Author Archives: csidds

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About csidds

Dr. Michael Bowers is a long time forensic consultant in the US and international court systems.

#Mellennial Forensics: See the public response to “Knee Jerk Forensic Denials by DAs”

Posted on October 26, 2016 by csidds

This fellow is running for CA Attorney General. He is also quite headliner for  believers in “speeding” executions via Prop 66. Despite wrongful convictions taking decades to be accomplished. Read about how the DAs responded to the 2016 forensic report … Continue reading →

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How Bitemark evidence is still operating at the appellate level – The Kunco Case

Posted on October 25, 2016 by csidds

Originally posted on FORENSICS and LAW in FOCUS @ CSIDDS | News and Trends:
The “relatively unique teeth” of John Kunco The “recaptured” evidence used against Kunco. There still is a long road for prison inmates to overcome what now is considered…

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The California history of familial DNA searches for criminal suspects

Posted on October 25, 2016 by csidds

Good example of the progression of a valid and reliable forensic method advance towards acceptance. It makes many of the “pattern-matchers” weep in despair. http://www.latimes.com/local/lanow/la-me-familial-dna-20161023-snap-story.html

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Big blowup in FLA about ‘secret’ STRmix DNA software program

Posted on October 25, 2016 by csidds

Broward county is having some crime lab problems. Some damned whistleblower got to the damned journalists. A commercially (hence private) software program for mixed blood samples isn’t helping too much either. This Google search on ‘mixed DNA litigation’ brings up … Continue reading →

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Forensics: Accusing a crime lab of planting evidence, innocent man executed in CA, +++more

Posted on October 24, 2016 by csidds

News Miner: Eberhart: Fairbanks Four deserve compensation… Arkansas Online: Faulty science gains 2 Arkansas convicts new trials… Los Angeles Times (editorial): California has executed 13 men since reviving the death penalty. Was one of them innocent?… Detroit Free Press: Lawyer … Continue reading →

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Forensics and Criminal Law Potpourri – Some good stuff about innocence, arson, exon $$

Posted on October 21, 2016 by csidds

From the Center for Wrongful Convictions’ Friday blog. Boston Herald: Arson evidence under fire… The St. Louis American: Exoneree George Allen Jr. passes away, mother is raising funds for funeral… The Daily Progress: State treasurer seeks guidance in paying Beatrice 6 … Continue reading →

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Parsing the error rates a judge found acceptable for a “ballistic similarity” = “identification”

Posted on October 21, 2016 by csidds

The war of words about what is ‘reliable’ about forensic opinions is getting stretched and compressed depending on the source of comment. The fingerprint corp called the IAI  had its’ president put a 3/4 page blast out about his ‘standing’ … Continue reading →

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How-To about jury deliberations that do not convict the defendant

Posted on October 20, 2016 by csidds

“Jury Myths” is an op-ed by a defense attorney on popular definition misconceptions regarding legal procedural and factual differences;  he compares ‘innocence’ versus ‘not guilty’ versus ‘guilty’ outcomes at criminal trials. It boils down to  ‘actual innocence’  being a product of … Continue reading →

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Netherlands Forensic Institute ranks high in world-wide successful investigations

Posted on October 19, 2016 by csidds

I hear that the NFI ( located at the Hague ) also has an excellent physician/forensic anthropologist traveling the world on these cases. I love those loupes! This article highlights the world-wide scope of a national crime lab.  I haven’t seen … Continue reading →

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NRA must be upset over this one – “defense of another” dosen’t bother DA

Posted on October 18, 2016 by csidds

“The shooting happened the day after Acosta-Sanchez had eluded police efforts to arrest him and an ensuing manhunt involving police and forest rangers, as well as dogs, ATVs and helicopters. Acosta-Sanchez escaped by swimming across the Rio Reservoir. Police broke … Continue reading →

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