Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Bulletin: Megan Winfrey; Texas; She challenges murder conviction based on dubious dog scent line-up evidence.

STORY: "Woman challenges murder conviction, scent line-up," by reporter Susannah published in the Texas Tribune on April 17, 2012.

GIST: "Lawyers for an East Texas woman convicted of the 2004 murder of a high school custodial worker will argue to the state's highest criminal court on Wednesday that the 24-year-old woman should be exonerated in a case they say is based largely on unreliable evidence from a scent lineup.........The senior Winfrey, the first in the case to face trial, was found guilty, but his conviction was overturned and her brother was acquitted after courts determined the dog sniffing evidence — the linchpin of the state’s case — was not sufficient to establish guilt. In her father's case in 2010, the Court of Criminal Appeals ruled that alone or as primary evidence, scent-discrimination lineups are insufficient support for a conviction.........San Jacinto County District Attorney Richard Countiss inherited the Winfrey case when he took office in 2011. He said the evidence used to convict Megan Winfrey was stronger than the case against her father and brother because the scent lineup was used in conjunction with “her own words and conduct,” as he argued in a brief to the court. “Certain things she said, certain things she did, all point to her being a participant in the killing,” Countiss said in a phone interview."

"THE ENTIRE STORY CAN BE FOUND AT:

http://www.texastribune.org/texas-dept-criminal-justice/texas-court-of-criminal-appeals/megan-winfrey-hearing/

PUBLISHER'S NOTE:

I am monitoring this case. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments.

The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:

http://www.thestar.com/topic/charlessmith

Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:

http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html

Please send any comments or information on other cases and issues of interest to the readers of this blog to: hlevy15@gmail.com

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog.