STORY: "Lawyers agree to more DNA testing in Skinner case," by reporter Brandi Grissom, published by the Texas Tribune, on April 2, 20134.
GIST: "After conducting hundreds of tests on samples of blood, hair,
sperm, fingernail clippings and other crime scene evidence, prosecutors
in the Texas attorney general's office and lawyers for death row inmate
Hank Skinner have signed an agreement this week to allow more DNA
testing in the 1993 triple murder for which he was sentenced to death. The lawyers signed an agreement that allows more advanced DNA testing
on samples of carpet from the crime scene, hair found on one of the
victims' hands, and blood from Skinner and the other two murder
victims. Skinner was convicted in 1995 of the murders of his live-in
girlfriend, Twila Busby, and her two adult sons in Pampa. Skinner has
maintained his innocence, arguing that he was unconscious on the couch
at the time of the killings, intoxicated from a mixture of vodka and
codeine. Beginning in 2000, he sought DNA testing that he contended
would prove his claims. In 2010, the U.S. Supreme Court stayed his
execution less than an hour before he was scheduled to die and agreed to
hear arguments in his case. Skinner asked for testing on a slew of
crime scene evidence that was not analyzed at his original trial,
including a rape kit, biological material from Busby’s fingernails,
sweat and hair from a man’s jacket, a bloody towel and knives. Lawyers for Skinner and for the state finally signed an agreement in
June 2012 that allowed the testing to begin. Since then, hundreds of
test have been conducted. The first two rounds of testing were paid for
by the state, and the upcoming third round of tests will be paid for by
Skinner's supporters......... Skinner has argued that investigators should have looked at Busby's
uncle, Robert Donnell, who has since died. Donnell had a history of
violence, and witnesses reported that he was making advances toward
Busby shortly before the murder. But testing has not been done on a man’s jacket found at the scene
that matched the description of one that witnesses said Donnell often
wore. That item has been lost. Owen has said the jacket is a critical
piece of evidence that must be found. “It is difficult to understand how the state has managed to maintain
custody of items as small as fingernail clippings, while apparently
losing something as large as a man's windbreaker jacket," Owen said in a
previous statement."
The entire story can be found at:
http://www.texastribune.org/2013/04/02/lawyers-agree-more-dna-testing-skinner-case/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE:
I
have added a search box for content in this blog which now encompasses
several thousand posts. The search box is located near the bottom of
the screen just above the list of links. I am confident that this
powerful search tool provided by "Blogger" will help our readers and
myself get more out of the site.
The
Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible
years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr.
Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of
Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic"
section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It
can be found at:
http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.
