Monday, April 28, 2014

Bulletin: Jennifer Del Prete; Illinois; Her release gets one step closer as prosecutors and her defence attorneys agree on release conditions; Medill Justice Project; (Medill had unearthed a letter not disclosed to the defence in which a senior police officer said the forensic pathologist who performed the infant’s autopsy had significant doubts about whether the day care worker had violently shaken the child in what is known as shaken-baby syndrome or abusive head trauma.)


POST: "Prosecutors and defence attorneys agree on conditions of Del Prete's release," by Amanda Westrich, posted by the Medill Justice Project of Northwestern University on April 28, 2014.

GIST: "Prosecutors and lawyers for Jennifer Del Prete agreed today on conditions for her release on bond, paving the way for her imminent release from prison after serving nearly a decade for a murder she said she didn’t commit. While they have submitted an agreed proposal to U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly, the conditions of that proposal aren’t known and they could change because it is up to the judge to approve the conditions. Both parties are scheduled to appear at a status hearing Wednesday at 9:30 a.m. in downtown Chicago. “We’re hopeful that the judge accepts it,” said Patrick W. Blegen, Del Prete’s lead attorney. The state Attorney General’s Office, which did not oppose Del Prete’s release, declined to comment. Last Monday, in a ruling he called “rare,” Kennelly ordered Del Prete be released from prison after posting bond while the courts address her claims, which could take years.........Del Prete’s attorneys filed a state Brady claim in May 2013 and a federal Brady claim this past February, accusing the state of withholding key evidence. The evidence centered on a 2003 letter written by a police detective in Del Prete’s case, which was discovered by The Medill Justice Project and published as part of its investigation last year. In that letter, Police Commander Kenneth Kroll said the forensic pathologist who performed the infant’s autopsy had significant doubts about whether the day care worker had violently shaken the child in what is known as shaken-baby syndrome or abusive head trauma."

The entire post can be found at:

http://www.medilljusticeproject.org/2014/04/28/prosecutors-and-defense-attorneys-agree-on-conditions-of-del-pretes-release/
  
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;