The West Memphis Three: "Adam Egoyan's new film "Devil's Knot" predicted by "Hollywood Reporter " (to) bring this infuriating tale of injustice to many mainstream moviegoers for the first time...and to attract "even more attention to a horrifying crime whose perpetrator or perpetrators remain free." Egoyan to be present for Q and A at Toronto Screening sponsored by "Association in Defence of the Wrongly Convicted" (AIDWYC) tomorrow night (Friday November 8, 2013); Jason Baldwin, one of the Memphis Three to address AIDWYC 20th anniversary conference on November 23.

Release:  Screening: Adam Egoyan's film "Devil's knor"  about the West  Memphis Three: Regent Park Theatre; (551 Mount Pleasant Road. Toronto. November 8 and 9, 2013.  (Egoyan to be present on November 8 for a Q and A.) Jason  Baldwin to address the AIDWYC 20th Anniversary conference on November 23, 2013. (Read Hollywood Reporter review - published on September 9, 2013 -  at link below. HL.)

GIST OF HOLLYWOOD REPORTER REVIEW:  "Two years ago, TIFF attendees saw the conclusion of Joe Berlinger and Bruce Sinofsky's Paradise Lost trilogy, documenting the wrongful conviction and hard-won release of the West Memphis Three; at Sundance the next year, we saw Amy Berg's West of Memphis, a single-film treatment bringing new evidence to bear on the same subject. Now comes Atom Egoyan's Devil's Knot, a dramatization focusing on the period between the murder of three young boys in West Memphis, Ark., and the conviction of three teens who clearly didn't kill them. Far from being overkill, the well-conceived drama featuring A-listers Reese Witherspoon and Colin Firth in key roles, will bring this infuriating tale of injustice to many mainstream moviegoers for the first time; it has every hope of receiving a strong commercial reception and attracting even more attention to a horrifying crime whose perpetrator or perpetrators remain free.........Egoyan keeps an emotional lid on courtroom suppression of these discoveries without making the scene lifeless; after the verdict comes in, with Echols given the death penalty, the film envisions just a hint of the direction continuing investigations would go before concluding with informative titles. Tech values are consistently strong, with Mychael Danna's score particularly effective. A closing dedication to the three murdered children is more moving than many such gestures, reminding us that while prosecutorial sins have kept this story alive as one of three teen lives stolen by the state, three even younger boys were robbed of something much greater."

The entire review can be found at:

 http://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movie/devils-knot/review/624802

Information on Jason Baldwin's appearance at the AIDWYC conference - and on over-all conference agenda can be found at:

 http://aidwyc.org/Back_to_the_Future-ABOUT.html

Wikipedia account on the West Memphis Three:  "In July 2007, new forensic evidence was presented in the case and a status report jointly issued by the State and the Defense team stated, "Although most of the genetic material recovered from the scene was attributable to the victims of the offenses, some of it cannot be attributed to either the victims or the defendants." On October 29, 2007, the defense filed a Second Amended Writ of Habeas Corpus, outlining the new evidence.^[4] Following a successful decision in 2010 by the Arkansas Supreme Court regarding newly produced DNA evidence,^[5] the West Memphis Three reached a deal with prosecutors. On August 19, 2011, they entered Alford pleas, which allow them to assert their innocence while acknowledging that prosecutors have enough evidence to convict them. Judge David Laser accepted the pleas and sentenced the three to time served. They were released with ten-year suspended sentences, having served 18 years and 78 days in prison.^[6]" 

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/West_Memphis_Three

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

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

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com  

Amanda Knox: The Associated Press reports that the defence has been bolstered by an expert who has testified at Knox's third trial that a new trace of DNA found on the knife alleged to be the murder weapon belongs to Knox and not the victim.

 STORY: "Amanda Knox trial: New DNA test fails to show kitchen knife was murder weapon," by reporter Colleen Barry,  published by  The Associated Press on November 6, 2013.

SUB-HEADING: "An expert testifying in Amanda Knox's third murder trial in Italy said Wednesday that a new trace of DNA found on the handle of the knife alleged to be the murder weapon belongs to Knox and not the victim;

GIST:  "A court-appointed expert testifying in U.S. student Amanda Knox's third murder trial in Italy said Wednesday that a new trace of DNA found on the handle of the knife alleged to have been the murder weapon belongs to Knox and not the victim. That testimony bolsters the defence, which claims the kitchen knife was not the weapon used in the bloody 2007 slaying of Knox's British roommate, 21-year-old Meredith Kercher. As things stand, there's no confirmed DNA belonging to Kercher on the knife; one piece of DNA on its blade that was first attributed to Kercher has been disputed on appeal. Expert Andrea Berti testified Wednesday that the minute new DNA trace from the knife's handle showed “considerable affinity” with Knox's DNA, while not matching that of Kercher. It also did not match the DNA of Knox's co-defendant Raffaele Sollecito or Rudy Guede, an Ivorian man who has been convicted separately in the brutal slaying. Knox defence lawyer Carlo Dalla Vedova told The Associated Press that the testimony confirms their contention that the knife was used solely for preparing food. “The report confirms that this is a kitchen knife. It is not a murder weapon,” Dalla Vedova said. Luca Maori, Sollecito's defence lawyer, said the trace's very existence also indicated the knife had not been washed. “It is something very important,” he said. “It is absurd to use it for a murder and put it back in the drawer.” The DNA evidence on the knife found in a drawer at Sollecito's place has been among the most hotly contested pieces of evidence in the original trial and now in two appeals.........The DNA trace is the last new piece of evidence to be entered in the latest trial. Prosecutors begin their summations later this month, followed by the defence in December. A verdict is expected in January."

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/news/world/2013/11/06/amanda_knox_trial_new_dna_test_fails_to_show_kitchen_knife_was_murder_weapon.html#

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

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

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com

Bulletin: Rene Bailey. New York State; Judge to rule by year's end on motion to set aside her "shaken baby syndrome" conviction. Defence argues that since the trial research has found that other events - including falls - can cause the type of injuries in question. Democrat and Chronicle;

STORY: "Judge to rule by year's end in shaken baby case," by reporter Steve Orr, published by the Democrat and Chronicle on November 6, 2013.

GIST: "Monroe County Court Judge James Piampiano said Wednesday that he would decide before year's end on a motion to set aside the shaken-baby murder conviction of a Greece woman. René Bailey was convicted in 2001 in the death of a 2 ½-year-old girl whom Bailey was watching in her home day care. Bailey said the child had jumped from a chair and hit her head, leading to the brain injuries that killed her. But prosecutors argued that the girl's injuries could only have been caused by violent shaking or hitting by an adult. In Piampiano's courtroom Wednesday afternoon, however, lawyer Adele Bernhard argued that since Bailey's trial, research has found that other events — including falls — can cause type of injuries in question. Were the proceeding to be held today, she said, the outcome likely would not be the same. "The jury would be presented with very different expert testimony," said Bernard, a law professor at Pace University in Westchester County who is representing Bailey pro bono. "It would be much more probable the jury would render a verdict more favorable to the defendant." Monroe County Assistant District Attorney Matthew Dunham threw cold water on the idea that the scientific consensus has shifted since 2001, however. "I don't think that opinion is commonplace in the medical community, nor does it even rise to being a controversy in the medical community," he said."

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.democratandchronicle.com/story/news/local/2013/11/06/judge-to-rule-by-years-end-in-shaken-baby-case-/3457681/

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

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

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com

Rene Bailey: New York State: Hearing to be held on Wednesday November 6 to determine if she can have a "full blown" hearing at which Ms. Bailey can challenge the science underlying "shaken baby syndrome." The Democrat and Chronicle.

STORY: "Hearing Nov. 6 in Rene Bailey shaken baby case," published by the Democrat and Chronicle on October 29, 2013.

GIST: Lawyers will appear in Monroe County Court next Wednesday to argue the merits of an appeal of a 2001 shaken-baby murder conviction. County Court Judge James Piampiano will decide after the oral arguments whether to conduct a full-blown hearing into the case, which challenges the science underlying the form of child abuse known as shaken-baby syndrome. A growing number of such challenges have been filed nationally, with a small number of them succeeding. No New York defendants have been freed yet on the basis of such an appeal. René Bailey, who operated a Greece in-home day care center, was convicted of second-degree murder after the death of a 2½-year-old child in her care. Medical experts testified that the child suffered brain injuries which could only have been caused by violent shaking at the hands of an adult. Jurors disregarded Bailey’s claim that the child had struck her head after jumping from a chair. Bailey, 53, remains in state prison. But a volunteer lawyer working on her behalf filed a voluminous appeal in February, asking that Bailey’s conviction be vacated because the science used to convict her was flawed. Research since 2001 has found that falls and illnesses can cause injuries previously ascribed to shaking, lawyer Adele Bernard argued in motion papers. René Bailey, who operated a Greece in-home day care center, was convicted of second-degree murder after the death of a 2½-year-old child in her care. Medical experts testified that the child suffered brain injuries which could only have been caused by violent shaking at the hands of an adult. Jurors disregarded Bailey’s claim that the child had struck her head after jumping from a chair. Bailey, 53, remains in state prison. But a volunteer lawyer working on her behalf filed a voluminous appeal in February, asking that Bailey’s conviction be vacated because the science used to convict her was flawed. Research since 2001 has found that falls and illnesses can cause injuries previously ascribed to shaking, lawyer Adele Bernard argued in motion papers."

The entire story can be found at:

 http://her.democratandchronicle.com/article/20131029/NEWS01/310290033/Hearing-Nov-6-Ren-Bailey-shaken-baby-case

See also  "Shaken baby doubts keep surfacing: (Reference to the Bailey case); "Part I, “Shaken baby science doubt grows,” features a complex and thoughtful text piece about child-care provider René Bailey, whose 2002 conviction is now being appealed by Professor Adele Bernhard and her students at Pace Law School’s Post Conviction Project.

http://onsbs.com/2013/07/24/shaken-baby-doubts-keep-surfacing/
  PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

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

I look forward to hearing from readers at:


hlevy15@gmail.com

Hassan Diab: Second and final day of the appeal: Canadian government backs disputed handwriting evidence - as acceptable at an extradition hearing; Global Post;

STORY: "Canada backs handwriting evidence in Paris bombing," published by Global Post on November 5, 2013.

GIST: "A dozen or so Diab supporters returned for the second day of the hearing, where the Crown defended Justice Robert Maranger's decision to allow the handwriting analysis report by Anne Bisotti in the original extradition hearing. On Monday, defense lawyers worked to discredit Bisotti's findings -- that Diab likely signed a Paris hotel slip under a false identity (Alexander Panadriyu), which was also used to purchase a motorcycle used in the bombing -- by saying she failed to use the proper methodology. But Crown lawyer Janet Henchey said that it is not the job of the extradition judge to establish reliability of the evidence, and that French courts should be relied upon to do the due diligence on the report at a formal trial. "It may not feel right at first, but that's because you're looking at it from the perspective of a Canadian trial. This is not a Canadian trial," she said. "There may be safeguards that do not look like ours, but... it's arrogant for us as a country to think that only our trial process can provide safeguards that are required for due process." Henchey also said that the defense never questioned the samples of writing themselves, but rather focused only on whether the methodology was applied correctly, and added that in part, "expense and convenience" are considerations in an extradition case."

The entire story  can be found at:

 http://www.globalpost.com/dispatch/news/afp/131105/canada-backs-handwriting-evidence-paris-bombing

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

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

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.   can be found at:

Kendrick Johnson: CBS Atlanta asks whether "the strange state of the body (could) affect further investigation of Johnson's death?"

 STORY:  "Kendrick Johnson update: Conflicting accounts of what happened to Ga. teen's organs after gym-mat death," by reporter Stephanie Slifer, published by CBS Atlanta on November 4, 2013.

 GIST:  "On January 11, 2013, 17-year-old Kendrick Johnson was found dead inside a rolled-up wrestling mat in his Valdosta, Ga. high school gym. Authorities called his death a freak accident, saying he fell head-first into an upright mat and became trapped. The case was closed, but Johnson's family insists he was killed. A federal prosecutor has announced he is reopening the case. But the mystery of how Johnson died is only one part of this bizarre story. When a judge agreed to exhume Johnson's body over the summer, a private pathologist not only determined he died of blunt force trauma to his neck, but also that his organs were missing and his body had been stuffed with newspaper. How and why did this happen? Who is responsible? And could the strange state of the body affect further investigation of Johnson's death? It turns out, the answers to these questions are far from clear. Despite some media reports that only two entities had custody of Kendrick's body after his death, CBS News' Crimesider has confirmed at least four entities - the Valdosta-Lowndes Regional Crime Laboratory, the Georgia Bureau of Investigation (GBI), a third-party transport company, and the Harrington Funeral Home - handled the teen's body.........Dr. Gregory Schmunk, the president of the National Association of Medical Examiners and chief medical examiner for Polk County in Des Moines, Iowa, told Crimesider he "very much doubts" the organs were disposed of during the autopsy. "It's very unusual for the medical examiner to have done that," Schmunk said. "I have spoken with people involved [in the case] and I really don't think this happened at the medical examiner's office.""

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.cbsnews.com/8301-504083_162-57610656-504083/kendrick-johnson-update-conflicting-accounts-of-what-happened-to-ga-teens-organs-after-gym-mat-death/

 PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

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

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.  

Quentin Louis: Wisconsin; New trial ordered by appeal court in 2005 "shaken baby syndrome" case scheduled to begin in February. WSAW.

STORY: "Trial scheduled to begin in Feb. for 2005 shaken naby case," published by WSAW on October 28, 2013.

GIST: "A new trial date is scheduled for February for the Athens man charged with shaking his four-month-old daughter to death in March 2005. An appeals court upheld a decision to give Quentin Louis a new trial based on information about what causes symptoms associated with shaken baby syndrome. During his jury trial in June 2006, an investigator took the stand and said Louis said his daughter, Madelyn wouldn't stop crying so he held her up and shook her. That's when she stopped breathing. ........The trial is scheduled to begin February 10 through February 28."

The entire story can be found at:

http://www.wsaw.com/home/headlines/Trial-Scheduled-to-Begin-in-Feb-for-2005-Shaken-Baby-Case-229560081.html?device=tablet

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

Dear Reader. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog. We are following this case.

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

I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.  

Sent from my iPad