STORY:"Del Prete Sues Police, Medical Expert," by Allyson Chiu, Claire Hansen, "Walter" ko, Samantha Max and Jamie Schmid published by The Medill Justice Project on August 24, 2017.
PHOTO CAPTION: "Jennifer
Del Prete, center, holds a press conference to announce she filed a
civil suit against the villages of Romeoville and Plainfield, Romeoville
police and a medical expert, alleging they suppressed and fabricated
evidence which led to her wrongful imprisonment. Her murder conviction
was overturned last year after a judge set her free two years prior in
the wake of an MJP investigation that uncovered evidence pointing to her
innocence."
GIST: "Jennifer Del Prete filed suit today against the villages of Romeoville and Plainfield, Romeoville police and a medical expert, alleging they fabricated scientific findings and suppressed exculpatory evidence which led to her wrongful first-degree murder conviction. According to the complaint, Del Prete, 46, is suing for compensatory damages, attorneys’ fees and costs, punitive damages and any other relief the court deems appropriate. “Nothing can compensate for the tragedy we all went through, but I’m hoping that we can get some justice,” Del Prete said at a press conference today, fighting back tears. “… Although we can’t get our time back that we missed, I would just like to feel like I was acknowledged.” Romeoville and Plainfield officials could not be reached for comment. Del Prete was working at a day care in Romeoville, Illinois, when she was accused of violently shaking a 3 ½-month-old infant. The child died a year later and Del Prete was convicted of first-degree murder in 2005. She was sentenced to 20 years in prison. In 2013, about eight years later, The Medill Justice Project obtained through a Freedom of Information Act request a letter from Kenneth Kroll, then a detective in Del Prete’s case, which revealed the forensic pathologist who performed the infant’s autopsy doubted whether the infant died from shaken-baby syndrome. Del Prete’s trial attorney, Chuck Bretz, was not notified of the letter. Bretz testified at a hearing in May last year that his defense strategy would have significantly changed had he known about Kroll’s letter. “That letter was suppressed,” said Jon Loevy, one of Del Prete’s attorneys, at the press conference. “Her constitutional rights were violated, so now she’s bringing this civil lawsuit based on that violation.” U.S. District Court Judge Matthew F. Kennelly released Del Prete on bond in 2014, saying no reasonable jury would have convicted her. By then she had already served nearly a decade of her 20-year sentence."
The entire story can be found at
http://www.medilljusticeproject.org/2017/08/24/del-prete-sues-police-medical-expert/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. 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/c
