Tuesday, March 31, 2015

Purvi Patel: Indiana; Young woman with no criminal record jailed for 20 years "on charges stemming from a pregnancy that ended in a tragedy." She was convicted on the evidence of a pathologist who used a discredited "lung float" test to show Patel’s fetus was born alive to determine if the fetus was viable. (The conviction and vicious sentence - with the personal consequences as well as the implications for the criminalization of women - make this case cry out for appeal. HL);


PUBLISHER'S VIEW: (EDITORIAL);

The conviction and vicious sentence  - with the personal consequences as well as the implications for the criminalization of women  - make this case cry out for appeal.

Harold Levy: Publisher: The Charles Smith Blog.

STORY: "Update: "Granger mom of baby found in dumpster sentenced to 20 years, by reporter Mark Peterson, published on March 30, 2015.

GIST: "Since her dead newborn baby was found in a Mishawaka dumpster in July of 2013, Purvi Patel has been out on bond. Today, she was taken into custody and ordered to start serving a 20 year executed sentence on child neglect and feticide charges. In this case, prison was an option, but not a requirement. While the defense argued for home detention or community corrections, prosecutors warned that would diminish the seriousness of the crime and the age of the victim........ Patel had no criminal history and she lives with, and cares for her parents and infirm grandparents in Granger. Still, the State of Indiana imposes regulations on abortions and it was argued that Patel ignored them for all the wrong reasons.........“When that attempted abortion instead resulted in a live birth, Patel “treated the child, literally, as a piece of trash,” said St. Joseph Superior Court Judge Elizabeth Hurley, who said Patel had “abused her position of trust.” No one is condoning what happened. No one’s condoning the actions, the dumpster and that,” said Rev. Marie Siroky who attended today’s hearing. “But I think the other part you heard from the judge and from the prosecutor, what they said, they felt she ‘was thinking,’ no one knows what anybody is thinking.” Rev. Siroky thinks the Patel case sends a dangerous message at a time when the availability of abortion pills has increased on the internet, and the number of abortion clinics in Indiana keeps dwindling. “And we may be very close to getting only two abortion clinics in the state, or in two cities, Indianapolis and Bloomington. Long waiting periods, this is a set up for this to happen.” Sue Ellen Braunlin is with the Indiana Religious Coalition for Reproductive Justice who has been closely watching the Patel case. She claims it marks just the second time in Indiana history that a law written to protect pregnant women from third party violence, has been used to prosecute women trying to abort. “The expanded application of the feticide laws, it will go on to criminalize women who have problems with their pregnancy or who intend to end their pregnancy on their own.”"

The entire story can be found at: 

http://www.wndu.com/home/headlines/Purvi-Patel-sentencing-set-for-Monday-297949321.html

See Slate story: "Purvi Patel, a 33-year-old woman from Indiana, was convicted Tuesday night on charges stemming from a pregnancy that ended in tragedy. Patel was accused by prosecutors of illegally inducing an abortion by taking pills ordered online from Hong Kong, thus committing what’s referred to in Indiana state law as “feticide,” then failing to properly care for her baby during the first moments of its life, essentially allowing it to die. Police got involved in the case after Patel arrived at a hospital bleeding from her vagina; she initially denied having given birth, but later told doctors she had delivered a stillborn fetus at home, then placed the body in a dumpster.  The two charges against Patel—feticide and felony child neglect—appeared to contradict each another: If Patel killed the fetus with pills while it was still in the womb, that would suggest there was nothing she could do to save it once it was born. Nevertheless, a jury found Patel guilty of both crimes, meaning she could be facing up to 70 years in prison.
The apparent paradox at the heart of the charges against Patel is one of the reasons her case received widespread attention Wednesday. When I asked the St. Joseph County, Indiana, prosecutor, Ken Cotter, to explain it, he pointed out that according to Indiana law, a person can be guilty of feticide even if the fetus in question survives, as long as a deliberate attempt was made to “terminate” the pregnancy “with an intention other than to produce a live birth or to remove a dead fetus.” (The statute includes an exemption for legal abortions.) The prosecution contended that Patel intended to kill the fetus by taking the pills (feticide) and when she failed, allowed the living fetus to die (felony child neglect). There’s another reason Patel’s case deserves scrutiny. It has to do with how the prosecution went about establishing the fetus’s condition upon birth. At the center of its presentation was a method that involved removing the fetus’s lungs and placing them in a container of liquid in order to see if they would float. The theory behind the method, which was developed during the 17th century but has been questioned by modern medical experts, holds that if a lung does float, it means the baby drew at least one breath of air before expiring, and that if it sinks, the fetus was already dead by the time it left the womb. “It’s an absolutely discredited test”. The procedure, known as the “lung float test” or the “the hydrostatic test,” was carried out in this case by forensic pathologist Joseph Prahlow, a past president of the National Association of Medical Examiners. Prahlow, who declined to comment for this article, testified in court that the lung of the Patel fetus did indeed float, suggesting it was born alive and that its mother could have taken steps to keep it that way. Prahlow supplemented the evidence from the float test with other findings, testifying that the lungs looked full of air when he removed the fetus’s chest plate during the autopsy, that the air sacs in the lung tissue looked expanded when he looked at them under a microscope, and that the weight of the lungs—approximately 21 grams—was consistent with a live birth. Prahlow also testified that, according to his analysis, blood had started flowing to the lungs, which would have only happened after the baby had taken a breath. All those pieces of evidence surely played a part in convincing the jury in this case that Patel’s baby was born alive. But the lung float test stands out for its simplicity—a lung that floats means born alive, a lung that sinks means stillborn—and for how decisively it appears to answer one of the most complex questions that forensic pathologists face. It’s far from clear, however, that the test can be trusted. “It’s an absolutely discredited test,” said Gregory Davis, a professor of pathology and laboratory medicine at the University of Kentucky. “It boggles my mind that in the 21st century … this test is still being relied upon to determine whether a baby is born alive or dead.” Davis is not the only forensic pathologist who believes the float test is unreliable. The most recent edition of Knight’s Forensic Pathology, a widely used textbook, says “there are too many recorded instances when control tests have shown that stillborn lungs may float and the lungs from undoubtedly live-born infants have sunk, to allow it to be used in testimony in a criminal trial.” The authors of another textbook, Essentials of Forensic Medicine, called the test “pointless” in 1984. Davis, who is also the assistant state medical examiner for the commonwealth of Kentucky, said there are at least three reasons why a float test could yield inaccurate results, indicating the presence of air in the lungs even though the fetus never took a breath. The first is easiest to understand: If any attempt at resuscitation was made, either through mouth-to-mouth or chest compressions, that can introduce air into a lung, thus causing it to float even if the fetus was stillborn. The second has to do with decomposition: If the fetus has decomposed even a little bit, the lungs can fill with gas bubbles that would also result in the lung floating. Finally, Davis said, a fetus’s lungs can fill with air just by going through the vaginal canal, because pressure on the chest creates a “bellows effect.” Despite these inherent flaws in the test, its use persists."
  http://www.slate.com/articles/news_and_politics/crime/2015/02/purvi_patel_feticide_why_did_the_pathologist_use_the_discredited_lung_float.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.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; 








Amanda Knox: "48 Hours" reporter Doug Longhini describes his journey reporting on Amanda Knox through the years - and his increasing cynicism as he learned more and more about the prosecution's case. (Really neat read. HL);


STORY: "Amanda Knox through the years: A "48 Hours" reporter's journey,"  by reporter Doug Longhini, published by CBS News on March 30, 2015.

GIST:  "In the wake of Amanda Knox's acquittal last Friday of the murder of her former roommate Meredith Kercher in November 2007 in Perugia, Italy, critiques of Italy's justice system are inevitable. Had the system initially erred because it relied on a false confession, a dodgy witnesses, or flawed forensics? Probably yes to all those failings, but when 48 Hours sent me to Perugia to cover the story, I learned something pretty basic was being ignored - common sense.........Now a bit skeptical, on February 8, 2008, we met Knox lead prosecutor Giuliano Mignini at the Kefe Bar in Perugia for a drink -- apertivo -- and, hopefully, insight. Mignini told us there was no cause for our confusion. He assured us that he had a key witness who could prove the three people in custody (Knox, Raffaele Sollecito, and Rudy Guede) had killed Meredith Kercher in the late hours of November 1, 2007 and then fled the scene together.The witness, Mignini explained, was an elderly woman who lived near the house Knox shared with Kercher. The witness described a terrifying scream in the night she'd heard coming from the house. Then she claimed to have heard - not seen - three people running away from the crime scene. Mignini said he was completely convinced that the witness's account of hearing exactly three people running was the proof he needed to show that Knox, Sollecito and Guede were the killers. But we asked ourselves, how could anyone "hear" exactly three people running? Sure, you can hear multiple footsteps, but to say exactly three, made no sense. So we next turned to forensic science and on Valentine's Day 2008, we went to the sprawling headquarters of Italy's Scientific Police in Rome. Some of the hallways are lined with photos of mafia dons, drug kingpins, and infamous killers. And to our surprise, there, among the framed images on this walk of shame, was a photo of Amanda Knox. Even though Knox would not be formally indicted for murder for another eight months, Italian police had, at least figuratively, nailed her trophy to the wall. Eduardo Giobbi, part of the top echelon of the Scientific Police, told us his agency - one steeped in fingerprints, DNA, and forensic methods - had not used scientific evidence to lead them to Amanda Knox for the murder of Meredith Kercher. Instead, Giobbi bragged, he and his fellow investigators had noted Knox's often quirky behavior and found a killer hiding behind her antics. Forensic science in the Knox case, it seemed, be damned, at least in the critical initial days."

The entire story can be found at: 

http://www.cbsnews.com/news/amanda-knox-through-the-years-a-48-hours-reporters-journey/

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial 

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; 


Monday, March 30, 2015

Mark Lundy retrial: Major development: New Zealand Herald reports that after a superb charge by the judge, the jury is now out. (Judge says "great care" is needed before accepting the evidence of "Witness 'X' - the inmate who claimed he heard Lundy's confession.)


Justice Simon France turned to the jury in the murder trial of Mark Lundy at the High Court in Wellington yesterday afternoon at 10 to one and said: "It's over to you." A moment later, he said again: "It's over to you." Then he thanked them, warmly, sincerely. "So that's it," he said, concluding seven weeks of legal argument. "It's a big thing being asked of you ... It's over to you......... France spent most of his summary on the one subject that took up most time in the trial: the stains on Lundy's shirt. "If you accept that it is human brain, then the Crown's case is considerably strengthened ... Mrs Lundy's brain tissue is obviously a very significant thing." The defence say the stain could be food splatter. His financial position was stable, and he wasn't in desperate need of an insurance pay-out. France to the jury: "Some of you may not know that small businesses owing money to people isn't unusual. And it's important to remember the recent change in their insurance policy wasn't at his instigation.  As for witness X, the inmate who claimed he heard Lundy's confession, the judge rather sighed, "I don't know how he appealed to you. Maybe you thought he was an engaging sort of chap. I'm not saying you can't accept his evidence, but great care is needed.".........
Dirty Lundry, or clean Lundry? It's over to the jury. "One can't believe impossible things," says Alice in Through the Looking-Glass. Lundy's defence claims three impossible things prevent the jury from believing Lundy did it. "If you accept he did not have enough petrol to make the trip," said Justice France of the defence's first impossibility, "you must acquit". The alternative is to deliver a verdict of guilty, twice, for the murders of Christine and Amber Lundy. There are two charges, as Justice France reminded the jury. "Realistically," he said, "your answers will be the same for both". They may be given today."
http://www.nzherald.co.nz/nz/news/article.cfm?c_id=1&objectid=11425530

See News 3 report on the jurors returning for their second day of deliberations:
http://www.3news.co.nz/nznews/mark-lundy-murder-retrial-day-36-2015033110

See the Wikipedia account: "Christine Marie Lundy, 38, and her 7-year-old daughter Amber Grace Lundy were murdered in Palmerston North, New Zealand, on 29 or 30 August 2000. Mark Edward Lundy (then age 43), Christine's husband and Amber's father, was arrested and charged with the murders in February 2001.[1] In 2002 he was convicted of the murders after a six-week trial and was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum non-parole period of 17 years. Lundy maintained he was innocent and took his case to the Court of Appeal; the appeal was rejected and the court increased his non-parole period to 20 years.[2] In June 2013 Lundy appealed to the Privy Council in Britain.[3] In its decision, announced four months later, the Council focussed on three main points: the reliability of evidence surrounding the time of death, the accuracy of the testing of brain tissue given the state of the samples and an alternative explanation for the alleged tampering of the family computer.[4] The Council ruled the convictions "unsafe" and ordered a re-trial.[5] Lundy served nearly thirteen years in prison and is now free on bail.[6] The retrial, which is still in progress, was held in early 2015."

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

Teina Pora: New Zealand; Momentous decision: British Privy Council recommends that he should not face a new trial - and the focus now moves to compensation for his wrongful conviction and more than 20 years behind bars as a convicted rapist;


"The 39-year-old's convictions for the 1992 rape and murder of South Auckland woman Susan Burdett were quashed a month ago. Now the Privy Council in London has recommended he doesn't face a retrial. ........Mr Pora's lawyer, Jonathan Krebs, says his client appreciates that this marks the end of his connection with the justice system over "this horrible crime".  Mr Pora was twice convicted for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett. But his defence team argued to the Privy Council that a confession he made to police was false. The Privy Council threw out the convictions and sought submissions from the Crown and defence as to whether he should be re-tried. The Crown says when it considered Mr Pora had already spent more than 20 years in prison and was on parole at the time his appeal to the Privy Council was granted, it decided it wasn't in the public's interest to push for a retrial. Now an innocent man, he's eyeing compensation for those two decades spent behind bars.
http://tvnz.co.nz/national-news/free-last-teina-pora-not-face-retrial-6273153

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to:
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial  

See Wikipedia account:

"Teina Anthony Pora (born 9 June 1975)[2] is a New Zealander who spent over 21 years in prison for the rape and murder of Susan Burdett, before his conviction was quashed by the Judicial Committee of the Privy Council in 2015.[3] Pora was aged 17 at the time of his arrest in 1993, and was imprisoned in Auckland Prison from 1994 until he was released on parole in 2014.[4]
Susan Burdett was raped and murdered in her home in Papatoetoe in March 1992. Pora was interviewed at the time, but Police did not think he was involved. It was not until he was arrested a year later on a separate matter that Pora mentioned to Police that he knew who committed the murder - after Police discussed both a monetary reward and indemnity from prosecution. In a series of interviews over four days, Pora then gave various accounts of what happened and of his involvement.[3] Based on these 'confessions', in 1994 he was subsequently charged and convicted of Burdett's rape and murder. Four years later police discovered that the semen found in Burdett's body came from another man, Malcolm Rewa. In 1999, Rewa was tried and also convicted of the rape - but not the murder - of Susan Burdett. Following this development, Pora took his case to the Court of Appeal which quashed his convictions.[5] However, Pora was retried in 2000, found guilty a second time, and returned to prison.[6] After spending 21 years in prison, Teina Pora was released on parole in April 2014.[7] Despite his release, he continued to maintain his innocence and appealed to the Privy Council. In March 2015, the Council quashed his convictions because new medical evidence indicated he had been born with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder which could explain his false confessions. On 30 March 2015, the Privy Council went a step further and recommended he should not be retried. The decision has been welcomed by both the Crown and defence."
 http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Teina_Pora



Amanda Knox; The decision: Less a defeat for the prosecutors than for Italy's justice system: Reporters Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Mark Townsend: The Guardian;


STORY: "Eight years on, Italy asks: so who were Meredith Kercher's killers?" by reporters Stephanie Kirchgaessner and Mark Townsend, published by The Guardian on March 28, 2015.]

GIST: "The decision took everyone by surprise – even Knox’s lawyer, who had passionately argued for it – because the court of cassation generally only rules on procedural issues, not the merits of the case or facts established by lower courts. The rare acquittal signalled that Italy’s highest court was itself fed up, wanting to bring a permanent end to what critics have said was a gross miscarriage of justice and a case that left Italy’s judicial system accused of being a “circus”.
The judges’ legal rationale will not be known for at least 90 days, when a full summary will be issued, but it is likely that two issues guided their decision: the lack of any convincing physical evidence and inconsistent and improbable theories over motive.........One of the remarkable aspects of Friday’s decision is how the supreme court – which went out of its way to say Knox and Sollecito were innocent, not merely that there was a lack of evidence to convict them – will address those earlier assumptions about how many attackers there were that night in November 2007. It was a point that was emphasised by a devastated Francesco Maresca, the attorney for the Kercher family. Speaking outside the court on Friday night, he said: “This is not so much a defeat for the prosecution as a defeat for Italy’s justice system. The judges said there is a lack of proof, and whoever acted with Guede has not been found.”"
http://www.theguardian.com/world/2015/mar/28/meredith-kercher-amanda-knox-raffaele-sollecito-italy-case

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to:  http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial 

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; 

Sunday, March 29, 2015

Motherisk: Sick Children's Hospital Toronto; Oversight of the Motherisk program under independent review launched by the provincial government to assess the accuracy and reliability of hair drug tests conducted there has been reassigned, The Toronto Star reports. Hospital will not comment on whether Dr. Gideon Koren has been removed as head of the program or whether he is currently under investigation. Oversight was reasigned after the Star questioned ties between Koren and a drug company.


STORY: "Sick Kids reassigns oversight of the Motherisk program," by reporter Rachel Mendleson, published by the Toronto Star on March 28, 2015.

SUB-HEADING: "Decision follows Star’s probe of financial links between director Gideon Koren and a Quebec company whose anti morning-sickness drug he promoted in a booklet for pregnant women."

PHOTO CAPTION:  "Gideon Koren ran the Motherisk lab program at the Hospital for Sick Children, which has announced it has "reassigned medical oversight" of the program."

GIST:  "The Hospital for Sick Children says it has temporarily “reassigned medical oversight” of its controversial Motherisk lab program, in the wake of questions from the Star about ties between its director, Gideon Koren, and the Quebec-based drug company Duchesnay. Sick Kids is also “actively reviewing the disclosure practices on the Motherisk website, and (has) updated the site to clarify the relationship between Motherisk and Duchesnay,” hospital spokeswoman Gwen Burrows said.  “We take these matters very seriously and continue to investigate,” she said. Burrows would not comment on whether Koren has been removed as head of the program or whether he is currently under investigation.  “We can’t discuss employment issues with the paper,” she said. “It is … the right of employees to have some privacy.  She confirmed that Koren, who founded the Motherisk program, is still employed at the hospital.  Sick Kids temporarily suspended non-research operations at the Motherisk lab earlier this month pending  pending the results of an independent review launched by the provincial government to assess the accuracy and reliability of the hair drug tests conducted there."

The entire story can be found at:

http://t.thestar.com/#/article/news/gta/2015/03/28/sick-kids-reassigns-oversight-of-motherisk-program.html?referrer=

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to: 
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial  



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;

Saturday, March 28, 2015

"Sue Neill-Fraser: Tasmania; Andrew Urbin explains why she should be at the front of the queue of prisoners who proclaim their innocence who are desperately awaiting passage of new 'right of appeal" legislation;


POST: "Sue Neill-Fraser: Murder by the prosecution - the evidence," by Andrew L. Urban, published on March 26, 2015 in his blog "Pursue Democracy."

GIST: "Neill-Fraser remains in jail, wheelchair-bound (due to deteriorating mobility symptoms), her only hope resting in new Right of Appeal legislation that is now being finalised. Attorney General Vanessa Goodwin stated on March 5 that “a draft bill will be released for public consultation” by the end of this month (March 2015). Like the South Australian Bill passed in 2013, this Bill intends to provide a further right to appeal for those who believe their convictions are unsafe, Sue Neill-Fraser is at the front of the queue."

The entire post can be found at:

http://pursuedemocracy.com/2015/03/sue-neill-fraser-murder-by-the-prosecution-the-evidence/

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to: 
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial 


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; 

Friday, March 27, 2015

Breaking News: Amanda Knox: It's over! New York Times reports that Amanda Knox and her ex-boyfriend have been acquitted of murder by the Italian court. "Gasps went up among spectators in the Rome courtroom, where after 10 hours of deliberation, the presiding judge, Gennaro Marasca, announced the decision. The reasoning behind the decision is to be made public within 90 days."(Bravo! Harold Levy. Publisher. The Charles Smith Blog);

The wonderful  news can be found at:

https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?tab=wm#inbox/14c5d529f6f10e96

GIST:  "Gasps went up among spectators in the Rome courtroom, where after 10 hours of deliberation, the presiding judge, Gennaro Marasca, announced the decision. The reasoning behind the decision is to be made public within 90 days."

BBC News story:  "Ms Knox has said that she feels "tremendously relieved" after the verdict. "The knowledge of my innocence has given me strength in the darkest times of this ordeal," she said in a statement."

 http://www.bbc.com/news/world-europe-32096621#%22

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to:  
http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial 

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;

Amanda Knox: AP reports judges burning the midnight oil - will not break until they have reached their decision. (Rubber stamp or breakthrough? At least they should find out soon. The pressure on them must be unbearable. Let the judges put an end to the persecution, the ordeal. Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog).


The story can be found at:

http://news.yahoo.com/amanda-knoxs-fate-hands-italys-top-court-043239675.html

 PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to:  

 http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial 

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;

Amanda Knox: Decision Day? Lawyers for Raffaele Sollecito, her ex-boyfriend, have completed their submissions; The judges have begun their deliberations. Associated Press reports a decision could be released today. USA Today;


The story can be found  at:

http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/world/2015/03/27/amanda-knox/70516710/

PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to: 
 http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial 

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;

Shaken baby syndrome: Sue Luttner's "On SBS" take on the recent Washington Post/Medill article "Shaken science: A disputed Diagnosis imprisons parents," and its aftermath - and other related events: All of which convince her that "The word is out." (Must Read. HL);


POST: "The word is out,"  by Sue Luttner, published  Blog  by  "On SBS,"   on March 26, 2015.

GIST:  "After 30 years of occasional, isolated coverage, both the national and the local media are starting to take a serious look at the debate about shaken baby theory—even as the accusations and convictions continue. This past weekend Debbie Cenziper at The Washington Post published the first installment of a promised series, the result of a full year of research that brought together the work of other Post staffers as well as students and teachers at half a dozen universities, including the Medill Justice Project at Northwestern University. “Shaken Science: A Disputed Diagnosis Imprisons Parents” offers a thorough but engaging analysis of the issues, including  helpful diagrams and the most accessible press treatment I’ve seen yet of the biomechanics. Cenziper opens, of course, with the story of one accused caregiver and interweaves more cases along the way, so that the piece is not only informative but also readable. She also reports the thoughts of several physicians, including Dr. A. Norman Guthkelch, the first person to propose in print, in the British Medical Journal in 1971, that shaking an infant could cause subdural bleeding. The National Center on Shaken Baby Syndrome (NCSBS) has released a response to the Post piece, listing the professional organizations that have endorsed shaken baby theory and protesting: The Washington Post article portrays a “dispute” in the medical community as to the existence of SBS/AHT. There is a very small minority of proponents for the position that shaking cannot harm an infant, but this position is not supported by the science. Like the letters protesting the film The Syndrome, the NCSBS response to the Post says that critics of shaking theory think that shaking a baby is not dangerous, although I don’t see anyone in the article making that statement. I think the question is whether the presence of the brain injury proves that a child was violently assaulted. Cenziper’s article has been picked up in a number of regional newspapers, including the Hamilton Spectator in Ontario, the Daily Herald in Illinois, and the Dallas Morning News in Texas.........I don’t know what it will take to stop the ongoing tragedy of shaken baby theory in the courtroom. I have taken one small step, though. I’ve signed the Protecting Innocent Families petition, which asks for an objective, scientific review of the evidence behind today’s guidelines for diagnosing child abuse."

The entire post can be  found  at:

http://onsbs.com/2015/03/26/the-word-is-out/

 PS: For latest coverage of the Mark Lundy retrial  go to: 
 http://www.stuff.co.nz/national/mark-lundy-murder-retrial 


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;

Letitia Smallwood: : Pennsylvania: Arson/murder; Locked up 42 years for notorious murders. At a hearing set for Monday (March 30, 2015), the Pensylvania Innocence Project will argue that the conviction was tainted by the deeply unreliable method of investigating fires used at the time - and that "There was no crime here at all." Pennlive.Com.


STORY: "Hearing scheduled for Carlisle woman convicted of 1973 arson-murder: 'There was no crime here,"  by reporter Daniel Simmons-Ritchie, published by Pennlive.com, published on March 24, 2015.

 GIST: For 42 years, Letitia Smallwood has been locked up for one of the most notorious murders in Carlisle's history. After this week, that could change. On Friday, a pivotal hearing will be held in the Cumberland County Courthouse in Carlisle in an appeal Smallwood is pressing over her 1973 arson-murder conviction. Police charged Smallwood, then 20, with deliberately setting an apartment blaze in downtown Carlisle that killed two people. The Pennsylvania Innocence Project, a nonprofit based at Temple University that works to overturn wrongful convictions, contends that the investigation into Smallwood's case was fundamentally flawed. In a hearing in October, the first of her appeals, Smallwood's attorneys argued that police across the nation in the 1970s and 1980s used deeply unreliable methods to investigate fires. Those methods have recently spurred a reassessment of dozens of historic arson cases across the country - the Pennsylvania Innocence Project argues that Smallwood's case deserves similar scrutiny. Marissa Bluestine, the organization's director, said while her team's argument in October focused on how arson science had changed, her team's argument would focus specifically on the flaws in the investigation in Smallwood's case. It will take place before Judge Edward Guido.  "There was no crime here at all," Bluestine said. "She has, for the majority of her life, been imprisoned for nothing, and that's the point that we hope Judge Guido will come away from the hearing with." "She has, for the majority of her life, been imprisoned for nothing." - Marissa Bluestine, Innocence Project......... As in Smallwood's first hearing, Friday will again see testimony from Jason A. Sutula, a fire investigation expert. In addition to Sutula, Bluestine said her team would be presenting testimony from Joseph Roebuck, a hospital orderly who testified in Smallwood's 1973 trial. At the time, Roebuck testified that he had overheard Smallwood seemingly confess to starting the fire to a nurse. Roebuck's testimony was an important piece of evidence the prosecution used to portray Smallwood as guilty. But Bluestine said that Roebuck told the Pennsylvania Innocence Project, after the organization contacted him as part of its research into Smallwood's case, that he believed he had misunderstood the conversation between the nurse and Smallwood. After testifying in 1973, Bluestine said Roebuck talked with the nurse herself, who told him he had taken what he had heard out of context."

 http://www.pennlive.com/midstate/index.ssf/2015/03/friday_could_prove_pivotal_in.html - comments

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;