he didn't commit. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">His attorney, Mark Burton, planned to file a lawsuit before CBI announced its investigation into Woods. Burton said the findings from the agency so far validate their suspicions. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to a lawsuit filed in November 2023, evidence examined and tested by Woods led to Hunter's conviction. Burton believes there needs to be more testing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Mr. Hunter was prosecuted and tried based on fabricated and false evidence," the lawsuit says. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Burton will ask a federal judge to give them access to the evidence so it can be retested.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Because we are very confident that if we get access to the DNA material that the police agency holds that we can show our client is incarcerated unjustly," Burton said. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Days before filing Burton learned Woods was under investigation for "anomalies" in her work. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Woods was a 29-year veteran at CBI and was considered the gold standard in her industry. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">An internal affairs investigation found she "cut corners" and tampered with results, impacting 652 cases between 2008 and 2023. There could be more, as the agency is still reviewing her work from 1994 to 2008. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI worked with the Kansas Bureau of Investigation to help with an independent evaluation.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"It gives a lot of weight to our argument," he said. "It shows we are not barking up the wrong tree. I think it does."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Burton will make his argument in federal court for a man he feels is one of the cases impacted by this internal affairs review. CBI hasn't released to the public a list of cases that are a part of this review.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"I don't really have a question. I am certain it is part of this," he said. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">CBI said the internal investigation did not find she falsified DNA matches or fabricated DNA profiles."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;">The entire story can be read at:</span></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/man-convicted-sex-assault-retest-evidence-dna-analyst-investigation/73-1b23701e-b3b4-437e-a7fa-33e8a2de3cbe">https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/man-convicted-sex-assault-retest-evidence-dna-analyst-investigation/73-1b23701e-b3b4-437e-a7fa-33e8a2de3cbe</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-40762362226574605222024-03-13T00:30:00.092-04:002024-03-13T00:30:00.311-04:00Barry Morphew: Colorado: Beleaguered District Attorney Linda Stanley (and co-prosecutors): A wonderful commentary on this bungled 'off the wall' prosecution and its aftermath - including threats made by YouTubers against the judge charged with trying the case (and claims that he abused his ex-wife) - by Jordan Hedberg, publisher of a long-established local paper called 'The Wet Mountain Tribune' headed, 'How true crime YouTubers may cost three Colorado prosecutors their professions." Publisher's Note: This is local journalism at its best. Relevant, interesting, informative and truly insightful. The kind of journalism that I often find lacking in 'big city' publications. It makes me long to visit 'Wet Mountain' some day. As for Barry Morphew and his prosecutors, it's a story that might be hard to believe in a John Grisham novel. Yet it it real and compelling. Indeed, it's the best analysis of the case which I have seen thus far. HL. PS: The Wet Mountains are a small mountain range in southern Colorado, named for the amount of snow they receive in the winter as compared to the dry Great Plains to the east. They are a sub-range of the Sangre de Cristo Mountains, in the southern Rocky Mountains System. There are three variant names of mountain range: Cuerno Verde, Greenhorn Mountains, and Sierra Mojada." Wikipedia;<div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>COMMENTARY: "How true crime YouTubers may cost three Colorado prosecutors their professions – West Mountain Tribune," by Jordan Hedberg, published on March 8, 2024. <i>"<span style="background-color: white;"><span style="font-family: PT Serif, serif;">When I first started as a Journalist with the Wet Mountain Tribune, I explained to then editor Jim Little that I did not watch the news, read the news, or listen to the news. I felt I needed to be honest with the man that I was not a news junkie. He said “You read the Tribune right?” I answered yes and explained that local news was the only thing that was important to my day-to-day, I had found the job opening in the classifieds of the Tribune after all. “Great,” Little said, “you can only write about it if it has a local hook.” We only write when it is of importance to the local community and this single guiding principle has allowed us to create a unique newspaper for the people in and around the Wet Mountain Valley. " Jordan Hepberg;</span></span></i><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 28px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 28px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="font-size: 16px;">GIST: "</span><b style="font-size: 16px;">New life in an old genre: </b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">In 2014, the centuries-old genre of true crime found a new medium in the form of a podcast titled <i>Serial, </i>which followed the murder and prosecution of a young man in Baltimore in 1999. The finely-produced narrative series helped kickstart a new communication medium known as the podcast, eventually evolving from a curiosity into a mass medium now competing with television and radio. But like all the true crime works that came before, questions about the ethics and prejudices of the person telling the story bubbled to the surface. <i>The Atlantic Monthly, </i>at the time, wrote an article titled <i>Serial Episode 8: A Study in Bias? </i>This review examined the human tendency to favor information that strengthens beliefs and discards anything that threatens our preferred narrative. Grandmothers call this form of self-delusion “cherry picking.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Since <i>Serial </i>first aired, the true crime genre has exploded in popularity. From record-setting Netflix shows to television series selling crime as casual entertainment, the true crime genre has returned to popular culture with a vengeance. Of course, selling stories of violent crime is nothing new. Before the printing press, executions of alleged criminals were often a festive event. With the advent of the printing press and mass media, books and pamphlets quickly appeared, tracking the stories of debauchery and prosecution, which were mostly sensationalized and loose with the truth. By the 1900s, it was newspapers that competed to cover specific trials and crimes, printing up to three newspaper editions a day and competing to win the attention of hundreds of millions of readers across the world. With tight deadlines, truth was often set aside in favor of hyperbole.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">All the bias, embellishment, and conspiracy that defined true crime before modernity moved to an online space where anyone with a cellphone camera could start their own true crime channels. These YouTube channels range from the 5.5 million subscribers of <i>JCS Criminal Psychology </i>with headlines such as “<i>Son spends $275,000 of Dad’s Money on Virtual Girlfriend” </i>to a channel hosted by a former Navy SEAL who calls himself <i>MrBallen. </i>Context is needed to show how this once-niche genre is now a thriving cultural phenomenon. For example, at best, Fox News, the most-watched television news channel in the United States, has a primetime viewership of 1.7 million people. Any of <i>MrBallen’s </i>episodes gets at least one million views per video, with most averaging at least three million views. Mainstream media is no longer the only, or even close to being, the most significant seller of information on criminal human actions.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>The 11 Judicial District Attorney turns to YouTube</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><i>“Linda, welcome to the podcast. It is really nice to have you here, I have just one question I have to ask because it is one more piece of this puzzle in your amazing career, and frankly, it brought this huge smile to my face when I read it; you even worked as a long-haul truck driver?”</i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">That is how host Mike King of the <i>Profiling Evil </i>video podcast introduced newly sworn-in 11th Colorado Judicial District Attorney Linda Stanley, which premiered on April 30, 2021. Stanley had recently won an election by a two-to-one margin over the serving Democratic District Attorney Kaitlin Turner in 2020. The 11th Judicial District covers thousands of square miles of mountainous territory in the central Colorado Rockies, comprising seven law enforcement agencies in the four counties of Fremont, Chaffee, Park, and Custer.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Mike King started the conversation. “I was pleased to see that you not only had an academic background and true prosecutor experience, but the fact that you served as a police officer in Denver was, to me was, one of the biggest bonuses in a District Attorney I have seen in a long time. How has that experience as a police officer helped you in your role as a District Attorney?” Stanley quickly corrected the host and stated she was an officer in the Denver metro area, not Denver, and that she was just a local driver and had not worked long-haul. But these initial fact checks did not slow down the conversation, and both host and interviewee got into a comfortable groove.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The interview seems innocuous, with back-and-forth banter about the state of the criminal justice system in the nation and Colorado. But the reason Stanley was invited for the interview was because YouTube and the internet were obsessed about the disappearance of Suzanne Morphew from her Salida, Colorado, home on May 6, 2020. If it were not for the viral story that surrounded the disappearance of Suzanne, none of what followed would have taken place.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>Coincidence does not exist for Stanley</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Mike King never asked much about Suzanne Morphew in that first episode with Linda, but his interest in a recent case in the district shed the first light into Stanley’s core beliefs. Towards the end of the interview, King brought up the February 24, 2021, arrest of Alan Phillips, who was a suspect in the 1982 unsolved killings of two women near Breckenridge. New DNA evidence was found, and Phillips was arrested and later convicted almost 40 years after the murders. When asked how she was so confident about arresting the cold case killer, Stanley said she knew because the name Oberholtzer, which was the last name of one of the victims in 1982, was also the name of the family who had won on the national television show <i>Family Feud </i>the night before the arrest. “Right there, I knew everything was going to be ok… that is not a very common name, and that was not a coincidence; there is no such thing as coincidence.” Stanley scrolled through her phone and showed a photo she had taken of the TV show the moment the Oberholtzer family won the contest. Mike King did not even pause at the suggestion that Stanley had been comforted by the fact that the last name of one of the victims had shown up on a televised game show the night before the suspect had been arrested. Instead, the host asked, “I know I am kind of like you, a person of deep faith; there are no coincidences, are there?” Stanly answered, “No. There are not.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Stanley’s belief that there is no such thing as coincidence would become a motif for what followed. On May 5, 2021, five days after the true crime YouTube episode aired, Stanley spoke at a press conference announcing that Barry Morphew, the husband of the missing Suzanne Morphew, had been arrested and charged with murder.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-height: 20px;"><b>The true crime obsession with Suzanne Morphew</b><b></b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The term to explain the exponential growth of a news story that consumes the world’s attention is dubbed “going viral,” and this saying pre-existed the COVID pandemic. Ironically, COVID was precisely the reason the world became obsessed with the disappearance of Suzanne Morphew, as billions of people across the world sat in front of computers during the first wave of lockdowns outside of China with not much to do other than look at satellite photos of the Salida region and ponder where she might be. Randomness certainly played a role. Among the tens of thousands of people that had disappeared, a large segment of the internet latched onto Suzanne. The staying power of interest in Suzanne’s disappearance has shown remarkable reach. For example, once her remains were found in September of 2023, the United Kingdom’s <i>Daily Mail </i>YouTube channel had a twelve-minute special on the case titled, in proper British tabloid newspaper style, <i>Scattered remains found! Husband of Suzanne Morphew charged AGAIN after body discovery? </i>This video has received over 109,000 views at the time of this writing. And it was precisely the internet interest in the case that started Linda Stanley and two other members of her staff on a path to face the Colorado Supreme Court and possibly lose their attorneys’ licenses.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">In Colorado, attorneys are held to a standard of ethics overseen by a branch of the Colorado Supreme Court called the Office of Attorney Regulation. There are strict rules on pretrial publicity to ensure that an accused person is given a fair trial by a jury made up of people within the surrounding region in which the crime took place.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Often, the media in the past and the YouTubers in the present allow their emotions to drive their beliefs that someone is guilty—in contradiction to our societal belief and judicial posture that a person is presumed innocent until proven guilty. Stanley is currently accused by the Office of Attorney Regulation of brazenly ignoring and violating those pretrial publicity rules during her press conference and subsequent appearances on YouTube.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The rules state that <i>“a lawyer who is participating in the investigation or litigation of a matter shall not make an extrajudicial statement that the lawyer knows or reasonably should know will be disseminated by means of public communication and will have a substantial likelihood of materially prejudicing an adjudicative proceeding in the matter.” </i>But Stanley is more than just an attorney; she is a prosecutor, and they are held to an even higher standard: <i>“Prosecutor in a criminal case shall refrain from making extrajudicial comments that have a substantial likelihood of heightening public condemnation of the accused.”</i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Many, even those engaged in the legal profession, forget that the judicial process is adversarial. Like two opposing sports teams, each side tries to plan and practice the strategies they think will best allow them to claim victory. But like any competition, there are rules that each side must follow, and violations of those rules are penalized. Pushing this analogy between professional sports and the judicial system further, there are different levels of penalties the presiding judge can use, from simple verbal warnings or rulings like referees using a flag in football to the more extensive financial fines and suspensions for players that use illegal tackles that risk massive injury of another player. The judge acts as the referee. Who wins is then decided by a jury.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>Stanley’s inexperience starts to show</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Linda Stanley has repeatedly stated over the past four years that she is not a politician; she is a prosecutor. The position of District Attorney is an elected office, and she ran a politically-charged election campaign to win over two other attorneys who had more experience. At Republican political rallies, she openly carried firearms and held up a sign alongside future U.S. House Representative Lauren Boebert with the image of an assault rifle that said, “<i>Come and take it</i>.” Stanley never articulated how supporting the Second Amendment would help her to run a District Attorney’s Office. Contrary to her claims, Stanley did not have much experience as an attorney or as a prosecutor. She had only earned her law degree in 2012, and in the eight years that followed, she constantly switched jobs. After a stint in Pueblo prosecuting minor infractions, she decided to try her hand at private practice. Her first client interaction ended in disaster, and in 2019, right before she announced that she was running for office, Stanley was punished (known as being censured) by the same Colorado Supreme Court for failing to let a client know she had taken another job with the Treasury Department in Denver. Further, she tried to sue the confused client for unpaid bills on work that the Supreme Court said had not been done. Stanley never demonstrated that she was capable of sticking with any professional position for more than a few years, surviving only a few months as a police officer in Gilpin County, Colorado, and leaving the treasury job soon after being censured.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><span style="color: #535353;">What is still unclear is how much her inexperience played a role in the whirlwind that was to follow. The internet and media attention that swirled around the Morphew case had taken on a life of its own, and even an experienced prosecutor might have had a hard time not getting caught up in the rush. Regardless, that press conference where Stanley announced the arrest of Barry Morphew for murder, even though Suzanne’s body had not been discovered, started a chain reaction on YouTube. The Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation claims that over the next year, Stanley repeatedly violated the ethical rules that govern attorneys. While press conferences are a staple of political actors, District Attorneys tend to shy away from saying anything about the accused so as not to bias the public. But Stanley, in a leather jacket, blue jeans, black leather biker boots, and a badge dangling from her neck, stated, “Barry Morphew was taken into custody and when asked questions he said he wanted a lawyer and all questioning ended.” Shortly after, she was in constant phone and text contact with Mike King, host of the </span><i style="color: #535353;">Profiling Evil Podcast</i><span style="color: #535353;">, who wasted no time capitalizing on his new source of information and exclusively focused on updates of the Barry Morphew trial. This strategy paid off, and his channel saw a considerable increase in views, jumping from just a few thousand when he first interviewed Stanley in April 2021 to over 23,000 when he interviewed her again on August 30.</span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Because of the press conference, and her attire that shunned the formal wear of attorneys in favor of an outfit reminiscent of a detective crime drama, people on the internet saw Stanley as a District Attorney who was finally going to bring Barry Morphew to justice. The many YouTubers posting updates on the arrest had already decided Barry was the guilty party in his wife’s disappearance. One of the thousands of YouTube comments was indicative of the majority feeling, “<i>Please don’t let him get away with murder, women all over the world are victims of men like Barry Morphew. #justiceforsuzanne is justice for women all over the world.” </i>Mike King wanted to profit from Stanley’s popularity and invited her onto his show for a second time, and they talked openly about the Morphew case. Afterward, Stanley joined the comment sections, sparring with another attorney who questioned the wisdom of coming on the podcast and the seemingly weak case Stanley had brought against Barry. Stanley irritated, responded in the YouTube comments section, <i>“I’m curious how long you’ve been a criminal law attorney since you like to think that you know it. Look this up: Dante Lucas. Convicted in Pueblo, Colorado (right next to my jurisdiction) less than a year ago for First Degree Murder!! Guess what?? No DNA. No Body, No murder weapon, No “smoking gun” as you say. But here’s the clincher! He was the last one to see Kelsey alive!! And Barry was the last one to see Suzanne alive (as we stated in the prelim). Those items you listed may be important to you, but not for others (PS Dylan Redwines father was also just recently convicted of first degree murder in the death of his son. Same scenario. Didn’t have any of the laundry list of items that you think are required for a conviction. I can come up with plenty more. Just let me know.”</i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">It was clear at this point Linda Stanley had decided Barry Morphew was guilty, and it seemed that she would do anything to keep him in jail and convict him. She also didn’t mind telling the whole world.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Without a body, the case against Barry Morphew was indeed weak to begin with, and Stanley’s team quickly realized that they were going to have a hard time keeping up with the evidence needed to provide to Barry’s defense team. Rules 12 and 16 in court proceedings are critical to respecting the constitutional rights of the accused. The prosecution must disclose evidence it has collected to the defendant in a reasonable time frame, and it cannot hold any evidence back. In many ways, complying with Rules 12 and 16 is considered a normal part of the job of a prosecutor. Yet, Stanley’s team continued to fail to provide evidence month after month as Barry Morphew was held in jail without bond. The defense and the judge became increasingly irritated about the delays of evidence, and by July 22, the judge ordered all evidence to be disclosed within seven days. Lacking enough money to comply, the Chaffee County Sheriff obtained $100,000 from the County Commissioners to hire extra help. Stanley turned to veteran prosecutor Mark Hurlbert. But despite Hurlbert’s decades of experience as a prosecutor, his record was not studded with success. He had been the elected District Attorney in Eagle County, Colorado, containing the glitzy ski resorts of Vail and Beaver Creek, and he had taken on the failed prosecution of former basketball star Kobe Bryant in 2003. The case rested on the testimony of a 19-year-old hotel employee who claimed Bryant had raped her, but Bryant insisted it was consensual. After months and $200,000 in expenses, the accuser decided not to testify, and the case was dismissed, with Bryant settling a civil case in 2004 for an estimated $2.5 million.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">With Hurlbert joining the prosecution team, the logjam of evidence started to move, but what emerged was evidence that could prove Barry’s innocence. To the court, it looked like Stanley’s team had withheld exculpatory evidence (evidence that could show innocence), particularly evidence that presented DNA from an unknown person in Suzanne Morphew’s vehicle whose DNA was part of another investigation involving sexual assault. Because of this withheld evidence, on September 17, Barry was released from jail on a $500,000 bond. The judge also warned Stanley’s team about complying with Rule 12 and to stop talking to media or, in this case, YouTubers.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Because of the money and effort poured into the Morphew case, Stanley’s office had repeatedly violated discovery rules in dozens of other cases across the district, many of these violations earning sanctions from several different judges. Through the end of 2021, Stanley was in constant contact by text and phone calls with YouTuber Mike King and a woman who went by the screen name JuleZ Wolf. In January 2022, the court ruled a fair trial couldn’t take place in Chaffee County because, according to an affidavit from a Salida community member, <i>“the talk of the town was that the media, DA Stanley, and the Judge [Murphy] all made statements that convinced them that Barry Morphew killed his wife.” </i>The case was moved to the more populous and neighboring Fremont County.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Stanley’s case rested on the testimony of experts to interpret evidence gathered from vehicle data and cellphone locations. However, by March 2022, with the murder trial just a month away, this list of experts who were the foundation of Stanley’s case had not been fully disclosed to the defense, despite repeated warnings by Judge Ramsey Lama. One of the main rules that govern trials is found in the Sixth Amendment, which states that a person accused has the right to a speedy trial. This constitutional right to a speedy trial is to prevent a defendant from being held in custody for a prolonged period, only to be found innocent. While the legal system might not seem speedy on the surface to most observers, there is always internal pressure on a court to consider how long a person has been jailed as each side submits evidence, motions, and asks for additional evidence. An old strategy stretching back centuries is to purposefully delay proceedings at every opportunity, hoping that the person sitting in prison gives up hope of ever seeing a courtroom and eventually takes a plea deal. Another strategy is to engage in what is known as a “document dump,” where one side unleashes large amounts of unorganized documents on the other without enough time before the trial begins to understand what those documents contain.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">On March 10, Judge Lama issued a verbal order that came as a massive blow for successfully prosecuting Barry Morphew. <i>“The court finds a pattern of neglect demonstrating a need for modification of a party’s discovery practices in this case… this is trial by ambush. That’s exactly what the rules are designed to prevent. And I’m not finding it willful, but I’m finding a pattern and I’m finding prejudice. There’s a record to support a pattern of neglect here and prejudice.” </i>For Judge Lama, the delays had created a timeline too short for the defense to investigate the expert witnesses Stanley’s team had selected. The trial could not be pushed back just because the prosecution was too disorganized to follow basic court rules.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Over the next month, with the deadline of what was going to be a highly-publicized jury trial putting more pressure on Stanley’s team, the remaining wheels came off the prosecution’s case. With problems accruing around the lingering expert witnesses and sharing evidence, the defense shot down expert witnesses one by one. Judge Lama also kept issuing warnings. Finally, on April 8, three weeks before the trial was set to begin, Judge Lama gave a ruling that sunk Stanley’s case. <i>“The People failed to put in place a system to preserve emails as ordered by Judge Murphy on June 3 [2023]… The Court finds a continuing pattern by the People of an inability and failure to comply with its Rule 16 obligations as well as the Court’s case management orders… the People’s actions amount to negligent, and arguably, reckless disregard for their Rule 16 obligations and duty to abide by court orders… the court excludes 11 out of 16 of the People’s endorsed expert witnesses [a sanction] warranted based upon the record… The case is set for trial to begin on April 28, 2022</i>.<i>” </i>Out of 16 expert witnesses, only one was going to be allowed to testify at the trial.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">On April 19, 2023, Stanley filed a motion to dismiss the charges against Barry Morphew but hinted that if they found Suzanne’s body, which she hypothesized was under five feet of snow in the high mountains, they could refile charges. She refused to talk to the television station reporters gathered outside the Fremont County Courthouse.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>YouTubers threaten Judge Lama and claim he abused his ex-wife</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">As Stanley’s case fatally fell apart in March and April of 2022, YouTube true crime hosts were livid at Judge Lama’s rulings. To the world that made up the true crime YouTube hosts, Barry was considered guilty no matter what, and with this mindset, they looked at the actions of Judge Lama’s rulings as the same as that of the referee throwing a game with endless, and in their opinion, baseless penalties. For these online personalities, there had to be an alternative motive for the judge to take the actions he was taking. The baseless answer the YouTubers hit upon was that the judge must be protecting Barry Morphew.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The YouTube channel <i>True Crimes with JuleZ Wolf </i>decided to act and started an online petition that wrote, <i>“…it then became known that the ex-wife of Judge Lama is an advocate of Suzanne Morphew and victims of domestic abuse. She also is a member of the Gym that the defendant, Barry Morphew, belonged to. There appears to be a conflict of interest for Judge Lama. Please look into this issue and if Judge Lama has a conflict of interest, remove him from this case.” </i>Over 2,000 people signed.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">According to Judge Lama, people he suspected to be YouTube hosts or fans of the shows started following his ex-wife and son around town, sometimes approaching and asking if, “Judge Lama had ever beaten you?”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">JuleZ Wolf and Stanley had been sending messages to each other for months, with Stanley sharing details that JuleZ used on her YouTube channel. Around this same time, a YouTuber calling himself AKRox appeared in a video with what was meant to look like a bulletproof vest and threatened that the “Judge better get off the case.” It is unclear if Stanley had contact with AKRox before this time, but the combined petition of JuleZ Wolf and the accusations of AKRox that Judge Lama had abused his ex-wife was enough for Stanley to propose to her team that they should launch a criminal investigation of the Judge that was issuing rulings that were strangling her case.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>Investigating a sitting judge</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><i>“You guys might want to read this… [attached petition started by JulezWolf titled “Help Give Suzanne Her Voice!”]… But I’m not sure how true it is. I can tell you that I have heard this rumor before. Long before Barry Morphew. But it could DEFINITELY explain why he hates us so much… I looked into this organization, change dot org. Anyone can start a petition. So we don’t know if any of it is true. The only way to know is to talk to his ex-wife. And BTW, he has custody of his kid… the person who started the petition is Julez Wolf. She has a YouTube channel. I’m not sure that’s a credible source.”</i></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">This was the string of text messages that Stanley sent to Mark Hurlbert and Bob Weiner that instigated a criminal investigation into Judge Lama. Somewhere in the process between AKrox claiming the judge had committed domestic abuse of his ex-wife and JuleZ’s petition, the team decided that was enough, despite acknowledging that random claims of YouTube hosts were probably not enough evidence. Regardless, Stanley and Deputy District Attorney Bob Weiner asked the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office to launch a criminal investigation into the judge. The office refused, stating that they had no good source as a basis for an inquiry. According to the complaints, this did not deter Stanley, who directed a District Attorney investigator to Judge Lama’s ex-wife’s home to interview her on the claims started by the two YouTube channels.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The judge’s ex-wife denied the YouTube allegations.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 20px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>Defending herself to the Supreme Court</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">All of the text messages and statements covered above were part of a complaint submitted by the Colorado Office of Attorney Regulation filed on October 30, 2023. Stanley and her attorney responded on December 18, 2023. While it is hard to summarize a 50-page response, Stanley generally admits that she did talk with the YouTube channels and shared messages with the hosts. At times, she denies some of the claims about the discovery violations and that her comments influenced the public perception of the case.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">But what is key in her response is that while she admits the text messages, she denies “encouraging her team to investigate the judge.” Stanley claims “that the decision to interview Judge Lama’s ex-wife was a team decision. Discussion was had on this topic, and the Respondent was by no means the driving force in pushing for an interview. The Respondent actually expressed some reticence, and the issue was discussed jointly amongst the Respondent and the highly experienced attorneys working on the Morphew team.” Yet in the next paragraph of her defense, she admits going to the Chaffee County Sheriff’s Office to ask for the investigation, plus enlisting her own investigator to continue.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Stanley’s final defense is that her statements and communications with the YouTube hosts were not enough to influence the public about Barry Morphew’s innocence or guilt. Plus, Stanley denies any wrongdoing by launching the investigation of the sitting judge on the case, “[Stanley] committed no ethical violation in choosing to conduct a limited investigation of Judge Lama under the circumstances presented. The issue of whether to possibly interview Judge Lama’s ex-wife arose because the Respondent became aware that a petition, called “help give Suzanne Morphew back her voice (and all the other Suzannes),” was being publicly circulated calling for an investigation of Judge Lama for a potential conflict of interest and calling for his removal from the case if it proved warranted.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px; min-height: 20px;"><b></b><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>Continuing to reach out to YouTube Channels</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Our story here focuses primarily on how true crime YouTube channels reached out and connected with District Attorney Linda Stanley throughout the Barry Morphew trial. The iceberg metaphor sums up this case: the majority of an iceberg remains unseen below the surface of the ocean, and all that is visible from a passing ship is just a tiny fraction of what lies below. This article, for the sake of the narrative about the influence of YouTube influences, leaves out the massive amounts of other conflicts and controversies surrounding Stanley that have taken place since she first ran for office in 2020. One example is when Stanley had her attorney license suspended by the Colorado Supreme Court in June, 2022 for several weeks because she failed to take required continuing education courses.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Throughout the course of Stanley’s term as District Attorney, she seems to genuinely believe, as she stated, “I will listen to anyone that contacts me.” And this attitude seems to extend in both directions as she actively reached out to YouTube hosts that she admired. The most prominent example comes at the end of a two-hour recorded phone call on October 21, 2023. In the call, Stanley tells the YouTube host (the one that wore the bulletproof vest described earlier as AKRox but whose real name is Kurt Simpson).</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">“This [phone call], on October 21, is the end of Barry Morphew… count on it. I have been fighting this battle with these law enforcement d*ckheads, ugh! Man, you have got help me out here, I don’t know what I am doing wrong.” Kurt Simpson replies, “Well, we got you.” Stanley agrees, “This [phone call] is not a coincidence, there are no coincidences when God is involved… and I kept wondering how I was going to reach out, how am I going to do this so I don’t get in trouble… I asked this Cary person to give you my cell phone number.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Most of the call had revolved around Kurt Simpson coming to Fremont County to work with Stanley. They proposed several unsavory plans to use him as a secret investigator who would be capable of avoiding the laws Stanley felt prevented her from bringing Barry back to trial. It is not clear if anything came of these plans, but Simpson and Stanley both showed signs of paranoia. Simpson stated, “I have had blues try to kill me, I have had my Jeep totaled, I have had my lug nuts taken off my tires, I have almost gone off the Glennwood bridge, I have had my tires get punctured, I have sugar in my gas tank, I have people pull guns on me and say ‘get the fuck out of Salida,’ I have had so much stuff, all documented.” He is never clear who is after him, but Stanley agrees with him and adds, “I live in a secluded area, and I have a PO Box for an address for that very reason. I mean, I know for a fact that people have been, you know, looking for me, following me at times. I was a police officer before I went to law school. I am not stupid. I am very well-armed, and I have a dog and whatever.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><b>Potential Fallout</b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Because the office of the District Attorney is an elected position, it will take time to fully understand the consequences of the various lawsuits and possible sanctions that face Linda Stanley, Mark Hurlbert, and Bob Weiner. Stanley has stated that she will not be running for office again, but she has also not resigned. While we must speculate for now, Stanley is likely using the funds of the District Attorney’s office, and perhaps insurance, to cover her legal defense against the complaints of the Office of Attorney Regulation and a civil lawsuit filed against her by Barry Morphew. There is nothing illegal about taking this action, but it does bring up the question of how much money will be left after she leaves office. Through the appeal process, Stanley will probably remain in office until her term expires in January 2025. The budget of the District Attorney’s office is not publicly available, so only hints of what is taking place rise to the surface on occasion, such as the District Attorney’s Office announcing in January to reduce working days to just four a week. The Office of Attorney Regulation has a two-week hearing set in June for Linda Stanley, and the complaints against Deputy District Attorneys Mark Hurlbert and Bob Weiner for their role in the investigation into Judge Lama were filed in February. All three, acting on the online petition and accusations by YouTube channels, face the possibility of losing their licenses and, in Stanley’s case, possibly permanently.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The backlog of cases in the 11th Judicial District is mounting. Cases are being pushed back, dismissed, and charges reduced as the remaining staff try to prosecute the law while simultaneously defending themselves from the rules that govern their ability to practice law.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">Despite the chaos inflicted on local institutions since Stanley’s election, the judicial system has not collapsed. Law enforcement officers are still patrolling over the mountainous regions that define the four counties of the 11th Judicial District, which includes Custer County and the scenic Wet Mountain Valley we call home. The courts are still operating, and justice is still pursued in case after case, week after week. The local law institutions, for now, have withstood the strange interaction that the true crime YouTubers brought to the region. The only real question for now is how much it is going to cost to repair and rebuild the District Attorney’s Office after Linda Stanley is gone in 2025.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;">The answer to that question will take several more years to emerge.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: "PT Serif"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 24px;"><i>– Jordan Hedberg</i></p><div>The entire commentary can be read at:</div><div><i><br /></i></div><a href="https://wetmountaintribune.com/2024/03/08/how-true-crime-youtubers-may-cost-three-colorado-prosecutors-their-professions/">https://wetmountaintribune.com/2024/03/08/how-true-crime-youtubers-may-cost-three-colorado-prosecutors-their-professions/</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-45537485351472380672024-03-12T12:48:00.008-04:002024-03-12T23:49:57.096-04:00Derek Bromley: South Australia: Bulletin: (A discredited pathologist Colin Manock case. HL): After 40 years in jail, Derek Bromley, who has been in prison for a crime he maintains he did not commit, is awaiting a parole decision while serving a life sentence for murder, ABC News (Law Report), (Reporters Anna Kelly-Sugg and Damien Carrick) reports…"Bromley's legal team also raised questions about the pathological evidence given in 1984 by Colin Manock, then-South Australia's chief forensic pathologist. Dr Manock "has become more well known in more recent years with challenges to his evidence" in several different cases, and "a lack of qualifications, reliability and credibility", Mr Barns says. "[His] evidence in a number of cases has been proved to be highly problematic."<div><br /></div><div><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: "In a post on the 'A Stand for Justice,' Facebook webpage, Legal Scholar Bob Moles notes that as Derek Bromley moves towards his next parole hearing later this month, he has</span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"> served ten years as a publicly respected fire fighter and he now has two High Court judges who agree he was wrongly convicted. "</span><span style="background-color: white;"><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, .SFNSText-Regular, sans-serif" style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px;">Unfortunately the High Court did not even hear the additional compelling evidence that the pathologist who gave evidence at his trial (Colin Manock) was both incompetent and unqualified," Dr. Moles continues. "That was confirmed in two previous High Court cases (Emily Perry and Van Beelen) the Court of Appeal in the case of Henry Keogh, the Coroner in the Baby Death cases and the Supreme Court in the SA civil hearing in Manock v The State of South Australia in 1978." I couldn't agree more with his conclusion </span></span></span><span style="color: #050505;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); font-size: 15px;">that, "</span></span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">After 40 years in prison it is now time for him to be granted parole." (The fact that he continues to protest his innocence as he has from the outset (even though it has caused him to remain in prison much longer than he otherwise would have) should no longer be held against him by the parole authorities - especially considering his heroic behaviour in the community as a firefighter. HL); </span></div><div><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div><a href="https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4HenryKeogh/">https://www.facebook.com/groups/justice4HenryKeogh/</a></div><div><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.</span></div><div><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, ".SFNSText-Regular", sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(5, 5, 5); color: #050505; font-size: 15px;">---------------------------------------------------------</span></div><div><br /></div><div>QUOTE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Bromley's co-accused John Karpany was released from prison 17 years ago after admitting involvement in the murder. </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">In 2023, he told Channel 10's The Project: "I always said Derek wasn't even there; I only saw him when we ended up in the jail cell."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">————————————————————————————————</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">SECOND QUOTE OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Robyn Milera has known Bromley for 30 years as a close friend and supporter. She completed a law degree to be better able to advocate for him.</span></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Derek Bromley is a member of the Stolen Generation[s]; he was taken away from his father and community by the Aborigines Protection Board in South Australia in 1959," she says. "Arguably, that has had a huge impact on the trajectory of his life.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</p><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><i>Lawyers see a recent High Court ruling into an historic murder as potentially opening the door for an inquiry into other cases involving SA's former chief forensic pathologist: </i></span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">Dr Manock's evidence was that the cause of Mr Docoza's death was drowning.</span></div><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">In 2017, three independent forensic pathologists "who each conducted an expert review of the forensic evidence" agreed Dr Manock's autopsy was "inadequate", <a href="https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2019/may/1556632800/drew-rooke/cases-against-colin-manock"><span style="color: #0640c0;">The Monthly reported</span></a> in 2019. One of those pathologists, Professor Anthony Thomas said: "There is no substantive evidence for drowning in this case."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><div>COMMENTARY: "After 40 years in jail, Derek Bromley awaits parole decision while serving life sentence for the murder of Stephen Docoza," by Reporters Anna Kelsey-Sugg and Daniel Carrick, ABC News. (Law Report): (<span style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-family: Helvetica;">Anna Kelsey-Sugg is a digital producer with the ABC in Melbourne. </span><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">Damien Carrick presents The Law Report on ABC Radio National. He recently spent time at the Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism at Oxford University.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="font-family: Helvetica;">-----------------------------------</span></div><div><p style="color: #0640c0; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><b>WARNING: Indigenous readers are advised that this article includes the names of people who have passed away.</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">GIST: "For 40 years, Derek Bromley has been in prison for a crime he maintains he never committed.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The 62-year-old Narungga Ngarrindjeri man, currently in a correctional facility north of Adelaide, is reportedly the longest-serving Indigenous prisoner in the country.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">He is serving a life sentence for the 1984 murder of Adelaide man Stephen Docoza.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">However, advocates say his conviction is a miscarriage of justice.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Bromley's co-accused John Karpany was released from prison 17 years ago after admitting involvement in the murder.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">In 2023, he told Channel 10's The Project: "I always said Derek wasn't even there; I only saw him when we ended up in the jail cell."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Bromley has made repeated attempts over four decades to appeal his conviction. But in December 2023, the High Court ruled against re-opening his case in a three-to-two judge decision.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">It closed off the last legal avenue for overturning his conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">But while that door closed, another may open at the end of this month.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">On March 26, the Parole Board of South Australia will decide on Bromley's newest application for parole. It will be his fifth attempt.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><b>Impact of 'distorted perceptions'</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Greg Barns SC was part of the legal team that took Bromley's case to the High Court in December in an attempt to have "fresh and compelling new evidence" heard.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">One of their main points of focus was based around the prosecution's main witness in the original trial, Gary Carter, who said he'd accompanied Bromley and others to the Torrens River in the early hours of April 4, 1984.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">During the 1984 trial, Mr Carter gave evidence that he'd "witnessed the deceased refusing demands by Bromley and others for sexual intercourse, and then saw a violent attack", which resulted in the drowning of Mr Docoza, Mr Barns says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">At the 2023 High Court hearing, Mr Barns' legal team argued Mr Carter was an unreliable witness.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><b>Bromley's freedom bid rejected</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><b>Derek Bromley has lost his High Court bid for freedom.</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">At the time of the incident, Mr Carter — the only witness to provide direct evidence against Bromley — hadn't been taking his medication for the schizoaffective disorder he lived with, and he "had made some very odd comments", Mr Barns tells <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/listen/programs/lawreport/derek-bromley-parole/103361850"><span style="color: #230087;">ABC RN's Law Report</span></a>.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">He says Mr Carter "suffered some delusions on the night of the crime and some of his evidence was clearly inaccurate".</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"On 25 or 26 April 1984, Carter mentioned that the 'murder victim could have been king of Australia'," Mr Barns <a href="http://netk.net.au/Bromley/Bromley29.pdf"><span style="color: #0640c0;">told the High Court</span></a> last year.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"He … had distorted perceptions at the very time of the Docoza events, including seeing the devil with horns and a red face. He was hospitalised on the same day [as the crime] for several months."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Bromley's legal team also raised questions about the pathological evidence given in 1984 by Colin Manock, then-South Australia's chief forensic pathologist.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dr Manock "has become more well known in more recent years with <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-04-12/henry-keogh-welcomes-court-ruling-supporting-release-of-report/10999392"><span style="color: #0640c0;">challenges to his evidence</span></a>" in several different cases, and "a lack of qualifications, reliability and credibility", Mr Barns says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"[His] evidence in a number of cases has been proved to be highly problematic."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;"><b>Royal commission push</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><b>Lawyers see a recent High Court ruling into an historic murder as potentially opening the door for an inquiry into other cases involving SA's former chief forensic pathologist.</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Dr Manock's evidence was that the cause of Mr Docoza's death was drowning.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">In 2017, three independent forensic pathologists "who each conducted an expert review of the forensic evidence" agreed Dr Manock's autopsy was "inadequate", <a href="https://www.themonthly.com.au/issue/2019/may/1556632800/drew-rooke/cases-against-colin-manock"><span style="color: #0640c0;">The Monthly reported</span></a> in 2019.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">One of those pathologists, Professor Anthony Thomas said: "There is no substantive evidence for drowning in this case."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">However, in 2023 the High Court went through each of the criticisms and, "in essence, said either there was support for them elsewhere, or that Manock was right about certain aspects now challenged", Mr Barns says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The court also determined that inaccuracies and inconsistencies in Mr Carter's accounts, assessed in their overall context, "do not support an inference that he was an unreliable witness".</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The High Court's judgement was not to reopen Bromley's case.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Bromley's solicitor, Adelaide criminal lawyer Karen Stanley, accepts the court's decision.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"When the High Court comes down, whether it's a unanimous decision, or whether it's a five-two [judge split] or, in the case of Mr Bromley, a three-two decision, I accept that that is the ultimate finding," she says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"What I will say … is that there was a really stark difference between the majority, which found the evidence wasn't fresh and compelling, and the two dissenting judges, who found that the evidence was fresh and compelling — and went one step further and said they would have actually acquitted him.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"I think the fact that there are two High Court judges who have said, 'Well, we've got some concerns here' [about the case] — I think in a lot of ways that gives some support to Mr Bromley's position that he didn't do it."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><b>Prisoner working to protect community as firefighter</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Robyn Milera has known Bromley for 30 years as a close friend and supporter. She completed a law degree to be better able to advocate for him.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Derek Bromley is a member of the Stolen Generation[s]; he was taken away from his father and community by the Aborigines Protection Board in South Australia in 1959," she says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Arguably, that has had a huge impact on the trajectory of his life.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">A 2009 parole board report highlighted Bromley's list of serious convictions, and noted that since his first prison sentence back in 1974 he'd spent only 45 days in the community. A 2017 parole report also referred to assault convictions against prison guards back in 1991.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">But Bromley's behaviour in more recent years paints a different picture.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">He has spent a decade volunteer firefighting with the local Country Fire Service (CFS), one of the programs at his former low-security prison, Cadell Training Centre.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">He fought the 2019 South Australian fires and was involved in the recovery effort in the state's River Murray flood last year.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"It's overwhelmingly convincing and compelling that he has shown that he is not a threat to the community," Ms Milera says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"In 2019 he went over to Kangaroo Island for five days to fight the fires," Ms Stanley says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px; text-align: center;">"He was a man in the community that was in charge of protecting the community, and people in the community listened to him … He's a model prisoner."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Ms Stanley argues his recent actions demonstrate that he's capable of participating in the community.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">But that's been a sticking point in his previous parole applications.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Really sadly, the [parole board] reports, [from 2009] right up until his most recent application, [all say] we think that Mr Bromley should be paroled, but he needs to be re-socialised," Ms Stanley says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"He is being re-socialised. And I don't understand why the parole board is continuing to say he needs more socialisation.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"I think Mr Bromley has been let down by the corrections system."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><b>Looking to the future</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Towards the end of 2023, Bromley was transferred from Cadell prison to the Adelaide Pre-release Centre. He started full-time, paid employment on November 27 with the South Australia Department of Environment and Water.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The job utilises his decade of experience as a CFS firefighter — Bromley's work involves clearing fire breaks and doing burn-offs in areas identified as hazardous for the coming fire season.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">On his first day of work he was given a phone and a bus ticket.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"He walked through the [correctional facility] gates at about 7am and headed out to work, caught two buses and was amongst his peers, earning a wage, managing a bank account, paying rent [to the Department of Correctional Services to stay at the Adelaide Pre-release Centre, because he earns a full-time wage]," Ms Milera says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"I don't think anyone can — I know certainly I can't — fully appreciate what that must have felt like.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Bromley must be back in his prison cell by 7pm at the end of each work day.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">He's got enough money to arrange for presents to be sent to his grandchildren for birthdays and Christmas, Ms Milera says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"And he's saving for the future".</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;"><b>A 'weird' paradox</b></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">On March 26, 2024, the Parole Board of South Australia will decide whether or not Derek Bromley will be granted parole</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Ms Milera acknowledges that the board has "a huge responsibility" to weigh up "all sorts of factors" in making its decisions.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">But there's a paradox she can't get past.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"It's always been such a weird thing that he can one day be in a cohort of people described as heroes, going out and protecting lives and property and throwing his body into it, and then, in the next moment, he is a prisoner, not fit to be released into the community, not fit to go home to his family," she says.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Chair of the Parole Board of South Australia Frances Nelson KC says that while she's limited in what she can say as Bromley's matter is before the board, all prisoners with life sentences have their cases reviewed annually.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">She says during the early days of Bromley's sentence "his behaviour was difficult. He assaulted two corrections officers and was involved in a prison riot".</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"He created a level of reservation in corrections.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"But … in more recent years, his actions have stood him in good</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"If an offender accepts responsibility and demonstrates an understanding of the factors that led to the offending, that indicates they are less likely to reoffend.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"It's not the case that you have to accept responsibility. It's not determinative. It's only part of the picture.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">"Derek Bromley has always maintained his innocence. The parole board operates on the basis that we accept the conviction and the sentencing remarks. We consider institutional behaviour, victim concerns, the likelihood of reoffending, pre-release plans — a range of factors."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">The Law Report approached the South Australian Department for Correctional Services for an interview. The department said under legislation it's unable to speak specifically about Derek Bromley's sentence.'</p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at:<span> </span></p><p style="font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-12/derek-bromley-s-life-sentence-for-murder-and-parole-hearing/103541272">https://www.abc.net.au/news/2024-03-12/derek-bromley-s-life-sentence-for-murder-and-parole-hearing/103541272</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>—————————————————————</div><div><br /></div><div>Access the comprehensive collection of Bromley case materials on the 'Networked Knowledge' Derek Bromley page at: </div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.google.com/search?as_q=&hl=en&num=20&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=derek+bromley&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=netk.net.au&as_rights=&safe=images">https://www.google.com/search?as_q=&hl=en&num=20&btnG=Google+Search&as_epq=derek+bromley&as_oq=&as_eq=&lr=&as_ft=i&as_filetype=&as_qdr=all&as_nlo=&as_nhi=&as_occt=any&as_dt=i&as_sitesearch=netk.net.au&as_rights=&safe=images</a></div><div><br /></div><div>Access Robyn Milera's moving insightful website 'Bringing Justice' at:</div><div><br /></div><div> <a href="https://bringingjustice2020.wordpress.com/about-the-team/">https://bringingjustice2020.wordpress.com/about-the-team/</a></div><div><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1389832404924772339" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-13898324049247723392024-03-12T08:53:00.001-04:002024-03-12T08:53:31.517-04:00Terri Weidle: Florida: Medical kidnapping? Mother alleges her 16-year-old daughter was removed from her home for months after she was reported for Munchausen by Proxy, news4jx (Reporter Marcela Camargo) reports…"Later, Terri said, she was told something that caught her off guard. “I get a call from the supervisor at DCF saying they want me to voluntarily outplace my child,” Terri said. “Well, No. 1, I don’t quite know what she means. But I know I don’t like the sound of what she’s saying. So, I said ‘No.’” Days later, a DCF supervisor showed up at her door at 11 p.m. with a crisis therapist, two other DCF investigators and two police officers, Terri said. “She says she’s here to take Malena. She has a court order to take her, and we have a dependency hearing in the morning. So, of course, I’m hysterical,” Terri recalled. Terri said Malena started having a mental breakdown and passed out. They had to call 911, and firefighters arrived. “I have video of the Fire and Rescue dragging her down the last several stairs because she was passed out and they were trying to prove she was faking it,” Terri said. Malena was back at Wolfson, but this time, Terri could not be by her side."<p><br /></p><p>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">Terri attended the dependency hearing the next day, hoping it was just a misunderstanding. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">She said she couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t believe Malena’s diagnosis even when she had all the documentation that backed it up. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">Terri did not get her daughter back that morning — or any of the following mornings for five and a half months. That’s nearly twice as long as Maya Kowalski was kept from her family. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">“I kind of broke down in the hospital and was inconsolable for many days to the point where I was basically just a puddle there, and I wasn’t eating, really wasn’t drinking,” Malena said. “I think some of the nurses got concerned and they started bringing little protein shakes for me to drink instead of maybe eating, which I still didn’t take.” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">During those five months, Terri said, the only time she saw her daughter was during scheduled 10-minute Zoom calls that had to be monitored at all times. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">“To see your daughter for 10 minutes on a Zoom call. I mean, we hadn’t been away (from each other) for more than probably two days in our whole life,” Terri said."</span></p><p><span style="color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(13, 18, 31);">———————————————————————————————</span></span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">Another concern pointed out in the report was “educational neglect,” stating that Malena might be behind her peers cognitively because of a lack of schooling. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">One of the reports suggested Malena didn’t know how to read. Malena told News4JAX she has been a book lover her whole life. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">“I used to go through multiple books in a day. I have vivid memories of bringing out picture books when I was a kid,” Malena said. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">Terri said that after she read the report with the long list of accusations, she made sure to gather all the documentation she had to prove that each one of those claims was false. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">But she said none of that seemed to matter. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">“In dependency court, you’re guilty until you prove yourself innocent, but you don’t get an opportunity to prove yourself innocent,” Terri said.</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica;">----------------------------------------------------------------------------</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">-----------------</span></p><p><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">STORY:<i> </i></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"><i>‘It ruined my life’:</i> Jacksonville mom calls for change after losing custody of daughter over medical abuse allegations," by Reporter Marcela Camargo, published by news4jax.</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;"> on March 11, 2023. </span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(39, 49, 67); color: #273143; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 16px;">Marcela Camargo joined News4jax in 2023. She grew up in Mexico and eventually moved to California to pursue her dream of becoming a journalist. Now, she is a proud San Diego State University alumna who has many years of experience in TV and digital journalism.)</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(39, 49, 67); color: #273143; font-size: 12px;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">SUB-HEADING: "Terri Weidle says she was falsely accused of Munchausen syndrome by proxy."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GIST: "Last June, I came across a documentary on <a href="https://www.netflix.com/title/81349305"><span style="color: #172a9f;"><b>Netflix called “Take Care of Maya.”</b></span></a> Despite having no idea what it was about, I decided to press play.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The documentary goes back to 2016, when a Florida girl named Maya Kowalski — who suffers from a complex medical condition — was removed from her parents’ custody because health care and government institutions had suspicions of medical child abuse, also known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Long story short, Maya’s mom, Beata, ended up taking her own life after experiencing extreme emotional distress due to her daughter’s removal.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Five days after Beata’s death, Maya was returned to her father — and that’s when a years-long legal battle began. The Kowalskis sued the hospital that kept Maya from going back to her parents for three months.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Fast forward to November 2023, a jury found Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital in St. Petersburg liable for all civil claims against them, including false imprisonment of Maya, battery, inflicting emotional distress on Maya’s mom, and the list goes on and on.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The outcome of the trial was an award of more than $200 million for the Kowalskis.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">While no amount of money can bring Maya’s mom back to life, many families who have experienced the removal of a child due to wrongful accusations of medical child abuse see the Kowalskis’ verdict with hopeful eyes, trusting it can bring one thing — change.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">I never would have thought that watching this documentary would lead me to write the story you are about to read. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But in September 2023, I came across an email that I just couldn’t ignore. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A Jacksonville mother sent a news tip to our team hoping she could share her story, which instantly made me think of the Kowalskis’ case.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">This woman’s 16-year-old daughter was removed from her home for months after she was reported for Munchausen syndrome by proxy.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>This is the Weidles’ story.</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b><br /></b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Malena’s adoption</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri Weidle always dreamt of being a mom.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After breaking off an engagement at age 40, Terri decided she could live without a husband, but not without a child.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">She says she started looking into adopting — specifically international adoptions — and in 2004, started the paperwork to pursue adoption in Guatemala.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Then, on Christmas Eve of 2004, Terri got the call she was waiting for.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“My Christmas Eve gift,” Terri said. “She had been born.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri met her daughter, Malena, for the first time in February 2005, but she had to wait several months before she was ready to go to her new home in Jacksonville.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In the meantime, Terri visited Malena in Guatemala and was sent photos and videos of Malena so she wouldn’t miss a beat on her growth.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“The minute I saw the photographs on the computer, I fell in love with her,” Terri said. “Every visit, it just was more and more, and it got harder and harder to leave.”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena arrived at her new home in Jacksonville on Aug. 31, 2005.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">She was 8 months old at the time.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Malena’s health issues</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri recalled after they returned from a trip to Guatemala, around the time Malena was in first grade, Malena’s stomach pains became so intense she would lie in bed screaming.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“You feel like it’s a failure because your job as a mom is to make it all better. And when mom can’t make it better, what do you do?” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to Terri, doctors kept saying Malena was constipated, but her pain started to affect her academically.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“She was an A-student. She loved school, but she just was not able to go to school,” Terri said. “So, you know, doctors would say ‘You just need to press her to go to school. You just need to take her.’ Well, how do you just force a child that can’t go?”</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Apart from the stomach pains, Malena suddenly began to experience unusual rage episodes, Terri said, explaining that she was later diagnosed with Pediatric Acute-onset Neuropsychiatric Syndrome or PANS.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2f69f3;"><a href="https://med.stanford.edu/pans.html"><b>According to Stanford Medicine</b></a></span>, PANS is “a clinical diagnosis given to children who have a dramatic — sometimes overnight — onset of neuropsychiatric symptoms, including obsessions/compulsions or food restriction.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> In addition, children with PANS may have symptoms of depression, irritability, anxiety and academic difficulties.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said around this time, a neighbor shared a story with her about a man who also struggled with gastrointestinal issues and ultimately got diagnosed with Lyme disease.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A lightbulb went off for Terri.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">During their visit to Guatemala before Malena’s symptoms worsened, there were reports of children getting Bartonella, a co-infection of Lyme disease, from sand fleas – which were all around the lake where they were staying.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When doctors in Orlando tested Malena, “they came back with Lyme,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They started treatments, hopeful to have finally found a diagnosis.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Things would get better, and then they would get worse,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena said at first she was hopeful the doctors would be able to help her.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I was like under this belief that doctors are like gods and they are in control of your health,” Malena said. “I was always like, ‘OK, these people are going to help me.’”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But Malena said her trust in medical professionals slowly vanished over time.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“They kind of were like, ‘No, you’re not in pain,’ or like… ‘You just need ibuprofen and continue going to school,’ when I couldn’t necessarily do something like that, unfortunately,” Malena said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But Terri would not give up on her quest for answers and treatments that would help Malena.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“We started seeing a local doctor that was a little bit more functional integrative medicine… and she was a big help, but she didn’t believe in the Lyme component necessarily,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Why didn’t that doctor agree with the Lyme diagnosis? It turns out, Lyme disease is a controversial topic in the medical field.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2f69f3;"><a href="https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/lyme-disease-resolving-the-lyme-wars-2018061814071"><b>According to Dr. Marcelo Campos writing for Harvard Health Publishing</b></a></span>, treatment for Lyme can be so controversial that the dispute is often coined as “Lyme wars.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Campos said while some Lyme patients do very well after receiving the proper antibiotics, others continue to have evidence of infection despite receiving adequate treatment. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">However, Campos said, there is no laboratory proof that the bacteria is still present — leading many health professionals to be skeptical about the diagnosis.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Conventional medicine has a hard time treating something we cannot see or isolate,” Campos wrote. “However, we cannot ignore that people’s lives changed after the diagnosis of Lyme disease. Their suffering is real. And the frustration is widespread.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to Terri, while that doctor did not support the Lyme diagnosis, she did support the PANS diagnosis and recommended an intravenous immunoglobulin (also known as IVIG) treatment for Malena.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">And after years of trial and error, Terri said — Malena’s health slowly began to improve.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>The first investigation</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said on top of all the PANS and Lyme treatments Malena had to get, her daughter was also fighting a battle with depression and often saw a mental health counselor.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena said that despite all the health challenges, she lived a happy childhood and always had a good relationship with her mom.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I never felt any concern for how she might react, whether I did something bad, whether I was coming home with a bad report card, whatever it was,” Malena said. “I knew that we could talk it out, and we would still be on the same page, and I would still have her love and support.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In 2019, Malena was admitted to Wolfson Children’s Hospital for a depressive episode.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> She was released to go to New York to see her autoimmune neurologist, but when Terri and Malena got back from New York, doctors at Wolfson said they were concerned about the number of different medicines that Malena was taking.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“That’s when it all started,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said the hospital staff asked about Malena’s condition, her treatments — everything.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I told her the history,” Terri said. “And I even gave her my whole bag of notes because she asked to see things and I said ‘Please, have them.’ I was more than forthcoming with everything.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said later that afternoon, another hospitalist told her Malena was on too many medicines and that they didn’t think “any of this was going on,” referring to Malena’s conditions.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena was released from the hospital, but days later, Terri was surprised by a visit from the Florida Department of Children and Families. They were investigating a potential case of medical child abuse, also known as Munchausen syndrome by proxy.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They spoke with the caseworker and gave him Malena’s doctors’ names and some medical records so he could call and verify what they were saying was true.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“He found [the medical abuse claims] were non-substantiated,” Terri said. “Going back now, I guess we were flagged.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After that experience, Terri admitted, she tried to avoid returning to Wolfson at all costs even as she continued her efforts to look for answers for Malena.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Malena gets removed by DCF</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With Malena’s progress constantly going back and forth, Terri kept looking for treatments that could help her daughter, even outside the country.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena received several treatments in Mexico in November 2020. She was 15 years old at the time.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“She was feeling a lot better,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Then, in December of that year, Malena started complaining of pain and Terri noticed she had a fever.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Still wanting to avoid Wolfson Children’s Hospital downtown, Terri took Malena to the hospital’s location near the Town Center on Dec. 21. They ended up transferring her downtown anyway, and Terri said nothing was done.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“They don’t even do an IV. They barely do any work on her,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena and Terri went back home the next day to celebrate Malena’s 16th birthday.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Then 2021 came — and brought an unexpected series of events that will forever remain in the Weidles’ memories.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to Terri, in January 2021, Malena began having more mental health issues and suicidal thoughts, and at the beginning of February, Malena’s therapist recommended she be admitted to Wolfson’s Inpatient Behavioral Health Unit.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said once again, an investigator — who said she was familiar with her case — questioned her about Malena’s medical history.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The investigator also talked to Malena.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Days later, Terri said, she was told something that caught her off guard.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I get a call from the supervisor at DCF saying they want me to voluntarily outplace my child,” Terri said. “Well, No. 1, I don’t quite know what she means. But I know I don’t like the sound of what she’s saying. So, I said ‘No.’”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Days later, a DCF supervisor showed up at her door at 11 p.m. with a crisis therapist, two other DCF investigators and two police officers, Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“She says she’s here to take Malena. She has a court order to take her, and we have a dependency hearing in the morning. So, of course, I’m hysterical,” Terri recalled.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said Malena started having a mental breakdown and passed out. They had to call 911, and firefighters arrived.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I have video of the Fire and Rescue dragging her down the last several stairs because she was passed out and they were trying to prove she was faking it,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena was back at Wolfson, but this time, Terri could not be by her side.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri attended the dependency hearing the next day, hoping it was just a misunderstanding. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">She said she couldn’t understand why they wouldn’t believe Malena’s diagnosis even when she had all the documentation that backed it up.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri did not get her daughter back that morning — or any of the following mornings for five and a half months. That’s nearly twice as long as Maya Kowalski was kept from her family.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I kind of broke down in the hospital and was inconsolable for many days to the point where I was basically just a puddle there, and I wasn’t eating, really wasn’t drinking,” Malena said. “I think some of the nurses got concerned and they started bringing little protein shakes for me to drink instead of maybe eating, which I still didn’t take.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">During those five months, Terri said, the only time she saw her daughter was during scheduled 10-minute Zoom calls that had to be monitored at all times.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“To see your daughter for 10 minutes on a Zoom call. I mean, we hadn’t been away (from each other) for more than probably two days in our whole life,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Understanding Munchausen syndrome by proxy</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Munchausen syndrome by proxy (MSP), now known as factitious disorder imposed on another (FDIA), is a mental illness in which a person, typically a caregiver, acts as if the person they are caring for has a physical or mental illness when the person is not really sick, <span style="color: #2f69f3;"><b><a href="https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/diseases/9834-factitious-disorder-imposed-on-another-fdia">according to Cleveland Clinic. </a></b></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2f69f3;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">While it is a <a href="https://www.webmd.com/mental-health/munchausen-by-proxy"><span style="color: #2f69f3;"><b>“relatively rare disorder” </b></span></a>there have been some high-profile cases involving MSP.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The most recent one is the case of Gypsy Rose Blanchard, <a href="https://www.news4jax.com/news/2024/02/06/gypsy-rose-blanchard-out-of-prison-years-after-persuading-boyfriend-to-kill-her-abusive-mother/"><span style="color: #2f69f3;"><b>a Missouri woman who persuaded an online boyfriend to kill her mother</b></span></a> after the mother forced her for years to pretend that she was suffering from leukemia, muscular dystrophy and other serious illnesses.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Blanchard was released from prison in late December 2023 and is now considered a public advocate for victims of MSP.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">News4JAX reached out to <a href="https://www.munchausen.com/"><span style="color: #2f69f3;"><b>Dr. Marc Feldman</b></span></a>, an international expert in MSP based in Alabama, to talk more about this disorder.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Feldman politely declined to be interviewed, but he shared some of the warning signs of MSP.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Some of these warning signs include but are not limited to:</p><ul>
<li style="color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;"><br />
Persistent or recurrent illnesses for which a cause cannot be found<br />
<br />
Discrepancies between history and clinical findings<br />
<br />
Illness abates when the child is separated from the parent<br />
<br />
The presumptive diagnosis is based solely on caregiver report<br />
<br />
Caregiver has provided false information to professionals and other individuals</span></li>
</ul><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">However, in his research, Feldman does recognize there are cases of misdiagnosis.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A 1999 literature review on “Misdiagnosis of Munchausen Syndrome by Proxy,” conducted by Feldman and Dr. Deirdre C. Rand, states that increased efforts to identify cases of medical child abuse have also led authorities to remove children from innocent parents. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Therefore, these experts point out that it is very important to look at previous misdiagnosis cases and “what went wrong” to prevent a child from being wrongfully removed from their household.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>DCF accusations against Terri</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So, what exactly led authorities to believe Terri had MSP and ultimately to remove Malena from her care?</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Here are some of the specific accusations made against Terri, according to Child Protection Team reports, which were reviewed by News4JAX:</p><ol>
<li style="color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">One report states that Malena’s behavioral problems (unusual rage episodes) were an exaggeration, stating that Terri and Terri’s mother (Malena’s grandmother) were the only ones who had witnessed these episodes.</span></li>
<li style="color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Malena’s constipation issues were also believed to be exaggerated, per a report. The report states that an X-ray conducted at Wolfson hospital showed no evidence of constipation.</span></li>
<li style="color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">In the CPT report, Malena’s Lyme disease diagnosis is listed under conditions labeled “do not appear to be true,” saying that the diagnosis had not been confirmed by local providers.</span></li>
</ol><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The list of conditions the investigators did not believe to be true is long. In fact, the only conditions they believed were real were migraines, chronic pain, depression, anxiety and auditory hallucinations.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Apart from the medical child abuse accusations against Terri, the report also mentions “concerns for mental injury,” stating Malena had been isolated from in-person contact with her friends because Terri had been homeschooling her for five years.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The report also states Malena expressed anger to her providers about “wanting to be a normal child without any medical diagnoses.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Investigators attributed Malena’s depression and anxiety to her extensive medical care.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I definitely sat down with myself and questioned ‘Is this really real? Am I making it up? Is this just a bad dream?’ But I would sit down and think, ‘Oh, well, maybe I’m really just trying to get out of school like they say,’ but then I would try and want to do something on an off day, on the weekend, and I wouldn’t be able to do it,” Malena said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Another concern pointed out in the report was “educational neglect,” stating that Malena might be behind her peers cognitively because of a lack of schooling.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">One of the reports suggested Malena didn’t know how to read. Malena told News4JAX she has been a book lover her whole life.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I used to go through multiple books in a day. I have vivid memories of bringing out picture books when I was a kid,” Malena said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said that after she read the report with the long list of accusations, she made sure to gather all the documentation she had to prove that each one of those claims was false.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But she said none of that seemed to matter.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“In dependency court, you’re guilty until you prove yourself innocent, but you don’t get an opportunity to prove yourself innocent,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">News4JAX reached out to Wolfson Children’s Hospital regarding this case, specifically asking about the process of reporting a parent for Munchausen by proxy and how the hospital handles these investigations.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">They responded with the following statement:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #171e2d; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Wolfson Children’s Hospital is committed to the safety and well-being of the children and families we serve, which is why we always comply with the state’s mandated reporting requirements designed for their protection.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #171e2d; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In December 2023, News4JAX also contacted DCF, the government agency in charge of removing a child in these cases. We sent them a list of questions that could give us more insight into the process behind investigating and ultimately removing a child for medical child abuse. The agency quickly responded, saying they would work on the request and asking for a deadline. We told them Dec. 18. They never responded again.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Malena in foster care</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After spending three weeks at Wolfson Children’s Hospital, Malena was moved to the foster care system, while Terri worked day and night to gather enough information to prove her innocence.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said she tried to have Malena moved to the home of her brother and his wife to avoid having her transferred to the foster care system. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But her request was denied because they were “too medically aligned” with Terri’s thinking, Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“So, you take this child that has had suicidal ideations, and you rip her out of everything that she knows,” Terri said. “She couldn’t contact any friends. They had asked for a list of friends, but they wouldn’t let her talk to anybody.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena lived in two different foster homes — an experience she recalls vividly.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Malena said during her time away from home, she heard all kinds of negative comments about her mom.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“Saying that my mom was basically a manipulative, narcissistic liar. And that my mom was just mentally ill, and that my mom had probably had a lot of unresolved childhood trauma,” Malena said. “They’d compare her to Ursula.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">After five and a half months, a judge authorized Malena to return home.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Over the next six months, Terri and Malena had to be supervised once a week by a caseworker and had to have someone with them at all medical appointments.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But they were happy to finally be back together as a family.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 29px;"><b></b><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Malena comes home</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A homecoming party with her family, friends and her favorite food awaited Malena as she returned to the life she had always known.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I felt an immense sense of relief,” Malena said. “And it was kind of like everything that had been weighing me down and everything that had just caused me so much agony was finally, for a minute, just taken off my plate.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Terri said after those six months of supervised visits, it all just “went away.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“We had no court date. We had nothing. It was just over. No apology,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Fast forward to today, Terri has a full-time job and lives with now 19-year-old Malena and their dog, Lexi, in a beautiful home in Jacksonville.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When she’s not working or spending time with her family, Terri can be found researching, looking for ways to spark change, so that no other parent has to go through the same ordeal she and Malena went through.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“It ruined my life,” Terri said with tears in her eyes.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">With the Kowalskis’ case verdict, Terri is more hopeful than ever that she, and hundreds of other parents, will get the chance to prove themselves in front of these government and health care institutions.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: white; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 10px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 11px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“My hope is we can bring change in how these cases are handled,” Terri said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 24px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><b>Pushing for change</b></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Kowalskis’ case was a first. Before that, no one had ever proven a case of medical kidnapping, according to Greg Anderson, a St. Augustine attorney who represented the Kowalskis against Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“It’s been motivational and inspiring, and it’s felt a little close to home, which has been hard, but I am grateful for the awareness,” Malena said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #2f69f3;"><a href="https://gregoryandersonlaw.com/"><b>Anderson, a trial attorney from St. Augustine with more than 40 years of experience, </b></a></span>said while he knew upfront a case like this would be a huge challenge, he just couldn’t ignore it when he heard what was happening to Maya Kowalski and her family.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I got really angry,” Anderson said. “I guess maybe it comes from the fact my dad was an FBI agent in St. Augustine and Jacksonville, and I have a strong sense of justice and I got very upset with what I was hearing.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Anderson worked on the Kowalskis’ case for almost seven years. Seven years that were anything but easy.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to Anderson, the main reason most of these cases are so hard to prove and prosecute in court is that these institutions, especially doctors, are “pretty much immune” for a lot of their actions by state law and required reporting.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Changing that immunity is key, according to Anderson.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“You shouldn’t have anything that dissuades people from making a report. If you see something, say something. What I am concerned about, and what really needs to happen, is this wholesale immunity granted, no matter how far it goes, and the idea that just because you made an allegation that you can do whatever you want to a citizen and their children, it’s got to change,” Anderson said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Meanwhile, Malena still struggles with her health, and she has to go through weekly treatments to stay on track.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In fact, she is back on all the treatments that she was on before getting removed from her home, and her health has remained stable, according to Malena.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">But this young woman is more than her medical challenges and the experience that she went through.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Now, Malena is a typical 19-year-old with a bright future.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">She has a part-time job, and she’s working to get her GED since her medical issues put her behind in school. She also enjoys spending time with her friends and family.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">While she’s not sure what her future career will look like, Malena is sure of one thing: she wants to make a positive impact and advocate for other people who have endured similar experiences."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0d121f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at:</p><p><a href="https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2024/03/11/it-ruined-my-life-jacksonville-mother-calls-for-change-after-losing-daughters-custody-over-medical-abuse-allegations/">https://www.news4jax.com/news/local/2024/03/11/it-ruined-my-life-jacksonville-mother-calls-for-change-after-losing-daughters-custody-over-medical-abuse-allegations/</a></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resurce. 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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"></div><p><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;" /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-2448039642917006952024-03-12T00:30:00.108-04:002024-03-12T00:30:00.135-04:00Hasson Bacote: North Carolina: A historic hearing challenging racial bias in North Carolina's death penalty has concluded with overwhelming evidence of discrimination - and could affect more than 100 people on death row, according to The Center for Death Penalty Litigation. as set out in a release…"A historic Racial Justice Act hearing came to a close Friday after two weeks of testimony that illustrated the discrimination inherent in North Carolina’s death penalty. The evidence showed a clear and persistent pattern of racial bias in jury exclusions that denies people of color the opportunity to serve on capital juries and leads to a disproportionate number of extreme sentences for Black men, as well as a direct line between modern death sentences and the state’s history of racial terrorism."<div><br /></div><div>PUBLISHER'S NOTE: North Carolina's unique Racial Justice Act allows people on death row <span style="background-color: white;"><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;">to challenge their sentences if they could show race played a factor in capital cases at the time of their trial. Although it may be impossible to conduct testing for racism - the kind of racism that leads to death row - in a test tube, the evidence called at the just concluded evidentiary hearing through witnesses such as </span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Bryan Stevenson</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">, founder of the Equal Justice Initiative and author the book</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Just Mercy</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">, is utterly persuasive. As Henderson Hill, senior counsel for the ACLU put it: "</span> <span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">“We have white prosecutors standing in front of overwhelmingly white juries comparing Black defendants facing the death penalty to animals – ‘mad dogs,’ ‘hyenas,’ ‘predators of the African plain,’” said</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Henderson Hill, senior counsel for the ACLU</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">. “The racism in North Carolina’s application of the death penalty is so clear it’s blinding.” I couldn't agree more.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.</span></div><div>----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div>QUOTE OF THE DAY: <span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">“We have white prosecutors standing in front of overwhelmingly white juries comparing Black defendants facing the death penalty to animals – ‘mad dogs,’ ‘hyenas,’ ‘predators of the African plain,’” said</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Henderson Hill, senior counsel for the ACLU</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">. “The racism in North Carolina’s application of the death penalty is so clear it’s blinding.”</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">—————————————————————————————————</span></div><div><br /></div><div>BACKGROUND: American Civil Liberties Association (ACLU): (What's at stake): "<span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;">Hasson Bacote, a Black man from Johnston County, North Carolina, is challenging his death sentence under the first-of-its kind law, the North Carolina Racial Justice Act (RJA). He argues that race played an impermissible role in jury selection, not just in his case, but in all death penalty cases in North Carolina. Mr. Bacote’s case may signal the beginning of the end of the death penalty in North Carolina. A trial court will begin to hear evidence in the case on February 26, 2024.In 2009, North Carolina adopted the first-of-its-kind law called the Racial Justice Act. It allowed people on death row to challenge their sentences if they could show race played a factor in capital cases at the time of their trial. More than 130 people, including Mr. Bacote, filed claims challenging their death sentences under the new law. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;">In 2012, the ACLU Capital Punishment Project and other civil rights organizations brought the first successful claims under the RJA on behalf of four people: </span><a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/north-carolina-v-robinson" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #074099;">Marcus Robinson</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;">, </span><a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/north-carolina-v-tilmon-golphin-christina-walters-and-quintel-augustine" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="color: #074099;">Tilmon Golphin, Christina Walters, and Quintel Augustine</span></a><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;">. In all four cases, a judge found discrimination had played an impermissible role in their cases, and commuted their death sentences to life without parole. The North Carolina Supreme Court later reversed the trial judge’s findings of discrimination on the ground that the State should have had additional time to prepare for the RJA hearing, but it ruled that four prisoners could not be stripped of the life sentences imposed by the judge. In 2013, as a backlash to the success of these four individuals, the North Carolina legislature repealed the Racial Justice Act. But the North Carolina Supreme Court ruled in 2020 that those who had already filed their cases under the RJA were entitled to move forward, despite the repeal. Now, over a decade after the law was passed, Mr. Bacote is poised to test the law at an evidentiary hearing. Mr. Bacote’s case is the leading case of the more than 100 pending RJA claims brought by North Carolinians on death row. Mr. Bacote, a Black man, was sentenced to death for his role in a felony murder that occurred when he was 21 years old in Johnston County. </span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mr. Bacote is only one of a small number of individuals sentenced to death in North Carolina who was neither charged nor convicted of intentional and premeditated murder. Mr. Bacote will show evidence that race impacted not only jury selection in his case, but also in Johnston County and across the state of North Carolina. The prosecution removed Black jurors at three times the rate it removed white jurors in his case. Statewide, prosecutors struck Black jurors at more than twice the rate it struck all other jurors. Every Black defendant in Johnston County who has been tried for the death penalty received a death sentence, in a county that, in living memory, had multiple <a href="https://www.newsobserver.com/article232986152.html"><span style="color: #074099;">billboards</span></a> proclaiming the county as “Klan Country,” and telling drivers to “love it or leave it.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Mr. Bacote is represented by the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, NAACP Legal Defense and Educational Fund, Inc. (LDF), the Center for Death Penalty Litigation as well as attorneys James Ferguson, Jay Ferguson, and Malcolm Hunter."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div><a href="https://www.aclu.org/cases/north-carolina-v-hasson-bacote">https://www.aclu.org/cases/north-carolina-v-hasson-bacote</a></div><div><br /></div><div>------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Bacote is one of eight Black men who have faced capital trials in Johnston County – all eight were sentenced to death. Nationally acclaimed public interest attorney</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><b style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Bryan Stevenson</b><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">, who founded the Equal Justice Initiative and authored the book</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">Just Mercy</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">, took the stand to put Bacote’s case in context. Stevenson said the trial echoed trends he’s seen across the South, in which prosecutors strike black jurors for reasons that are clearly a pretext for race. He cited several examples of pervasive discrimination in jury selection, including:</span></div><ul><li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Prosecutors struck Black jurors because of NAACP membership, connections to historically black colleges, and living in majority-Black neighborhoods<i> </i>– and then claimed that those reasons were “race-neutral.”</span></li><li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Prosecutors believed their strikes of Black jurors could not be racist because they had allowed other Black people to remain on the jury, as if the law ensured “a quota system and not a legitimate opportunity for every person.”</span></li><li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Prosecutors in North Carolina, who are overwhelmingly white, questioned Black jurors with the presumption that they were dishonest or hostile to the state, asking them essentially to “prove to me that I can put you on the jury despite the fact that you’re Black.”</span></li></ul><p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">“Next to voting, serving on a jury is the most significant thing a citizen gets to do to participate in the democratic process,” Stevenson said. “It’s a big deal to contribute to democracy on a jury. And for a lot of people who have never had that opportunity, never had that chance, because of their race or their gender, it’s also a big deal when we continue to tolerate that exclusion.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">----------------------------------------------------------</p><div><br /></div><div><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><br /></span></span></div><div><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);">PASSAGE TWO OF THE DAY: "</span></span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">This evidence was supported by several experts who provided statistical analyses showing that prosecutors across North Carolina used peremptory strikes to exclude qualified Black citizens from capital juries at more than twice the rate of white citizens. And in Johnston County, prosecutors struck qualified Black citizens from juries at</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><i style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">three times</i><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">the rate of whites. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">In cases prosecuted by Greg Butler, who sent Bacote and several other men to death row, Black citizens were 10 times as likely to be struck. Butler used the racially coded term “thug” to describe Bacote to the jury. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;">During his testimony, Butler refused to acknowledge that racial bias, whether conscious or implicit, could have been a factor."</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">----------------------------------------------------------------</p><div>RELEASE: "Historic hearing challenging racial bias in NC's death penalty concludes with overwhelming evidence of discrimination," by Kristin Collins, published by The Center for Death Penalty Litigation, on March 8, 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div><span style="background-color: white;">SUB-HEADING: </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;">North Carolina v. Hasson Bacote, the leading case filed under NC’s Racial Justice Act, could affect more than 100 people on death row;</span></div><div><span style="color: #262626; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(38, 38, 38);"><br /></span></span>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">GIST: "A historic <a href="https://www.aclu.org/news/capital-punishment/challenging-the-racist-death-penalty-in-north-carolina"><span style="color: #6b0001;">Racial Justice Act</span></a> hearing came to a close Friday after two weeks of testimony that illustrated the discrimination inherent in North Carolina’s death penalty. The evidence showed a clear and persistent pattern of racial bias in jury exclusions that denies people of color the opportunity to serve on capital juries and leads to a disproportionate number of extreme sentences for Black men, as well as a direct line between modern death sentences and the state’s history of racial terrorism.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">“We have white prosecutors standing in front of overwhelmingly white juries comparing Black defendants facing the death penalty to animals – ‘mad dogs,’ ‘hyenas,’ ‘predators of the African plain,’” said <b>Henderson Hill, senior counsel for the ACLU</b>. “The racism in North Carolina’s application of the death penalty is so clear it’s blinding.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">The hearing began February 26, and centered on the <a href="https://www.cdpl.org/the-case-of-hasson-bacote/"><span style="color: #6b0001;">case of Hasson Bacote</span></a>, a Black man from Johnston County who was sentenced to death in 2009. Bacote argued that race played an impermissible role in jury selection – not just in his case, but in all death penalty cases in North Carolina. The lawsuit was filed in 2010 under North Carolina’s Racial Justice Act, and is likely to affect more than 100 people currently living on the state’s death row. Mr. Bacote is represented by the ACLU Capital Punishment Project, the Legal Defense Fund, the Center for Death Penalty Litigation, and attorney Jay Ferguson. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Bacote is one of eight Black men who have faced capital trials in Johnston County – all eight were sentenced to death. Nationally acclaimed public interest attorney <b>Bryan Stevenson</b>, who founded the Equal Justice Initiative and authored the book <i>Just Mercy</i>, took the stand to put Bacote’s case in context. Stevenson said the trial echoed trends he’s seen across the South, in which prosecutors strike black jurors for reasons that are clearly a pretext for race. He cited several examples of pervasive discrimination in jury selection, including:</p>
<ul>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Prosecutors struck Black jurors because of NAACP membership, connections to historically black colleges, and living in majority-Black neighborhoods<i> </i>– and then claimed that those reasons were “race-neutral.”</span></li>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Prosecutors believed their strikes of Black jurors could not be racist because they had allowed other Black people to remain on the jury, as if the law ensured “a quota system and not a legitimate opportunity for every person.”</span></li>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Prosecutors in North Carolina, who are overwhelmingly white, questioned Black jurors with the presumption that they were dishonest or hostile to the state, asking them essentially to “prove to me that I can put you on the jury despite the fact that you’re Black.”</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">“Next to voting, serving on a jury is the most significant thing a citizen gets to do to participate in the democratic process,” Stevenson said. “It’s a big deal to contribute to democracy on a jury. And for a lot of people who have never had that opportunity, never had that chance, because of their race or their gender, it’s also a big deal when we continue to tolerate that exclusion.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Tufts University social psychologist <b>Sam Sommers</b> took the stand to explain the concept of implicit bias, which drives people to discriminate even when they have no conscious intent. He said that strikes driven by “gut feelings” about jurors, as well as their body language and demeanor, can be heavily influenced by implicit bias.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">Emory University historian <b>Crystal Sanders</b> testified to the <a href="https://www.aclu.org/documents/a-brief-overview-of-race-relations-in-the-eleventh-prosecutorial-district-with-an-emphasis-on-johnston-county"><span style="color: #6b0001;">full picture of racism</span></a> in Johnston County, where her family has lived for generations and her ancestors were once enslaved. In addition to billboards promoting the Ku Klux Klan, which stood in several locations around Johnston County until the late 1970s, she cited many other examples of how Black people have been terrorized and disenfranchised in Johnston County, often at the hands of law enforcement and other leaders. Sanders detailed:</p>
<ul>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Sustained Black voter suppression that has led to only a single Black person ever being elected to countywide office. </span></li>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Housing segregation enforced by threats, violence and cross burnings documented into the 1980s and 1990s.</span></li>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Public KKK rallies that happened as late as 2001.</span></li>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Egregious wrongful convictions of Black teenagers, including 16-year-old<a href="https://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/frontline/shows/ordinary/etc/synopsis.html"><span style="color: #6b0001;"> Terence Garner</span></a> in 1998, which caused a national outcry.</span></li>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Police killings of restrained and subdued Black men that were never punished.</span></li>
<li style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Openly racist statements made by the county sheriff in the local newspaper.</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">University of North Carolina historian <b>Seth Kotch </b>testified about continuing lynching threats made against people facing the death penalty — threats that often came from people in the jury pool. He said modern capital trials reveal “the endurance of the idea that certain defendants deserve death rather than due process.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">This evidence was supported by several experts who provided statistical analyses showing that prosecutors across North Carolina used peremptory strikes to exclude qualified Black citizens from capital juries at more than twice the rate of white citizens. And in Johnston County, prosecutors struck qualified Black citizens from juries at <i>three times</i> the rate of whites. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">In cases prosecuted by Greg Butler, who sent Bacote and several other men to death row, Black citizens were 10 times as likely to be struck. Butler used the racially coded term “thug” to describe Bacote to the jury. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">During his testimony, Butler refused to acknowledge that racial bias, whether conscious or implicit, could have been a factor. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;">“I hope our state’s leaders will look at this incredible body of evidence and see it as a call to action,” said <b>Gretchen Engel, executive director of the Center for Death Penalty Litigation</b>. “So far, we’ve mostly seen our state’s prosecutors attempt to bury the evidence. Now, it’s time for us to come together, confront the facts head on, and figure out how we’re going to root out the deeply embedded racism in our courtrooms.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 26px;"><b style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;">The </b><span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 26, 26);"><b>entire post can be read at:</b></span></span></p><a href="https://www.cdpl.org/historic-hearing-challenging-racial-bias-in-north-carolinas-death-penalty-concludes-with-overwhelming-evidence-of-discrimination-in-capital-cases/">https://www.cdpl.org/historic-hearing-challenging-racial-bias-in-north-carolinas-death-penalty-concludes-with-overwhelming-evidence-of-discrimination-in-capital-cases/</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-91535811383404690482024-03-11T12:21:00.001-04:002024-03-11T12:42:01.950-04:00Charles Staples 111: Connecticut: Recent entry to National Registry of Exonerations by masterful criminal justice analyst Maurice Possley graphically illustrates the horrific mental harm caused to an innocent man by a false 'rape' accusation made by his eight-year-old step-daughter…"On November 3, 1990, police in Plainfield, Connecticut took 28-year-old Charles Staples III to the police station and interrogated him after his wife, K.M., accused him of sexually assaulting her eight-year-old daughter, L.B., who was Staples’s stepdaughter. Staples was accused of sexually assaulting L.B. on October 30, 1990. He vehemently denied the allegation. After he was released, he was so distraught that he attempted to end his life by ingesting a bottle of sleeping pills. Staples survived, and on December 3, 1990, he was arrested on charges of first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child. On June 14, 1991, Staples, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps reserves, entered an Alford plea in Windham County Superior Court which allowed him to maintain his innocence, but acknowledged that the prosecution had evidence sufficient to obtain a conviction. He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Staples later attributed his survival in prison to his training as a Marine. As his lawyer later recounted, “Word spread; everyone inside knew inmate number 1015 [Staples] was there for raping a child, and immediately other inmates let Mr. Staples know that they knew.” He witnessed a fatal stabbing of one inmate by another inmate, survived multiple prison riots, and was himself assaulted on three occasions by groups of other inmates. Eventually, he was released on parole on August 3, 2001. In 2017, his stepdaughter reached out to him, and said the allegation of sexual assault was false. L.B. also subsequently signed an affidavit, saying that her mother had coached her and forced her to make the false allegation. She said that the day after Staples, whom she called “Dad,” was arrested, another man moved into the house. In the affidavit, she said that her mother “verbally, physically, and psychologically abused me. Before and after her marriage to Chuck, she would leave me alone in the house, often for days at a time without supervision or even saying she’d be gone. I recall making sandwiches for my younger sister with just two pieces of bread and mustard.” “Chuck was never abusive to me in any way,” she said. “I was not given a voice beyond my mother’s. I recall my mother putting words into my mouth and gas lighting me while Chuck was facing charges. When I spoke to people who I [now] understand were part of the police investigation, my mother would say things such as ‘don’t you remember when Chuck…’ and then add in some incriminating allegation that I did not remember. I do not recall ever speaking with police outside of my mother’s presence.” “As an adult with kids of my own, I understand now that [K.M.] was coaching me and manipulating me to incriminate my step-father,” she said. “I have no memories of Chuck ever being inappropriate with me.”<p><br /></p><p>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">On May 5, 2022, attorney Steven Zoni filed a claim for compensation with the state of Connecticut. The claim was supported by L.B.’s affidavit and the pardon. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">“Mr. Staples likens his time inside to torture,” the claim said. “Certainly, he says now, if he hadn’t been an enlisted member of the Marine Corps [prior to being charged], trained to resist torture and in hand-to-hand combat, he would have died in prison, whether by homicide or suicide. The guards told Mr. Staples how lucky it was for him that he had military training…as a Marine he had good odds of surviving when forced to fight prison.” </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">Following his release, Staples had spent another five years on special probation and was required to register as a sex offender." </span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">--------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">RECENT ENTRY: NATIONAL REGISTRY OF EXONERATIONS. By Maurice Possley. Published on MARCH 7, 2024. Contributing factors; Perjury or False Accusation:</span></p><p>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">On May 5, 2022, attorney Steven Zoni filed a claim for compensation with the state of Connecticut. The claim was supported by L.B.’s affidavit and the pardon. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">“Mr. Staples likens his time inside to torture,” the claim said. “Certainly, he says now, if he hadn’t been an enlisted member of the Marine Corps [prior to being charged], trained to resist torture and in hand-to-hand combat, he would have died in prison, whether by homicide or suicide. The guards told Mr. Staples how lucky it was for him that he had military training…as a Marine he had good odds of surviving when forced to fight prison.” </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">Following his release, Staples had spent another five years on special probation and was required to register as a sex offender. </span><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">On February 22, 2024, the Office of the Claims Commissioner approved an award of $1,550,000 in compensation to Staples."</span></p><p><span style="caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #333333; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px;">-------------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p><table border="0" cellspacing="0" style="border-width: 0px; caret-color: rgb(85, 85, 85); color: #555555; font-family: "Libre Baskerville", serif; font-size: 14px; font-variant-caps: normal; width: 100%;"><tbody><tr><td class="ms-vb" style="border-bottom-color: silver; border-bottom-style: solid; border-bottom-width: 1px; color: #333333; padding: 3px 3px 14px; vertical-align: top;" width="75%">GIST: "On November 3, 1990, police in Plainfield, Connecticut took 28-year-old Charles Staples III to the police station and interrogated him after his wife, K.M., accused him of sexually assaulting her eight-year-old daughter, L.B., who was Staples’s stepdaughter. Staples was accused of sexually assaulting L.B. on October 30, 1990. He vehemently denied the allegation. <br /><br />After he was released, he was so distraught that he attempted to end his life by ingesting a bottle of sleeping pills. <br /><br />Staples survived, and on December 3, 1990, he was arrested on charges of first-degree sexual assault and risk of injury to a child. <br /><br />On June 14, 1991, Staples, a member of the U.S. Marine Corps reserves, entered an Alford plea in Windham County Superior Court which allowed him to maintain his innocence, but acknowledged that the prosecution had evidence sufficient to obtain a conviction. <br /><br />He was sentenced to 30 years in prison. Staples later attributed his survival in prison to his training as a Marine. As his lawyer later recounted, “Word spread; everyone inside knew inmate number 1015 [Staples] was there for raping a child, and immediately other inmates let Mr. Staples know that they knew.” He witnessed a fatal stabbing of one inmate by another inmate, survived multiple prison riots, and was himself assaulted on three occasions by groups of other inmates.<br /><br /> Eventually, he was released on parole on August 3, 2001. In 2017, his stepdaughter reached out to him, and said the allegation of sexual assault was false. L.B. also subsequently signed an affidavit, saying that her mother had coached her and forced her to make the false allegation. She said that the day after Staples, whom she called “Dad,” was arrested, another man moved into the house. <br /><br /> In the affidavit, she said that her mother “verbally, physically, and psychologically abused me. Before and after her marriage to Chuck, she would leave me alone in the house, often for days at a time without supervision or even saying she’d be gone. I recall making sandwiches for my younger sister with just two pieces of bread and mustard.”<div><br />“Chuck was <b><em>never</em></b> abusive to me in any way,” she said. “I was not given a voice beyond my mother’s. I recall my mother putting words into my mouth and gas lighting me while Chuck was facing charges. When I spoke to people who I [now] understand were part of the police investigation, my mother would say things such as ‘don’t you remember when Chuck…’ and then add in some incriminating allegation that I did not remember. I do not recall ever speaking with police outside of my mother’s presence.”</div><div><br />“As an adult with kids of my own, I understand now that [K.M.] was coaching me and manipulating me to incriminate my step-father,” she said. “I have no memories of Chuck <b><em>ever</em></b> being inappropriate with me.”</div><div><br />In 2020, Staples applied for a pardon based on the recantation. On December 2, 2020, the Connecticut Board of Pardons and Paroles granted Staples an absolute pardon. </div><div><br />On May 5, 2022, attorney Steven Zoni filed a claim for compensation with the state of Connecticut. The claim was supported by L.B.’s affidavit and the pardon. </div><div><br />“Mr. Staples likens his time inside to torture,” the claim said. “Certainly, he says now, if he hadn’t been an enlisted member of the Marine Corps [prior to being charged], trained to resist torture and in hand-to-hand combat, he would have died in prison, whether by homicide or suicide. The guards told Mr. Staples how lucky it was for him that he had military training…as a Marine he had good odds of surviving when forced to fight prison.”</div><div><br />Following his release, Staples had spent another five years on special probation and was required to register as a sex offender. </div><div><br />On February 22, 2024, the Office of the Claims Commissioner approved an award of $1,550,000 in compensation to Staples."</div><div><br /></div><div>The entire entry can be read at:</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=6768">https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=6768</a></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2376655213221424836" itemprop="description articleBody" style="caret-color: rgb(0, 0, 0); color: black; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8462682563286459802" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 10.14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;" /><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p></div></div></div></div></td></tr></tbody></table>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-23766552132214248362024-03-11T00:30:00.035-04:002024-03-11T12:42:27.730-04:00Oliver Campbell: UK: On-going False Confession case. Defence calls expert witness in the case of a vulnerable man convicted of murder who wrote to the man’s lawyers raising serious concerns about police conduct in “relentless” interviews, but never received a reply, The Guardian (Reporter Emily Dugan) reports…"Oliver Campbell, 53, who sustained a brain injury as a baby, was subjected to 14 police interviews over three days when he confessed to murder in 1990. His case is being considered by the court of appeal after a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission. Campbell’s lawyers argue he made a false confession to the shooting of an east London shopkeeper, Baldev Hoondle, while under pressure during police interviews. It was during his 11th interview that Campbell confessed. Gisli Gudjonsson, a leading clinical psychologist, was asked to assess Campbell before his trial in 1991. Gudjonsson said reviewing tapes and transcripts of police interviews “really concerned me” and that he expressed his concerns in a letter to Campbell’s lawyers alongside his report. “I was very concerned about the nature of the questioning and I raised my concern in a cover letter about the nature of the interviewing and I somehow thought they would come back to me and ask for a more in-depth assessment on that, but they didn’t.”<div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: This Blog is interested in false confessions because of the disturbing number of exonerations in the USA, Canada and multiple other jurisdictions throughout the world, where, in the absence of incriminating forensic evidence the conviction is based on self-incrimination – and because of the growing body of scientific research showing how vulnerable suspects are to widely used interrogation methods such as the notorious ‘Reid Technique.’ As all too many of this Blog's post have shown, I also recognize that pressure for false confessions can take many forms, up to and including physical violence, even physical and mental torture.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 16px;">Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog:<span style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal;"><br /><br /></span>----------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Gudjonsson, who has spent more than four decades researching false confessions, said “the cognitive load on [Campbell] was extreme” and that he was “distressed and clearly confused”. The emeritus professor of forensic psychology at King’s College <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/london"><span style="color: #990010;">London</span></a> has since conducted further assessments of Campbell for the commission.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> Gudjonsson described “a relentless questioning” and said that in the 10th police interview Campbell made 104 “no comment” answers but by the 11th interview his “resistance [was] breaking down”. He said Campbell was “so vulnerable” during the interviews, often without the support of an effective solicitor or appropriate adult, and that there was a “high risk” that he made a false confession. “He was giving the police what he thought they wanted.” He said Campbell was motivated by the hope that they might “stop interrogating him”.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">----------------------------------------------------------------</p><div><br /></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">STORY: "Vulnerable man confessed to murder in 11th of 14 ‘relentless’ interviews, court hears," by Guardian Senior Reporter Emily Dugan, published one 29 February, 2024.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 8px;">SUB-HEADING: "Expert witness says he raised concerns about police questioning with Oliver Campbell’s lawyers before trial."</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">GIST: An expert witness in the case of a vulnerable man convicted of murder wrote to the man’s lawyers raising serious concerns about police conduct in “relentless” interviews, but never received a reply.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Oliver Campbell, 53, who sustained a brain injury as a baby, was subjected to 14 police interviews over three days when he confessed to murder in 1990. His case is being considered by the court of appeal after a referral by the Criminal Cases Review Commission.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Campbell’s lawyers argue he <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/law/2024/feb/28/court-of-appeal-told-vulnerable-man-humiliated-into-false-confession-in-1991"><span style="color: #990010;">made a false confession</span></a> to the shooting of an east London shopkeeper, Baldev Hoondle, while under pressure during police interviews. It was during his 11th interview that Campbell confessed.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: #e9e9e9; color: #990010; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;"></span></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Gisli Gudjonsson, a leading clinical psychologist, was asked to assess Campbell before his trial in 1991. Gudjonsson said reviewing tapes and transcripts of police interviews “really concerned me” and that he expressed his concerns in a letter to Campbell’s lawyers alongside his report.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“I was very concerned about the nature of the questioning and I raised my concern in a cover letter about the nature of the interviewing and I somehow thought they would come back to me and ask for a more in-depth assessment on that, but they didn’t.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Gudjonsson, who has spent more than four decades researching false confessions, said “the cognitive load on [Campbell] was extreme” and that he was “distressed and clearly confused”.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The emeritus professor of forensic psychology at King’s College <a href="https://www.theguardian.com/uk/london"><span style="color: #990010;">London</span></a> has since conducted further assessments of Campbell for the commission.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Gudjonsson described “a relentless questioning” and said that in the 10th police interview Campbell made 104 “no comment” answers but by the 11th interview his “resistance [was] breaking down”.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Arial; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 21px; text-align: center;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He said Campbell was “so vulnerable” during the interviews, often without the support of an effective solicitor or appropriate adult, and that there was a “high risk” that he made a false confession. “He was giving the police what he thought they wanted.” He said Campbell was motivated by the hope that they might “stop interrogating him”.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Campbell had an IQ of 73 and scored “abnormally high” for acquiescence, with an “extreme tendency to just, when in doubt, say yes”, Gudjonsson said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">He described one officer’s comments as “seriously problematic”. He added: “I’ve never seen a case with so many comments by an officer about the demeanour.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The court heard that Campbell’s foster mother had said he made a false confession as a child to protect other children.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Speaking to the Guardian outside court, Campbell said he was finding it “very hard to understand [the hearing] because it’s going through legal stuff”.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Of the outcome he said: “They need to do the right thing, not close their eyes on what’s in front of them.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">When asked how he came to make a confession, he said: “I can’t remember what I said but I think the police went over the top and I think it’s absolutely disgusting what they’ve done.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">A second clinical psychologist, Alison Beck, told the court that the science of forensic psychology had improved since Campbell was convicted. She said psychologists were also more aware of the impact of race on people’s experience of police questioning.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The case was adjourned to a future date as there were still points of law to be addressed by Campbell’s lawyers. It is likely to be several weeks – if not months –before the hearing can conclude as lawyers will be allowed two weeks to make further written submissions before a new date can be found."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at:</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0f0f0f; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><a href="https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/29/vulnerable-man-confessed-to-in-11th-of-14-relentless-interviews-court-hears">https://amp.theguardian.com/uk-news/2024/feb/29/vulnerable-man-confessed-to-in-11th-of-14-relentless-interviews-court-hears</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-8462682563286459802" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 10.14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;" /><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-13973643138547951232024-03-10T11:36:00.004-04:002024-03-10T11:36:49.645-04:00Here we go again! Colorado: Last week, it was DNA analyst Chiara Wuensch who was fired after an investigation into her work (link below): This week, as News9 reports, it's Yvonne 'Missy" Woods, a former DNA analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI) found to have allegedly manipulated DNA results and to have "cut corners" according to an internal affairs investigation – and as a result, said to be calling all of her work at the agency, over nearly 30 years into question…"So far, CBI's quality management team has found 652 cases between 2008 and 2023 that have been affected by Woods’ data manipulation. There could be more cases added to the list, as the agency is still reviewing her work from 1994 to 2008."<p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;"><br /></span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;">QUOTE OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">"It's fairly bad whenever you have a lab analyst who alters data in a forensic case file," said Phil Danielson, a DNA expert witness. "That is bad. </span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">Danielson wants to know how this internal review at CBI began. He said every DNA analysis report is reviewed by a separate analyst and then it goes through an administrative review. </span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">"Yet CBI is now telling us in spite of this review process they now have hundreds of cases where misconduct by Missy Woods went undetected," Danielson said. "How is that possible?" </span></p><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: medium;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">—————————————————————————————</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">SECOND QUOTE OF THE DAY:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) said in a statement that the investigation impacts current cases and will likely result in closed cases being reopened. OSPD said that "the lack of transparency from the CBI about this matter is extremely concerning." "One of the most pressing questions is whether any person has been wrongly convicted as a result of misconduct," the statement says. "CBI and other law enforcement should be immediately forthcoming with the public and the people directly impacted by the misconduct and possible crimes committed by the DNA analysts they employed."</p><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">-----------------------------------------------------</span></p><div><br /></div><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;">PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-size: 18px;">According to the investigation, Woods did the following:</span></p><ul><li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Omitted material facts in official criminal justice records</span></li><li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Tampered with DNA testing results by omitting some of those results</span></li><li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Violated CBI’s Code of Conduct and CBI laboratory policies ranging from data retention to quality control measures</span></li></ul><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The agency also detailed how she allegedly manipulated results. Those findings are below.</p><ul><li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Deleted and altered data that concealed Woods’ tampering with controls </span></li><li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Deleted data that concealed Woods’ failure to troubleshoot issues within the testing process</span></li><li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Failed to provide thorough documentation in the case record related to certain tests performed</span></li></ul><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI said the manipulations appeared to be "intentional conduct" on the part of Woods. They don't believe she falsified DNA matches, but<b> </b>instead deviated from standard testing protocols and cut corners, calling into question the reliability of the testing she conducted.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">—————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 30px;"><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-style: normal; font-variant-caps: normal;">STORY: "More than 650 cases affected by DNA analyst's 'data manipulation', CBI says," by Reporters Janet Oravetz (News9) and Kelly </span><span style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">Reince (News9) , published on March 8, 2024.</span></span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">SUB-HEADING: "So far, 652 cases between 2008 and 2023 are affected. Cases before that are still under review, the CBI said."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #111111;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(17, 17, 17);">GIST: </span></span><span style="color: #111111;"> </span><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/former-boss-cbi-dna-scientist/73-1776af8d-2523-4d3f-8ca8-5e301c0c2b23"><span style="color: #0b4997;">A former DNA analyst with the Colorado Bureau of Investigation (CBI)</span></a><span style="color: #111111;"> manipulated DNA results and "cut corners" according to an internal affairs investigation – and as a result, all of her work at the agency over nearly 30 years has been called into question.</span></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 17px;"><b></b></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So far, CBI's quality management team has found 652 cases between 2008 and 2023 that have been affected by Woods’ data manipulation. There could be more cases added to the list, as the agency is still reviewing her work from 1994 to 2008.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In September, CBI launched a review of testing done by Yvonne "Missy" Woods, who worked at the agency for 29 years. That month, CBI became aware that DNA sample testing performed by Woods may have "deviated from standard operating procedures." </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In October, she was placed on leave and performed no additional work before she retired the following month, the CBI said Friday.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The internal affairs investigation found that Woods "manipulated" data in the DNA testing process and posted "incomplete test results" in some cases. That discovery puts all of her work in question, the CBI said. They're currently reviewing all of her work.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Ryan Brackley, an attorney for Woods, released a statement following the investigation results were published.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“While the allegations resulting from the internal investigation point to Ms. Woods deviating from standard protocols and cutting corners in her work, she has long maintained that she’s never created or falsely reported any inculpatory DNA matches or exclusions, nor has she testified falsely in any hearing or trial resulting in a false conviction or unjust imprisonment," Brackley said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"To the extent that the findings of the internal investigation will call her good work into question Ms. Woods will continue to cooperate to preserve the integrity of her work that resulted in true and just criminal justice findings.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to the investigation, Woods did the following:</p>
<ul>
<li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Omitted material facts in official criminal justice records</span></li>
<li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Tampered with DNA testing results by omitting some of those results</span></li>
<li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Violated CBI’s Code of Conduct and CBI laboratory policies ranging from data retention to quality control measures</span></li>
</ul>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The agency also detailed how she allegedly manipulated results. Those findings are below.</p>
<ul>
<li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Deleted and altered data that concealed Woods’ tampering with controls </span></li>
<li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Deleted data that concealed Woods’ failure to troubleshoot issues within the testing process</span></li>
<li style="color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="background-color: white;">Failed to provide thorough documentation in the case record related to certain tests performed</span></li></ul>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI said the manipulations appeared to be "intentional conduct" on the part of Woods. They don't believe she falsified DNA matches, but<b> </b>instead deviated from standard testing protocols and cut corners, calling into question the reliability of the testing she conducted.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to CBI’s policies and procedures, Woods should have conducted additional testing to ensure the reliability of her results in these affected cases.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI said it will continue reviewing and instituting improvements to lab policies and testing protocols to prevent this type of manipulation from occurring in the future.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked with CBI to ensure an independent evaluation. CBI also asked the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation to handle a separate criminal investigation into Woods. That is still ongoing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"It's fairly bad whenever you have a lab analyst who alters data in a forensic case file," said Phil Danielson, a DNA expert witness. "That is bad."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Danielson wants to know how this internal review at CBI began. He said every DNA analysis report is reviewed by a separate analyst and then it goes through an administrative review. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Yet CBI is now telling us in spite of this review process they now have hundreds of cases where misconduct by Missy Woods went undetected," Danielson said. "How is that possible?" </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI sent a letter to every district attorney in Colorado this week to inform them that findings in the internal affairs investigation could impact Woods' credibility as a witness in criminal trials. District attorneys want more specifics, and at this point, they don't know how many cases could be reopened. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0000e9; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: right;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"It's a ton of work and it's deeply frustrating," said District Attorney Brian Mason in Adams County.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> "These are cases we have already worked hard on to secure convictions, and it requires us now to not only review those cases and determine whether or not they need to be relitigated in any way, it means calling victims and victims' families and explaining to them the case that was resolved years ago may not be resolved anymore."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"We are very concerned about the findings regarding Former Agent Woods by the CBI investigation, particularly when words like 'omitted' and 'tampered' are used," said District Attorney Michael Rourke in Weld County.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> "We continue to try and obtain more specific information about these omissions evidence which was tampered with. Until we receive that information, we are still unable to fully ascertain the impact on individual cases or the long-term impact on the criminal justice system as a whole.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In February, the Colorado Department of Public Safety requested nearly $7.5 million in additional funding to retest samples. Some of that funding would also go to potential reimbursements for post-conviction review and retrial costs.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) said in a statement that the investigation impacts current cases and will likely result in closed cases being reopened. OSPD said that "the lack of transparency from the CBI about this matter is extremely concerning."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"One of the most pressing questions is whether any person has been wrongly convicted as a result of misconduct," the statement says.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> "CBI and other law enforcement should be immediately forthcoming with the public and the people directly impacted by the misconduct and possible crimes committed by the DNA analysts they employed."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI is also engaged in an audit of all DNA analysts to ensure the accuracy and completeness of their entire catalog of records.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> During that audit and review process, CBI found that an analyst employed by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at the Northern Colorado Regional Forensic Laboratory may have also manipulated DNA testing data. CBI referred the case to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. </p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0000e9; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: right;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Last week, the sheriff's office announced they fired Chiara Wuensch after an internal investigation into her casework. They only said "anomalies" were found in her work and that she was fired because she violated the Weld County Code for expectations of proper conduct, and the sheriff's office's standard of conduct policy for not cooperating with the investigation.</p><div><br /></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">So far, CBI's quality management team has found 652 cases between 2008 and 2023 that have been affected by Woods’ data manipulation. There could be more cases added to the list, as the agency is still reviewing her work from 1994 to 2008.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In September, CBI launched a review of testing done by Yvonne "Missy" Woods, who worked at the agency for 29 years. That month, CBI became aware that DNA sample testing performed by Woods may have "deviated from standard operating procedures." </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In October, she was placed on leave and performed no additional work before she retired the following month, the CBI said Friday.</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 22px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The internal affairs investigation found that Woods "manipulated" data in the DNA testing process and posted "incomplete test results" in some cases. That discovery puts all of her work in question, the CBI said. They're currently reviewing all of her work.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Ryan Brackley, an attorney for Woods, released a statement following the investigation results were published.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">“While the allegations resulting from the internal investigation point to Ms. Woods deviating from standard protocols and cutting corners in her work, she has long maintained that she’s never created or falsely reported any inculpatory DNA matches or exclusions, nor has she testified falsely in any hearing or trial resulting in a false conviction or unjust imprisonment," Brackley said.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"To the extent that the findings of the internal investigation will call her good work into question Ms. Woods will continue to cooperate to preserve the integrity of her work that resulted in true and just criminal justice findings.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI said the manipulations appeared to be "intentional conduct" on the part of Woods. They don't believe she falsified DNA matches, but<b> </b>instead deviated from standard testing protocols and cut corners, calling into question the reliability of the testing she conducted.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">According to CBI’s policies and procedures, Woods should have conducted additional testing to ensure the reliability of her results in these affected cases.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI said it will continue reviewing and instituting improvements to lab policies and testing protocols to prevent this type of manipulation from occurring in the future.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Kansas Bureau of Investigation worked with CBI to ensure an independent evaluation. CBI also asked the South Dakota Division of Criminal Investigation to handle a separate criminal investigation into Woods. That is still ongoing.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"It's fairly bad whenever you have a lab analyst who alters data in a forensic case file," said Phil Danielson, a DNA expert witness. "That is bad."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Danielson wants to know how this internal review at CBI began. He said every DNA analysis report is reviewed by a separate analyst and then it goes through an administrative review. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"Yet CBI is now telling us in spite of this review process they now have hundreds of cases where misconduct by Missy Woods went undetected," Danielson said. "How is that possible?" </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI sent a letter to every district attorney in Colorado this week to inform them that findings in the internal affairs investigation could impact Woods' credibility as a witness in criminal trials.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"> District attorneys want more specifics, and at this point, they don't know how many cases could be reopened. </p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"It's a ton of work and it's deeply frustrating," said District Attorney Brian Mason in Adams County. "These are cases we have already worked hard on to secure convictions, and it requires us now to not only review those cases and determine whether or not they need to be relitigated in any way, it means calling victims and victims' families and explaining to them the case that was resolved years ago may not be resolved anymore."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"We are very concerned about the findings regarding Former Agent Woods by the CBI investigation, particularly when words like 'omitted' and 'tampered' are used," said District Attorney Michael Rourke in Weld County. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"We continue to try and obtain more specific information about these omissions evidence which was tampered with. Until we receive that information, we are still unable to fully ascertain the impact on individual cases or the long-term impact on the criminal justice system as a whole.”</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">In February, the Colorado Department of Public Safety requested nearly $7.5 million in additional funding to retest samples. Some of that funding would also go to potential reimbursements for post-conviction review and retrial costs.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The Office of the State Public Defender (OSPD) said in a statement that the investigation impacts current cases and will likely result in closed cases being reopened. OSPD said that "the lack of transparency from the CBI about this matter is extremely concerning."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">"One of the most pressing questions is whether any person has been wrongly convicted as a result of misconduct," the statement says. "CBI and other law enforcement should be immediately forthcoming with the public and the people directly impacted by the misconduct and possible crimes committed by the DNA analysts they employed."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">CBI is also engaged in an audit of all DNA analysts to ensure the accuracy and completeness of their entire catalog of records. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">During that audit and review process, CBI found that an analyst employed by the Weld County Sheriff’s Office at the Northern Colorado Regional Forensic Laboratory may have also manipulated DNA testing data. CBI referred the case to the Weld County Sheriff’s Office. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0000e9; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 16px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; text-align: right;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Last week, the sheriff's office announced they fired Chiara Wuensch after an internal investigation into her casework. They only said "anomalies" were found in her work and that she was fired because she violated the Weld County Code for expectations of proper conduct, and the sheriff's office's standard of conduct policy for not cooperating with the investigation."</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">The entire story can be read at: </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/colorado-dna-analyst-manipulated-results-internal-investigation/73-9d7dac10-23b5-44c2-a30e-3d72fb12f2f1">https://www.9news.com/article/news/crime/colorado-dna-analyst-manipulated-results-internal-investigation/73-9d7dac10-23b5-44c2-a30e-3d72fb12f2f1</a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Last week, it was DNA analyst Chiara Wuensch who was fired after an investigation into her work: Previous post: </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/2337539555902619251">2337539555902619251</a></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 18px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">------------------------------------------</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #111111; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-6648805985620077695" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="-webkit-text-stroke-width: 0px; color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 10.14px; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; font-weight: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; orphans: auto; text-align: start; text-decoration: none; text-indent: 0px; text-transform: uppercase; white-space: normal; widows: auto; word-spacing: 0px;"></div>Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-44852140485781917832024-03-10T00:30:00.004-05:002024-03-10T00:30:00.136-05:00Book of the day: "Snitching: Criminal Informants and the erosion of American justice, by Harvard Prof. Alexandra Natapoff: New Yorker contributor Charles Bethea takes on the murky world of the police informant in 'What Do We Owe a Prison Informant?' - and reaches some very disturbing conclusions… "In the book, she argues that there is an intentional opacity surrounding the use of informants, which helps to sustain an “almost entirely deregulated market for guilt and information.” A person who is suspected of a crime or is facing punishment can avoid arrest or get a reduced sentence in return for information, but sometimes the inducement to snitch is far more modest—in one notorious instance, in California, a man was wrongly convicted of murder on the testimony of a jailhouse informant who later said that he was given twenty-five dollars and a pack of cigarettes to offer a damning story. Informants can also be required to have sex, expose themselves to illegal drug use, or risk their lives as part of a coöperation deal. Essentially, Natapoff said, anything goes. “We have a Bill of Rights that constrains what the state can do,” she told me. “We have statutory codes that constrain what people can be convicted and punished for, and codes that say how much punishment is appropriate. And then we suspend nearly all those rules when it comes to informants.”<div><br /></div><div><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: </span><span style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">What do police informants have to do with forensic science? (I'm glad you asked). Investigative Reporter Pamela Colloff give us a clue when she writes - at the link below - "I’ve wanted to write about jailhouse informants for a long time because they often appear in troubled cases in which the other evidence is weak." That's my experience as will as a criminal lawyer and an observer of criminal justice. Given the reality that jurors - thanks to the CSI effect - are becoming more and more insistent on the need for there to be forensic evidence, it is becoming more and more common for police to rely on shady tactics such as use of police snitches, staging lineups, coercing, inducing, or creating false confessions out of thin air, procuring false eyewitness testimony or concealing exculpatory evidence. "</span></p><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"></span></div><div style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-top: 1em;"><span style="font-family: Times; font-kerning: none; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;">Harold Levy: </span><span style="font-family: Times;">Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></div><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Times;">—————————————————————---</span></p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: Times;">PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "</span><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Perhaps the most serious problem that stems from the use of informants is the prevalence of </span><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/24/an-ex-cops-remorse" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; transition: color 200ms;">false testimony</a><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">. </span><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">About a decade ago, the National Registry of Exonerations found that nearly a quarter of wrongful capital convictions were the result of testimony from jailhouse informants, who have an obvious incentive to offer up ostensibly useful information regardless of whether it is true."</span></p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">------------------------------------------------------------------</span></p></div><div>STORY: "What Do We Owe a Prison Informant?, by Charles Bethea, published by The New Yorker, on February 13, 2024. (<span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Charles Bethea has been contributing to</span><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> </span><em style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">The New Yorker</em><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> </span><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">since 2008 and became a staff writer in 2018. He has published more than fifty Talk of the Town pieces, often on political subjects, including the creator of barackobama@gmail.com, the gymnastics career of Roy Moore, and a sculptor obsessed with Donald Trump. In addition to politics, Bethea covers crime, local media, and the American South. He received a 2021 Mirror Award for his</span><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> </span><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/the-future-of-democracy/what-happens-when-the-news-is-gone" style="box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; transition-duration: 0.2s; transition-property: color, background, text-shadow; transition-timing-function: ease-in-out;">reporting</a><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> on the loss of local news in Jones County, North Carolina.)</span></div><div><span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"><br /></span></div><div>SUB-HEADING: "<span style="font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">A man in Georgia says he risked his life for years and was abandoned. But there are very few rules protecting those who provide law enforcement with information."</span></div><div><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">GIST: (This is one of the most thorough analysis of the risks post through use of jailhouse informants which I have read. It's really lengthy - so here is a taste. HL): "Most informants are, or have previously been, incarcerated.</p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">The majority are likely poor and Black or brown—but it is hard to say precisely who informants are, because prosecutors and police departments are not required to document their use of them. </p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">The vast majority of criminal charges in the U.S. result in plea deals, meaning that there is no trial at which the use of an informant might be forcibly disclosed. “We only see the tip of the iceberg,” Alexandra Natapoff, a professor at Harvard Law School, told me, “when something goes wrong.”</p><div class="inline-recirc-wrapper inline-recirc-observer-target-1 viewport-monitor-anchor" data-attr-viewport-monitor="inline-recirc" data-event-boundary="click" data-event-click="{"pattern":"InlineRecirc"}" data-in-view="{"pattern":"InlineRecirc"}" data-include-experiments="true" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"></div><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Natapoff is the author of “<a class="external-link" data-event-click="{"element":"ExternalLink","outgoingURL":"https://www.amazon.com/Snitching-Criminal-Informants-Erosion-American/dp/0814758975"}" data-ml-id="0" data-ml="true" data-offer-url="https://www.amazon.com/Snitching-Criminal-Informants-Erosion-American/dp/0814758975" data-orig-url="https://www.amazon.com/Snitching-Criminal-Informants-Erosion-American/dp/0814758975?ots=1&tag=thneyo0f-20&linkCode=w50" data-xid="fr1708966846955bjj" href="https://www.amazon.com/Snitching-Criminal-Informants-Erosion-American/dp/0814758975?ots=1&tag=thneyo0f-20&linkCode=w50" rel="noopener" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; transition: color 200ms;" target="_blank">Snitching: Criminal Informants and the Erosion of American Justice</a>.”</p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;"> In the book, she argues that there is an intentional opacity surrounding the use of informants, which helps to sustain an “almost entirely deregulated market for guilt and information.” </p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">A person who is suspected of a crime or is facing punishment can avoid arrest or get a reduced sentence in return for information, but sometimes the inducement to snitch is far more modest—in one notorious instance, in California, a man was wrongly convicted of murder on the testimony of a jailhouse informant who later said that he was given twenty-five dollars and a pack of cigarettes to offer a damning story. </p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Informants can also be required to have sex, expose themselves to illegal drug use, or <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2012/09/03/the-throwaways" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; transition: color 200ms;">risk their lives as part of a coöperation deal</a>. Essentially, Natapoff said, anything goes. “We have a Bill of Rights that constrains what the state can do,” she told me. “We have statutory codes that constrain what people can be convicted and punished for, and codes that say how much punishment is appropriate. And then we suspend nearly all those rules when it comes to informants.”</p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">Perhaps the most serious problem that stems from the use of informants is the prevalence of <a href="https://www.newyorker.com/magazine/2016/10/24/an-ex-cops-remorse" style="--color__token-name: colors.interactive.base.light; box-sizing: border-box; color: black; cursor: pointer; line-height: inherit; text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; transition: color 200ms;">false testimony</a>. </p><p class="paywall" style="box-sizing: border-box; font-family: TNYAdobeCaslonPro, "Times New Roman", Times, serif;">About a decade ago, the National Registry of Exonerations found that nearly a quarter of wrongful capital convictions were the result of testimony from jailhouse informants, who have an obvious incentive to offer up ostensibly useful information regardless of whether it is true."</p><div>The entire story can be read at: </div><br /><a href="https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/what-do-we-owe-a-prison-informant">https://www.newyorker.com/news/letter-from-the-south/what-do-we-owe-a-prison-informant</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-5939884194126756927" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-4332839939128822485" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13px; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-7696969562302017190" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. 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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 10.14px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" /><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-66488059856200776952024-03-09T15:24:00.002-05:002024-03-10T16:54:18.373-04:00Chris Dunn: Missouri: Bulletin: St. Louis Public Radio (Reporter Danny Wicentowski) points out an ugly reality that cries out for correction, in a story sub-headed: "Two St. Louis prosecutors say Christopher Dunn is innocent. He’s still in prison."…"For Christopher Dunn, the Feb. 7 announcement by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore was a moment of deja vu. Less than a year had passed since May 15, 2023, when then-Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced that she would file a motion to vacate Dunn’s 1991 murder conviction. Days later, however, Gardner resigned her position with an office in crisis — leaving Dunn’s path to freedom in limbo. He could do nothing but wait for St. Louis’ new circuit attorney to look at his case for innocence. “I've been down this road before,” Dunn said. He spoke to St. Louis on the Air days after Gore announced the filing of a new motion to vacate Dunn’s conviction."<div>PUBLISHER'S NOTE: A hearing date has been finally set. May 20-22: I will be watching. Skeptically ~ Stay tuned! HL,</div><div><br /><a href="https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/hearing-scheduled-vacate-1991-murder-conviction-christopher-dunn/63-15545c8a-0d6a-4de5-8b5d-d193b306c34f">https://www.ksdk.com/article/news/local/hearing-scheduled-vacate-1991-murder-conviction-christopher-dunn/63-15545c8a-0d6a-4de5-8b5d-d193b306c34f</a></div><div><br /></div><div>—————————————————————————————————</div><div><br /></div><div>BACKGROUND: From a previous post of this Blog headed, 'Chris Dunn: Innocence be Damned.' (December 2, 2021): <span style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue";"><i>"The first recantation came in 2005, when Stepp signed an affidavit saying he committed perjury when he testified that Dunn was the shooter. He said he identified Dunn because he did not like him and because the police told him to do so. A prosecutor also cut him a deal in an unrelated robbery case in exchange for his testimony, so he “lied on” Dunn to save himself, according to Dunn’s lawyers. He got probation instead of prison time. “I’m willing to come forward after all these years, because my conscious has been eating a way (sic) at me for all these years,” Stepp wrote, adding that he was a scared kid who didn’t know better. “I just want to do what is right now and tell the truth.” Then in 2015, Davis, by then 38, said in an affidavit he also lied on the stand. He and Stepp did not see the shooter, but they decided to put it on Dunn because, he wrote, “it was rumored” that Dunn was the member of a rival gang — an accusation Kira Dunn said is false. Davis recalled that before Dunn’s trial, he hesitated about his claim that he had seen the killer, so officers showed him photographs of Rogers’ bloody dead body, according to his affidavit. They told him, “This is what he did to your partner,” Davis wrote, which felt like coercion to him. Police also had the victim’s mother call Davis and pressure him to “help them get rid of this guy,” he wrote. "</i></span></div><p style="font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><div><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/8750782666077891836">https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/8750782666077891836</a></div><div><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">Like Gardner, Gore found the conviction rested entirely on witness testimony. Both witnesses, who were 12 and 14 at the time of the killing, later recanted their claims that an 18-year-old Dunn was the shooter behind the 1990 killing of Ricco Rogers. </span><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">In 2020, Texas County Circuit Judge William E. Hickle stated about the case, “This court does not believe that any jury would now convict Christopher Dunn under these facts.” </span><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">Yet, Dunn remains behind bars." </span></div><div><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-size: 17px;"><br /></span></div><div><span face="acumin-pro, Helvetica Neue, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="color: #231f20;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); font-size: 17px;">----------------------------------------------------</span></span></div><div><br /></div><div>STORY: "Chris Dunn speaks on Gore motion to vacate his conviction, by Reporter Danny Wicentowski, published by STLPR (St. Louis Public Radio) on March 6, 2024. "<span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">Danny Wicentowski joined St. Louis Public Radio in 2022 as a producer for </span><i style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">St. Louis on the Air</i><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">. Before making the jump to public radio, Danny worked for more than eight years as a staff writer for St. Louis’ alt-weekly the </span><i style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Riverfront Times</i><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">, where his investigative and feature stories won multiple local and national awards. In 2020, he co-produced and hosted the podcast American Skyjacker, chronicling the life and crimes of plane hijacker Martin McNally."</span></div><div><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;"><br /></span></div><div><p style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 40px;">SUB-HEADING: "Two St. Louis prosecutors say Christopher Dunn is innocent. He’s still in prison."</p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 40px;"><span style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Helvetica;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(26, 23, 24);">GIST: </span></span><span style="color: #1a1718; font-family: Helvetica;">"</span><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">For Christopher Dunn, the Feb. 7 announcement by St. Louis Circuit Attorney Gabe Gore was a moment of deja vu. Less than a year had passed since May 15, 2023, when then-Circuit Attorney Kim Gardner announced that she would file a motion to vacate Dunn’s 1991 murder conviction.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 40px;"><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">Days later, however, </span><a class="Link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.stlpr.org/government-politics-issues/2023-05-16/kim-gardner-resigns-as-st-louis-circuit-attorney-2-weeks-early" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Gardner resigned her position</a><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;"> with an office in crisis — leaving Dunn’s path to freedom in limbo. He could do nothing but wait for St. Louis’ new circuit attorney to look at his case for innocence.</span></p><p style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 20px auto; max-width: 700px;">“I've been down this road before,” Dunn said. He spoke to <i style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;">St. Louis on the Air </i>days after Gore announced <a class="Link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://www.stlpr.org/law-order/2024-02-07/st-louis-prosecutor-will-attempt-to-throw-out-christopher-dunns-conviction" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">the filing of a new motion to vacate Dunn’s conviction</a>.</p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 40px;"><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">Like Gardner, Gore found the conviction rested entirely on witness testimony. Both witnesses, who were 12 and 14 at the time of the killing, later recanted their claims that an 18-year-old Dunn was the shooter behind the 1990 killing of Ricco Rogers.</span></p><p style="font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 40px;"><span face="acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif" style="caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20;">In 2020, Texas County Circuit Judge William E. Hickle stated about the case, “This court does not believe that any jury would now convict Christopher Dunn under these facts.”</span></p><p style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 20px auto; max-width: 700px;">Yet, Dunn remains behind bars. Although Gore’s motion follows the same legal process that freed <a class="Link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/government-politics-issues/2023-02-14/judge-rules-lamar-johnson-should-be-freed-after-nearly-30-years-in-prison-for-a-murder-he-didnt-commit" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Lamar Johnson</a> and <a class="Link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://news.stlpublicradio.org/law-order/2021-11-23/kevin-strickland-is-free-from-prison-after-43-years-as-missouri-judge-overturns-his-conviction" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Kevin Strickland</a>, Dunn said he has to be protective of his expectations.</p><p style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 20px auto; max-width: 700px;">“I still have to live in prison, with the uncertainty that I may possibly die in prison,” he noted. “We just got over one of the largest hurdles. We haven't reached the finish line yet.”</p><p style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 20px auto; max-width: 700px;">On Wednesday’s <i style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;">St. Louis on the Air</i>, Dunn discussed his yearslong efforts to prove his innocence and reflected on the unusual series of events that’s led two St. Louis prosecutors and a Missouri judge to support his freedom. The show also featured a conversation with Dunn’s wife, Kira Dunn, and Rachel Wester, managing attorney for the Midwest Innocence Project.</p><p style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 20px auto; max-width: 700px;"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;">To hear more from Christopher Dunn, and how his wife, Kira, and supporters are working to secure his freedom, listen to <i style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;">St. Louis on the Air</i> on </span><a class="Link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/st-louis-on-the-air/id279357633?mt=2" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Apple Podcast</a><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;">, </span><a class="Link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://open.spotify.com/show/1pyIdb2jyamTL5DudxRtKe?si=hrBpc70LReeau6690dE_-Q" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Spotify</a><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;"> or </span><a class="Link" data-cms-ai="0" href="https://podcasts.google.com/feed/aHR0cHM6Ly9rd211LXJzcy5zdHJlYW1ndXlzMS5jb20vc3RsX29uX3RoZV9haXIvc3QtbG91aXMtb24tdGhlLWFpci1pdHVuZXMueG1s" style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; color: #231f20; text-decoration: none; touch-action: manipulation;" target="_blank">Google Podcast</a><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;"> or by clicking the play button below."</span></p><p style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box; caret-color: rgb(35, 31, 32); color: #231f20; font-family: acumin-pro, "Helvetica Neue", Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; margin: 20px auto; max-width: 700px;"><span style="background-repeat: no-repeat; box-sizing: border-box;">The entire story can be read at:</span></p><a href="https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2024-03-06/two-st-louis-prosecutors-say-christopher-dunn-is-innocent-hes-still-in-prison">https://www.stlpr.org/show/st-louis-on-the-air/2024-03-06/two-st-louis-prosecutors-say-christopher-dunn-is-innocent-hes-still-in-prison</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-17448883143349202552024-03-09T00:30:00.078-05:002024-03-09T00:30:00.142-05:00 Douglas “Chief” Stankewitz: California: Surviving Injustice: Aftermath of a recent evidentiary hearing on the application for a new trial by a man sentenced to death in October 1978 who has has lived through five scheduled dates of execution, has survived and endured 46 years of wrongful incarceration and, as the longest serving person on death row in California history, has never wavered in his fight for freedom, the longest serving person on death row in California history.<div><br /></div><div>PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am grateful to the Davis Vanguard for bringing this case - with its many issues of interest to this Blog - to our attention.</div><div><br /></div><div>Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.</div><div><br /></div><div>-------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica;">The evidentiary hearing was granted by Fresno County Superior Court Judge Arlan L. Harrell, who determined there was enough new evidence to warrant the hearing, a notable divergence from Harrell’s record of upholding the Stankewitz conviction, flagging a viable opportunity for a new defense by Stankewitz’s legal team. </span><span style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica;">In 1978, 19-year-old Douglas Stankewitz, severely abused as a child and a former foster youth who had survived years of horrific trauma, was convicted of capital murder in a rushed trial and without proper defense, which his legal team detailed during the seven-day evidentiary hearing in January 2024. His co-defendants were given a change of venue, pleaded guilty to lesser crimes and served relatively short sentences. At the hearing, new evidence regarding the validity of the supposed murder weapon having been the gun found in the victim’s vehicle was introduced. The vehicle was mishandled or not secured by the Fresno Police Department before returning it to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, which, in turn, returned it to the victim’s family within two days of the crime. The return of the car predated Stankewitz’s trial attorney being assigned to the case. So his counsel could not inspect the vehicle or its contents. Additional evidence brought forward was the discrepancy in the evidence collection documentation regarding the supposed murder weapon. Attorney Hammons stated, “After close to five decades, Chief has finally had a fair hearing where the issues underlying his case, including police, prosecutorial and defense misconduct, have come to light in front of someone who has the power to overturn his conviction. I’m confident we will see Chief released soon.”</span></div><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">--------------------------------------------------------------------</p><div>POST: Surviving Injustice: By Ashley Crystal Rojas. Published by 'Surviving Injustice, on March 1, 2024.<br /><p style="color: #5d5e5f; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 19.5px;"> GST: "Douglas “Chief” Stankewitz, the Monache man from Big Sandy Rancheria (Fresno County), has never wavered in his fight for freedom. Sentenced to death in October 1978, Stankewitz has lived through five scheduled dates of execution.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">He has survived and endured 46 years of wrongful incarceration. Stankewitz is the longest serving person on death row in California history.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">In 2019, the Fresno District Attorney dropped the death penalty and Stankewitz was sentenced to life without the possibility of parole. At present, he is still housed on Death Row. In addition to his habeas proceeding, his resentencing is pending before the Fresno Superior Court.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Native American drummers at a prayer circle for Douglas “Chief” Stankewitz. Photo by Peter Maiden Courthouse on Jan. 29. They were supporting Douglas “Chief” Stankewitz, who was in a hearing seeking to be released after 45 years on death row. Photo by Peter Maiden</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Steadfast in his bid for freedom, Stankewitz and his legal team won an opportunity for an evidentiary hearing—an opportunity to present evidence they hope will lead to Stankewitz’s freedom. This evidentiary hearing alone was a big win and the summation of a seven-year legal struggle by Stankewitz’s legal team.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Stankewitz’s legal team is mostly pro bono by legendary San Francisco civil rights attorney J. Tony Serra, Bay Area attorneys Curtis L. Briggs and Marshall Hammons, and attorney Alexandra Cock of Washington State, who is working as a paralegal on the case.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">The evidentiary hearing was granted by Fresno County Superior Court Judge Arlan L. Harrell, who determined there was enough new evidence to warrant the hearing, a notable divergence from Harrell’s record of upholding the Stankewitz conviction, flagging a viable opportunity for a new defense by Stankewitz’s legal team.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">In 1978, 19-year-old Douglas Stankewitz, severely abused as a child and a former foster youth who had survived years of horrific trauma, was convicted of capital murder in a rushed trial and without proper defense, which his legal team detailed during the seven-day evidentiary hearing in January 2024.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">His co-defendants were given a change of venue, pleaded guilty to lesser crimes and served relatively short sentences. At the hearing, new evidence regarding the validity of the supposed murder weapon having been the gun found in the victim’s vehicle was introduced.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">The vehicle was mishandled or not secured by the Fresno Police Department before returning it to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, which, in turn, returned it to the victim’s family within two days of the crime. The return of the car predated Stankewitz’s trial attorney being assigned to the case. So his counsel could not inspect the vehicle or its contents.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Additional evidence brought forward was the discrepancy in the evidence collection documentation regarding the supposed murder weapon.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Attorney Hammons stated, “After close to five decades, Chief has finally had a fair hearing where the issues underlying his case, including police, prosecutorial and defense misconduct, have come to light in front of someone who has the power to overturn his conviction. I’m confident we will see Chief released soon.”</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">During the evidentiary hearing, Stankewitz’s legal team called 20 witnesses and moved more than 20 exhibits into evidence. The prosecution did not call any witnesses, and aside from questioning the witnesses called by the defense did not counter the planted gun theory. Nor did the DA counter the testimony regarding ineffective assistance of counsel or the failure of the court or the Sheriff’s Office to secure exhibits and evidence, creating an opportunity for most anyone to access them.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Information unearthed during the evidentiary hearing confirmed that former Sheriff Margaret Mims and the DA from Stankewitz’s first trial, James Ardaiz, who went on to become an associate justice of the Fifth District Court of Appeals, did in fact exchange the case file although Mims testified that she did not have access to the case file or share it with Ardaiz. However, a Sheriff’s Office captain testified that he gave Mims the file and that she had it for a significant period of time.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">In addition, text messages between Mims and Ardaiz indicated that the two were on a first name basis as recently as 2021. Brought forward was confirmation that there was indeed a meeting between the previously assigned DA, the DA investigator and the head of the Sheriff’s Office crime lab wherein they discussed testing the supposed murder weapon and the reasons it was not tested.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Under the law, witnesses under subpoena are forbidden to speak with one another. Yet Ardaiz was found to have contacted the former DA, Warren Robinson, from the second Stankewitz trial in an attempt to review or reinforce details of the case a week and a half ahead of the evidentiary hearing.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">On the final day of the hearing, Judge Harrell ordered the DA to bring all their paper files for review and, as a result, it was found that the DA had lied when saying that the entire file before 2017 had been lost as documents reviewed by both parties revealed case files going back to 1978.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Attorney Briggs stated that “the evidentiary hearing went well, and we were able to bring clarity to how unfair Chief’s 1983 trial was. As defense attorneys, it is our job to hold the prosecution accountable.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">“Had Chief’s trial attorney done his job, he would have discovered the prosecutorial misconduct and realized Chief was being framed.”</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Stankewitz is one of many Native American men, women and two-spirit relatives behind bars. Native Americans are overrepresented in state and federal prisons by more than four times higher than the state and federal prison incarceration rate of white people.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">These trends are further exacerbated in Fresno County where racially disparate incarceration rates stand above national averages. Indigenous people in California have survived three waves of colonization and ongoing attempts of culture erasure and genocide.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">It wasn’t until 1978, the year of Stankewitz’s arrest and incarceration, that Indigenous peoples won back their right to openly practice their cultural lifeways through the Native American Religious Freedom Act.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Indigenous peoples have long survived forced confinement—removal from ancestral homelands, internment in forts or reservations, forced removal from families and communities through boarding schools, mental institutions, jails and prisons as a means of exercising dominance, dominion and forced assimilation into Western culture.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">These systemic and sociopolitical harms have resulted in disproportionate health and social inequities such as higher rates of incarceration and poor health outcomes for Native American people.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Stankewitz’s relative Herbert N. Sample was the primary plaintiff in <i>Sample v. Borg,</i> a powerful win protecting religious freedoms for incarcerated Indigenous people in California. Despite these protections, Stankewitz has spent 18 years of his incarceration in solitary confinement in part as a result of wearing his hair long, a Native American cultural/spiritual custom.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Jeanette Sample, daughter of Herbert N. Sample and cousin of Stankewitz, has been in touch with Stankewitz and supported him throughout his incarceration. Jeanette carried her father’s drum into the courtroom, and songs were drummed from it during the prayer gathering ahead of the January evidentiary hearing.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Other members of the Stankewitz family also attended court and the prayer circle. The prayer was led by a local Yaqui elder, David Alvarez Sr., and songs were offered by local native drummers. Louwegie Rede, a Pomo and Yuki dancer and Indigenous justice reentry coordinator, offered traditional prayer songs with his clapping stick.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">Also in attendance was a Central Valley AIM (American Indian Movement) leader, Elder Laura Wass, who is an expert on Native American historical trauma.</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">During the prayer gathering, Stankewitz’s legal team read this statement from him: “I’m thankful for all the supporters, prayers, the sweat and communications from the community helping me achieve my freedom. I’m thankful to this court for giving us the opportunity to have this hearing to let the truth come to light. With all the support and prayers, I am looking forward to being free soon. In freedom, Chief.”</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">While Stankewitz has returned to San Quentin, his legal team continues their effort. The judge, by his discretion, ordered the legal team to put their closing arguments in writing, with the final brief due on May 31, after which point Judge Harrell will make a decision regarding the outcome of the evidentiary hearing. His decision will be whether to grant Stankewitz’s habeas corpus petition and grant him a new trial or dismiss the case."</p><p style="color: #222223; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 17px;">The entire post can be read at: </p><a href="https://fresnoalliance.com/surviving-injustice/">https://fresnoalliance.com/surviving-injustice/</a><br /></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-91561085264710780632024-03-08T00:30:00.052-05:002024-03-08T00:30:00.162-05:00Leonard Cure: Georgia: Bulletin: Exonerated in 2020 and killed by a police officer in Georgia last October, he has filed a $16 million federal lawsuit on Feb. 28 against the sheriff’s deputy who fired the fatal gunshot, 'Black Enterprise' (Reporter 'Cedrick 'BIG CED' Thornton…"The lawsuit also stated that the sheriff created an “unnecessary danger and risk of serious harm or death, with deliberate indifference” by hiring Aldridge and keeping him in uniform despite prior instances of unlawful force. When Proctor hired Aldridge in 2018, he “knew or should have known that Defendant Aldridge had a propensity for violence and had a history of using unlawful force and excessive force while on duty as a law enforcement officer.” The Kingsland Police Department previously terminated Aldridge for violating its use-of-force policy in 2017."<div><br /></div><div>PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica;">The 53-year-old Cure was killed three years after he was freed by The Innocence Project of Florida. He had been jailed for a 2003 armed robbery in Broward County and was later acquitted. He served 16 years in prison before being</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><a href="https://apnews.com/article/deputy-shooting-georgia-exonerated-innocence-project-7a38975dc24aa81129445088f6957cdc" style="background-color: white; font-family: Helvetica;">released</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica;">in 2020. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">The lawsuit was filed in a U.S. District Court. Following the incident, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office released three videos of body camera footage. </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">CNN reported that</span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><a href="https://www.blackenterprise.com/leonard-cures-mother-speaks-out-after-he-was-fatally-shot-during-traffic-stop-in-georgia/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">Cure’s mother</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">, Mary Cure,</span><a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/27/us/leonard-cure-family-federal-lawsuit/index.html" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;"> gave a statement</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">outside of the federal courthouse. “It’s a terrible day when the citizens have to police the police.” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">She added, “And when they want to use excess force there, you have other parts of the body. You can shoot, you don’t have to always kill somebody.” </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">The paperwork states that Aldridge and Proctor violated Cure’s constitutional rights when Aldridge used excessive force by using a Taser on Cure. The Georgie Bureau of Investigations </span><a href="https://www.blackenterprise.com/georgia-deputy-allegedly-shoots-and-kills-black-man-who-spent-16-years-in-prison-on-wrongful-conviction/" style="background-color: white; font-family: Georgia;">said</a><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"> that Aldridge used the stun gun, as well as a baton, to subdue Cure, but pulled out his gun and fatally shot Cure as the officer asserted that the victim resisted arrest."</span></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">------------------------------------------------------------</p><div>STORY: "Family Of Exonerated Man Killed By Police Files $16M Lawsuit," by Cedrick 'BIG CED' Thornton, published by 'Black Enterprise' on March 2, 2024.</div><div><br /></div><div>SUB-HEADING: "<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">Family of Leonard Cure cite excessive force and negligence by law enforcement."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica; text-align: center;">GIST: " </span><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">The family of Leonard Cure, who was exonerated in 2020 and killed by a police officer in Georgia last October, has filed a $16 million federal lawsuit on Feb. 28 against the sheriff’s deputy who fired the fatal gunshot.</span></div><div>
<p style="background-color: white; font-family: Times; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The family seeks judgment after <a href="https://apnews.com/article/deputy-kills-exonerated-man-lawsuit-leonard-cure-9d7b69a74245eccc3f094c09de2040b5">saying</a> Camden County Sheriff’s Staff Sgt. Buck Aldridge used excessive force when he shot Cure. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The family has also named Sheriff Jim Proctor in the suit for ignoring Aldridge’s history of violence on the force. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The officer killed Cure in a violent confrontation during a traffic stop on Interstate 95 on Oct. 16, 2023.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The 53-year-old Cure was killed three years after he was freed by The Innocence Project of Florida. He had been jailed for a 2003 armed robbery in Broward County and was later acquitted. He served 16 years in prison before being <a href="https://apnews.com/article/deputy-shooting-georgia-exonerated-innocence-project-7a38975dc24aa81129445088f6957cdc">released</a> in 2020.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The lawsuit was filed in a U.S. District Court. Following the incident, the Camden County Sheriff’s Office released three videos of body camera footage.</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">CNN reported that <a href="https://www.blackenterprise.com/leonard-cures-mother-speaks-out-after-he-was-fatally-shot-during-traffic-stop-in-georgia/">Cure’s mother</a>, Mary Cure,<a href="https://www.cnn.com/2024/02/27/us/leonard-cure-family-federal-lawsuit/index.html"> gave a statement</a> outside of the federal courthouse. “It’s a terrible day when the citizens have to police the police.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">She added, “And when they want to use excess force there, you have other parts of the body. You can shoot, you don’t have to always kill somebody.”</p>
<p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The paperwork states that Aldridge and Proctor violated Cure’s constitutional rights when Aldridge used excessive force by using a Taser on Cure. </p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-style: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-caps: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The Georgie Bureau of Investigations <a href="https://www.blackenterprise.com/georgia-deputy-allegedly-shoots-and-kills-black-man-who-spent-16-years-in-prison-on-wrongful-conviction/">said</a> that Aldridge used the stun gun, as well as a baton, to subdue Cure, but pulled out his gun and fatally shot Cure as the officer asserted that the victim resisted arrest.</p>
<span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">The lawsuit also stated that the sheriff created an “unnecessary danger and risk of serious harm or death, with deliberate indifference” by hiring Aldridge and keeping him in uniform despite prior instances of unlawful force.</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"> When Proctor hired Aldridge in 2018, he “knew or should have known that Defendant Aldridge had a propensity for violence and had a history of using unlawful force and excessive force while on duty as a law enforcement officer.” </span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">The Kingsland Police Department previously terminated Aldridge for violating its use-of-force policy in 2017."</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;">The entire story can be read at:</span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"><br /></span></div><div><span style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia;"> </span><a href="https://www.blackenterprise.com/family-files-16m-lawsuit-police-killed/">https://www.blackenterprise.com/family-files-16m-lawsuit-police-killed/</a><br /></div><div><br /></div><div>—————————————————————————————————</div><div><br /></div><div>NATIONAL REGISTRY OF EXONERATIONS ENTRY: Admittedly, I don't know if there is any connection between Leonard Cure's exoneration and the encounter with police that cost him his life. That said, knowledge of the horrific miscarriage of justice that led to his exoneration is necessary for understanding and empathizing withLeonard Cure's personal tragedy The entry can be found at the link below.</div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5882">https://www.law.umich.edu/special/exoneration/Pages/casedetail.aspx?caseid=5882</a></div><div><br /></div><div>---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------</div><div><br /></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1423304173203279885" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">---------------------------------------------------------------</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">MORE VALUABLE WORDS: "<span style="color: #0f1419; font-family: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; text-align: inherit; white-space: inherit;">As a former public defender, Texas' refusal to delay Ivan Cantu's execution to evaluate new evidence is deeply worrying for the state of our legal system. There should be no room for doubt in a death penalty case. The facts surrounding Cantu's execution should haunt all of us."</span></p><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-175oi2r r-1s2bzr4" style="align-items: stretch; border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: flex; flex-basis: auto; flex-direction: column; flex-shrink: 0; list-style: none; margin: 12px 0px 0px; min-height: 0px; min-width: 0px; padding: 0px; position: relative; z-index: 0;"><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;"><i>Congresswoman Jasmine Crockett; X March 1, 2024.</i></span></div><div class="css-1rynq56 r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-37j5jr r-1inkyih r-16dba41 r-bnwqim r-135wba7" data-testid="tweetText" dir="auto" id="id__0s8j814sqsh" lang="en" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; color: #0f1419; display: inline; font-family: TwitterChirp, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: 24px; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; position: relative; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: pre-wrap;"><span class="css-1qaijid r-bcqeeo r-qvutc0 r-poiln3" style="border: 0px solid black; box-sizing: border-box; display: inline; font-family: inherit; font-feature-settings: inherit; font-kerning: inherit; font-optical-sizing: inherit; font-size-adjust: inherit; font-stretch: inherit; font-style: inherit; font-variant-alternates: inherit; font-variant-caps: inherit; font-variant-east-asian: inherit; font-variant-ligatures: inherit; font-variant-numeric: inherit; font-variant-position: inherit; font-variation-settings: inherit; line-height: inherit; list-style: none; margin: 0px; min-width: 0px; overflow-wrap: break-word; padding: 0px; text-align: inherit; text-overflow: unset; white-space: inherit;">-----------------------------------------------</span></div></div></div></div></div></div></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-120008354894645705.post-84626825632864598022024-03-07T00:30:00.005-05:002024-03-07T10:48:06.450-05:00The retconning of George Floyd: Part Three: the great flattening: Radley Balko: From 'The Watch.'…Police killings...'The retconning of George Floyd'...Third part of a three-part series on the effort to retroactively justify Derek Chauvin's murder of George Floyd, by this masterful analyst of America's criminal justice system: It is sub-titled: "The revisionist campaign to exonerate Derek Chauvin is about one thing: preserving police impunity."<div><br /><br /><br /><div class="PZPZlf gBoaXb sxr04b" data-attrid="EntryHeader" data-psd="headword~:&retcon~;&tts_country~:&us~;&homograph_index~:&" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif; padding-bottom: 2px;"><div aria-label=" Listen " class="fAwxxf D5gqpe" data-animation-enabled="true" data-audio-play-tts="false" data-language-code="" data-tts-client-name="" data-tts-string="" data-use-default-audio-speed="false" data-uti="1" data-ved="2ahUKEwiO08Pgwa6EAxX24skDHeJrCI4QlfQBegQIGhAL" jsaction="rcuQ6b:npT2md;DiIjNc;xLXIyb:DGzHQ" jscontroller="UYJibd" jsname="mNipWe" role="button" style="cursor: pointer; float: left; margin: -6px 6px -6px -6px; outline: 0px; padding: 6px; position: relative;" tabindex="0"><div class="brWULd Bheyob" style="background-clip: content-box; background-color: inherit; border-radius: 50%; border-width: 0px; height: 36px; margin: -4px; padding: 4px; vertical-align: baseline; width: 36px;"><div class="g1baVc aqCVJb" jsname="qpYryf" style="background-color: #4285f4; border-color: rgb(66, 133, 244); border-radius: 50%; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; height: 34px; position: absolute; width: 34px;"><div class="KnZOyc URgIvb" jsname="FJYLhd" style="background-color: #1558d6; border-color: rgb(21, 88, 214); border-radius: inherit; border-style: solid; border-width: 1px; height: 34px; left: -1px; opacity: 0; position: absolute; top: -1px; width: 34px;"></div><div class="pkt1Wd fjnQw vjtNRe" style="background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHdpZHRoPSIyMiIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyMiIgdmlld2JveD0iMCAwIDIyIDIyIj4KICA8cG9seWdvbiBmaWxsPSIjRkZGRkZGIiBwb2ludHM9IjIuNzUgOC4yNSAyLjc1IDEzLjc1IDYuNDE3IDEzLjc1IDExIDE4LjMzMyAxMSAzLjY2NyA2LjQxNyA4LjI1IiAvPgo8L3N2Zz4K"); height: 22px; margin: 6px; position: absolute; width: 22px;"></div><div class="pkt1Wd nIW5Sd gfMd5c" jsname="m1xdOb" style="background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,PHN2ZyB4bWxucz0iaHR0cDovL3d3dy53My5vcmcvMjAwMC9zdmciIHdpZHRoPSIyMiIgaGVpZ2h0PSIyMiIgdmlld2JveD0iMCAwIDIyIDIyIj4KICA8cGF0aCBkPSJNMTUuMTI1LDExIEMxNS4xMjUsOS4zNzc1IDE0LjE5LDcuOTg0MTY2NjcgMTIuODMzMzMzMyw3LjMwNTgzMzMzIEwxMi44MzMzMzMzLDE0LjY4NSBDMTQuMTksMTQuMDE1ODMzMyAxNS4xMjUsMTIuNjIyNSAxNS4xMjUsMTEgWiIgZmlsbD0iI0ZGRkZGRiIgZmlsbC1ydWxlPSJldmVub2RkIiAvPgo8L3N2Zz4K"); height: 22px; margin: 6px; position: absolute; width: 22px;"></div><div class="pkt1Wd byDyWd N8ZFrc" jsname="DFrD7b" style="background-image: url("data:image/svg+xml;base64,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"); height: 22px; margin: 6px; position: absolute; width: 22px;"></div></div></div></div><div class="kVF6d" style="display: table; word-break: break-word;"><div class="MiCl6d" style="line-height: normal; margin-bottom: 0px; min-height: 36px;"><div class="JgzqYd RES9jf xWMiCc" style="font-family: "Google Sans", arial, sans-serif; font-size: 28px; line-height: 36px; vertical-align: top;"><span data-dobid="hdw">ret·con</span></div></div><div><span class="wHYlTd" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">/ˈretˌkän/</span></div></div></div><div class="vmod" style="caret-color: rgb(32, 33, 36); color: #202124; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"><div class="vmod" data-topic="" jsname="r5Nvmf"><div class="lW8rQd" style="align-items: center; display: flex;"><div class="YrbPuc vdBwhd" style="color: #70757a; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px; min-height: 20px;"><i>verb</i></div><div class="vmod" jsname="jUIvqc"><span class="kqEaA" style="color: #70757a; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;">gerund or present participle</span>: <span class="kqEaA z8gr9e" style="color: #4d5156; font-size: 14px; line-height: 22px;"><b>retconning</b></span></div></div><ol class="eQJLDd" style="margin: 0px; padding: 0px 0px 0px 20px;"><li jsname="gskXhf" style="list-style: none; margin: 0px; padding: 0px;"><div class="vmod"><div class="thODed" style="padding-top: 8px;"><div class="wHYlTd sY7ric" data-topic="" jsname="cJAsRb" style="font-size: 14px; line-height: 16px;"><div style="margin-left: 20px;"><div class="wHYlTd sY7ric" style="line-height: 16px; margin-left: -20px;"><div class="PZPZlf" data-attrid="SenseDefinition" data-psd="sense_definition~:&revise (an aspect of a fictional work) retrospectively, typically by introducing a piece of new information that imposes a different interpretation on previously described events."><div data-dobid="dfn" style="display: inline;"><span class="AraNOb" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration: underline;"><a class="rMNQNe" data-ved="2ahUKEwiO08Pgwa6EAxX24skDHeJrCI4QyecJegQIGhAN" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=0103479f8e340fb7&rls=en&sxsrf=ACQVn0-LPresJoAGDC94OmuOgNHPrgWI0g:1708040245019&q=revise&si=AKbGX_qTCvK6ifvkUBYDz4foaFZiIomcWFzZnDuefaEHG4TH0Y1oclwv6Vu5QTYP5UGMIyXfdWuZG2yZhvA5E4IBMRVLA0OojQ%3D%3D&expnd=1" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="0">revise</a></span> (an aspect of a fictional work) <span class="AraNOb" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration: underline;"><a class="rMNQNe" data-ved="2ahUKEwiO08Pgwa6EAxX24skDHeJrCI4QyecJegQIGhAO" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=0103479f8e340fb7&rls=en&sxsrf=ACQVn0-LPresJoAGDC94OmuOgNHPrgWI0g:1708040245019&q=retrospectively&si=AKbGX_o9ngrGQESbgzxxBTCfYTfufrXxwy5xIxe0NY0_ewTRe7Qta1hO4DMDl5MaF25WJFMrLRqeWyQoOSbiMBpp05klCOayZDdGHvfNfj6X3ikZayaPlfZPMGXSOmtNnofFFKK7HGIw&expnd=1" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="0">retrospectively</a></span>, typically by introducing a piece of new information that <span class="AraNOb" style="text-decoration-color: currentcolor; text-decoration-style: solid; text-decoration: underline;"><a class="rMNQNe" data-ved="2ahUKEwiO08Pgwa6EAxX24skDHeJrCI4QyecJegQIGhAP" href="https://www.google.com/search?client=safari&sca_esv=0103479f8e340fb7&rls=en&sxsrf=ACQVn0-LPresJoAGDC94OmuOgNHPrgWI0g:1708040245019&q=imposes&si=AKbGX_okS0g0kR2PXn0TLBASIc0m9ytlxVoHdCJLInm-2PyjvqlIGuTFne6v3j057h40eV0J_uWioShA4oYGgFq5cTISOTvYybahQEN4_IrVru6DrwNeT2k%3D&expnd=1" style="outline: 0px; text-decoration: none;" tabindex="0">imposes</a></span> a different interpretation on previously described events.</div><div class="vmod"><div class="ZYHQ7e" style="color: #70757a;">"I think fans get more upset when characters act blatantly out of established type, or when things get retconned"…(Oxford Languages); </div><div class="ZYHQ7e" style="color: #70757a;"><br /></div><div class="ZYHQ7e" style="color: #70757a;">——————————————————————————————————————</div><div class="ZYHQ7e" style="color: #70757a;"><br /></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></div></li></ol></div></div><p style="background-color: #f2f2f2; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #313131; font-family: Helvetica Neue;">COMMENTARY: The retconning of George Floyd, part three: </span><span face="var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, var(--font-family-title)))" style="color: #404040;"><span style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64);">The retconning of George Floyd, part three: the great flattening," b</span></span><span style="color: #757575; font-family: "Helvetica Neue";">y renowned journalist and criminal justice analyst Radley Balko, published on 'The Watch' on February 13, 2024. (</span><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: -0.23px;">Investigative journalist. Proprietor of The Watch newsletter. Ex-Washington Post. Author of Rise of the Warrior Cop, co-author of The Cadaver King and the Country Dentist);</span></p><div><span style="background-color: white; caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-size: 15px; letter-spacing: -0.23px;"><br /></span></div><h3 class="subtitle" style="-webkit-font-smoothing: antialiased; font-family: var(--font_family_headings, var(--font_family_headings_preset, var(--font-family-title))); font-size: var(--font-size-18); font-weight: 400; line-height: var(--line-height-24); margin-bottom: 0px; margin-left: 0px; margin-right: 0px; margin-top: var(--size-12);">SUB-HEADING: "The revisionist campaign to exonerate Derek Chauvin is about one thing: preserving police impunity."</h3><p style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #313131; font-family: "Helvetica Neue"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #313131; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"><i>(Note: This is part three of a three-part series on the effort to retroactively justify Derek Chauvin’s murder of George Floyd.)</i></p><p style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #313131; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">GIST: (As this is a very lengthy analysis, here is a taste of this important substack. (It can be read in its entirety at the link below. HL): "<span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040;">This brings us to the focus of this series — the campaign to retroactively exonerate the police for killing George Floyd.</span><span face="system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"" style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040;"> </span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">The main reason why Floyd’s death sparked the largest civil rights protests in U.S. history was that video.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"> We all saw with our own eyes the nonchalance with which Derek Chauvin continued to kneel on Floyd’s back as Floyd grew weak, went limp, and lost consciousness. </p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">It was as clear and demonstrative evidence of a police officer’s utter disregard for the humanity of a black man as you’ll find. Most of us saw no justification at all for the way Floyd was treated.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">The unassailability of that footage is also why so many </span><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;">white</span><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"> people joined the protests. It’s why there were protests in the suburbs, the exurbs, and in small town America.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"><br /></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"> </span><a href="https://www.greenfieldreporter.com/2020/06/06/more_than_hashtags_residents_take_to_the_streets_to_protest_inequality/" rel="" style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0; color: var(--print_pop); text-decoration: none;">Even my hometown</a><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"> of Greenfield, Indiana — where the Klan was still active while I grew up — had a Black Lives Matter protest.</span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><span style="--tw-border-spacing-x: 0; --tw-border-spacing-y: 0; --tw-ring-color: rgb(59 130 246 / 0.5); --tw-ring-offset-color: #fff; --tw-ring-offset-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-ring-offset-width: 0px; --tw-ring-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-rotate: 0; --tw-scale-x: 1; --tw-scale-y: 1; --tw-scroll-snap-strictness: proximity; --tw-shadow-colored: 0 0 #0000; --tw-shadow: 0 0 #0000; --tw-skew-x: 0; --tw-skew-y: 0; --tw-translate-x: 0; --tw-translate-y: 0;"><br /></span></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Something about Chauvin’s callous body language as a man died beneath him lit a fire even in people who rarely experience police profiling, harassment, or brutality. </p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">Polls showed an unprecedented percentage of white people acknowledging police racism and abuse, as well as support for reforms that would have been nonstarters prior to Floyd’s death.</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">This is a big reason why it’s so important for police advocates like the people behind The Fall of Minneapolis to discredit the state’s case against Chauvin. </p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">If you can convince white people that it was all based on a lie, they can go back to dismissing black people’s allegations of police abuse. </p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;">If you can persuade a large enough portion of the population that none of it happened the way we all saw it happen — if you can get them to reject the evidence of their own eyes and ears (to borrow a phrase) — you not only chip away at their support for reform, you make them reluctant to sympathize with the protests yet to come."</p><p style="caret-color: rgb(64, 64, 64); color: #404040; font-family: system-ui, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, "Segoe UI", Roboto, Helvetica, Arial, sans-serif, "Apple Color Emoji", "Segoe UI Emoji", "Segoe UI Symbol"; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0 0 var(--size-20) 0;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #313131; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">The entire sub-stack can be read at: </p><p style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #313131; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;"> "<a href="https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-retconning-of-george-floyd-part-382">https://radleybalko.substack.com/p/the-retconning-of-george-floyd-part-382</a></p><p style="background-color: #f2f2f2; color: #313131; font-family: Helvetica; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-size: 19px; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-emoji: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px 0px 20px;">———————————————————————————</p></div><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-715707294556515932" itemprop="description articleBody" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1754582182665722651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-2333086454646130456" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-1360154994800113947" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-3920211544045798651" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="background-color: white; color: #262626; font-family: Georgia; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue/resurce. 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: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw0uoTvq46vD8SbyC-sY71Rd" href="http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://www.thestar.com/<wbr></wbr>topic/charlessmith</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw3Pq3p0g-nsaICbHW0_lxNX" href="http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">http://smithforensic.<wbr></wbr>blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-<wbr></wbr>smith-blog-award-nominations.<wbr></wbr>html</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;"> Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: </span><span style="color: #5d2262; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal;"><a href="mailto:hlevy15@gmail.com" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">hlevy15@gmail.com</a></span><span style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: Helvetica;">. Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog;</span></p><div class="post-body entry-content" id="post-body-567623180417440508" itemprop="description articleBody" style="line-height: 1.6em; margin: 0px 0px 0.75em;"><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">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:</p><p style="color: #0e0f0f; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #713475; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><a data-saferedirecturl="https://www.google.com/url?q=https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985&source=gmail&ust=1670863601014000&usg=AOvVaw2fjcXuYz_3AgV32lVYoaDI" href="https://www.blogger.com/blog/post/edit/120008354894645705/4704913685758792985" style="color: #1155cc; text-decoration: none;" target="_blank">https://www.blogger.com/blog/<wbr></wbr>post/edit/120008354894645705/<wbr></wbr>4704913685758792985</a></p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL WORD: (Applicable to all of our wrongful conviction cases): <i>"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."</i></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Lawyer Radha Natarajan:</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Executive Director: New England Innocence Project;</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">——————————————————————————————<wbr></wbr>———</p><p style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 15px;"><br /></p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">FINAL, FINAL WORD: <i>"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." </i>So true!</p><p style="color: #111111; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">Christina Swarns: Executive Director: The Innocence Project;</p><p style="color: #0000d3; font-family: Times; font-stretch: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;"><span style="text-decoration: underline;">------------------------------<wbr></wbr>---------------------------</span></p></div></div></div></div></div></div><div style="clear: both;"></div></div><div class="post-footer" style="color: #777777; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Arial, Verdana, sans-serif; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1em; line-height: 1.4em; margin: 0.75em 0px; text-transform: uppercase;"></div><br class="Apple-interchange-newline" style="font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif;" /><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;">YET ANOTHER FINAL WORD:</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">David Hammond, one of Broadwater's attorneys who sought his exoneration, told the Syracuse Post-Standard, "Sprinkle some junk science onto a faulty identification, and it's the perfect recipe for a wrongful conviction.</p><p style="background-color: white; color: #0b0b0b; font-family: Georgia; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px; min-height: 19px;"><br /></p><p style="background-color: white; color: #854988; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">https://deadline.com/2021/11/alice-sebold-lucky-rape-conviction-overturned-anthony-broadwater-12348801</p><p style="background-color: white; font-family: "Trebuchet MS"; font-feature-settings: normal; font-kerning: auto; font-optical-sizing: auto; font-size-adjust: none; font-stretch: normal; font-variant-alternates: normal; font-variant-east-asian: normal; font-variant-ligatures: normal; font-variant-numeric: normal; font-variant-position: normal; font-variation-settings: normal; line-height: normal; margin: 0px;">————————————————————————————————</p></div><div><br /></div> Harold Levyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/03677329780162080618noreply@blogger.com