Thursday, July 26, 2018

Book Review Series: (Part 14): Anthony Ray Hinton: "The Sun Does Shine by Anthony Ray Hinton with Lara Love Hardin" – a case involving ballistics - reviewed by Tim Adams..." When Stevenson took up the case in 1999, he engaged independent firearms experts who unanimously agreed that Hinton’s mother’s gun was not that used in the murders. It took another 16 years of contested litigation, however, for Hinton’s case to be reheard by the Alabama courts, and for his acquittal. During his time in jail, Hinton watched 54 men walk past his door on their way to be executed."

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: In the roughly 10 years since I began publishing The Charles Smith Blog some of the issues I have explored - as ...
Wednesday, July 25, 2018

Technology: 'ShotSpotter.'...Toronto city councillors vote to implement 'ShotSpotter' technology in wake of tragic Danforth shootings - but not all councillors supported the move...“One of the technologies being submitted, there’s very little information about,” said Councillor Mike Layton ahead of the vote. “There has been no public discussion about this technology. In fact, when I asked very simple questions about how this technology worked, the chief of police didn’t have those answers.”

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "A motion from Councillor Josh Matlow to eliminate the funding for CCTV cameras and ShotSpotter lost by a vote of...

Richard Wright: New York State; Major Setback: Convicted once again - in spite of testimony for defence of arson expert John Lentini..."The case was a mix of old testimony and evidence from the 1988 case with new witnesses and evidence 30 years later."..."Mills said his prosecutorial team applied today's arson science to the 1986 evidence and uncovered new evidence and witnesses to strengthen its case."..." McDermott said the defense would pursue its legal options. "There's always an appeal. I'm firmly convinced he's innocent," McDermott said. "I'm sure he's disappointed. He's led a lifetime of disappointment. He's a pretty stoic guy. I'm sure he's going to continue to proclaim his innocence."

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Wright was charged with four counts of second-degree murder and a count of first-degree arson in the retrial of...

Book Review Series: Part 13: Joe Karam: Author of four books about David Bain's case - and outspoken, unabashed supporter and investigator..."Joe Karam is a fascinating man, who, as the following Wikipedia entry shows gave unqualified support- at enormous personal cost to David Bain in his battles for exoneration and compensation. His career shows an extraordinary path from rugby football player, to successful businessman, to seeker of justice for David Bain. HL);"

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: In the roughly 10 years since I began publishing The Charles Smith Blog some of the issues I have explored - as ...
Tuesday, July 24, 2018

Blood will tell: Major Development; "Jaw-dropping findings from Texas Science Commission."...Pamela Colloff updates readers of her New York Times/ProPublica investigation into the Joe Bryan case in report headed: "Pivotal testimony against Joe Bryan was "egregiously wrong."..." Last Friday, the commission shared its findings, and it’s fair to say that the results were jaw-dropping. The commission found that the testimony of Robert Thorman, the bloodstain pattern analyst who testified at Joe’s trials, was “not accurate or scientifically supported.” And that was just the beginning. “Thorman’s testimony was egregiously wrong,” Celestina Rossi, the bloodstain pattern analyst retained by the commission to examine the case, told me. “If any juror relied on any part of his testimony to render a verdict, Mr. Bryan deserves a new trial.”

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  REPORT:  Hi everyone. I have some significant news to share about the Joe Bryan case . As you may remember, the Texas Forensic Science ...

Technology: 'ShotSpotter.'... At meeting today Toronto councillors to consider investing in 'ShotSpotter' gunshot detection system - as city reels from mass shooting - National Post (reporter Geoff Zochodne) reports..."The digital alerts include a precise location on a map with corresponding data such as the address, number of rounds fired, type of gunfire, etc.’" the website says.

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PASSAGE OF THE DAY:  "Mayor John Tory has already backed use of the ShotSpotter system, but the Canadian Civil Liberties Association...

Book Review Series; (Part 12): How "just Mercy: A story of justice and redemption" takes us into the world of Bryan Stevenson, "an activist lawyer who spent his professional career fighting uphill battles representing the condemned, poor, and sometimes wrongly accused." (Of particular interest to this Blog is the chapter called "Mother, Mother," in which Stevenson represents a woman named Marsha Colbey who gave birth to a stillborn baby and was later arrested for capital murder because a neighbor said the child was alive.)

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PUBLISHER'S NOTE: In the roughly 10 years since I began publishing The Charles Smith Blog some of the issues I have explored - as w...