Monday, March 31, 2014

Bulletin: Jennifer Del Prete: Illinois: State Attorney General takes no position on her application to be released from prison while her case moves through state court: This is the case where the Project unearthed a 2003 letter in which a police commander said the forensic pathologist who performed the infant’s autopsy was uncertain whether the day care worker had violently shaken the child in what is known as shaken-baby syndrome or abusive head trauma. Medill Justice Project;


POST: "Illinois Attorney General takes no position on Del Prete's release from prison," by Lauren Schroeder, published by the Medill Justice Project on March 27, 2014.

SUB-HEADING:  "Prosecutors argue that imprisoned day care worker must 
await state proceedings before federal court weighs in."

 SUB-HEADING:   "In its filing today, the Illinois Attorney General’s office did not oppose Jennifer Del Prete’s request to be released from prison while her case works through state court."

GIST: "The Illinois Attorney General’s Office today argued that prisoner Jennifer Del Prete must await the outcome of state legal proceedings before pursuing her federal petition. But in what is considered an unusual move, prosecutors did not oppose her request to be released from prison while her case works through state court, citing “the unique circumstances of this case.” U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly recently issued a ruling saying that “no reasonable jury,” which heard all of the evidence, would have found Del Prete guilty of murder. Whether and when Del Prete would be released, after serving nearly a decade in prison, remains unclear. A spokesperson for the state Attorney General’s Office declined to comment.........Kent Simmons, a veteran Iowa criminal attorney, said it’s unusual for a prisoner to be released during a federal habeas corpus petition, a legal action brought by a prisoner against what she considers wrongful imprisonment—and he said it’s especially rare when the case involves a murder conviction. But he said it’s not unprecedented. In the Illinois Attorney General’s filing, it cites at some length the federal court’s “inherent authority to release an inmate” during such legal proceedings.........In the 2003 letter obtained by The Medill Justice Project, Police Commander Kenneth Kroll said the forensic pathologist who performed the infant’s autopsy was uncertain whether the day care worker had violently shaken the child in what is known as shaken-baby syndrome or abusive head trauma. Del Prete has until April 10 to file a response."

The entire post can be found at:
 
http://www.medilljusticeproject.org/2014/03/27/illinois-attorney-general-takes-no-position-on-del-pretes-release-from-prison/

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.ca/2013/12/the-charles-smith-award-presented-to_28.html
 
I look forward to hearing from readers at:

hlevy15@gmail.com.

Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog;