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.

Inside Exoneration litigation in Mississippi – At Times it’s Utter Frustration #ELHoward

  In 2016, Texas determined that dental bitemark experts should not be admitted in court. What’s now happening in Mississippi (MS) is a classic legal and forensic science example of continuing that agenda. 1993. A bitemark ID was achieved in MS … Continue reading

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Forensic Saga: Raising past bitemark convictions – 1987

The realm of gleaning forensic science fact from fiction is an ongoing chapter in the larger subject of scientific progress. Empirical testing and re-testing are the cornerstone of how science evolves. But, what about practices that have had no legitimate testing … Continue reading

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Forensics: 2d bitemark opinion in the John Kunco case. Where is justice for him? #ADA

“The victim was able to identify Kunco by virtue of a recognizable lisp. Five months after the woman was attacked, an ultraviolet photograph of her back was enlarged and healed bite wounds were compared to a mold of Kunco’s teeth. … Continue reading

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UK Cabinet’s new administraton of forensic sciences seems incomplete or worse?

All I can glean from scant web info is that its full speed ahead for the Forensic Science Regulator (actually a good idea in theory) oversight to become law but she doesn’t get any “enforcement control ( among other issues) and … Continue reading

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Forensics: Not mob journalism. How bitemarks ruled the courtroom and still do

Overview of the prosecution’s bitemark case. John Kunco has now exhausted his appellate review options in Pennsylvania.   

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Excellent “DNA Newsletter” on forensics, prosecutions, junk experts, and more

Forensics in the News A republish from the NY Legal Aid Society’s  “DNA Newsletter” @CeliaGivens 6th Circuit US Court of Appeals rules in US v. Carpenter that the government did not violate defendants’ Fourth Amendment rights by collecting cell site … Continue reading

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Forensics: Pattern injuries in Pistorius case brings out some amateur sleuthing

No surprise here because, back in the Pistorius trial days, I thot nothing could match it (discounting Amanda Knox’s years of uncertainty) in recent history, but then “Making a Murder” jumped onto the silver screen (well, its a LCD screen … Continue reading

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Forensics: National Inst of Justice training webinars

Controlled Substances & Toxicology Focus on DNA Sequencing IPE & Trace Evidence Postmortem Interval & Molecular Autopsy

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The nature of DNA exonerations are changing

The National Registry of Exonerations just published data on the various crime types of cases where exonerations occur. DNA exonerations no longer occur primarily in rape cases, but in homicides, including many rape-murder cases. In addition, the number of DNA … Continue reading

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Forensics: Looking at attempts to age fingerprints in US court cases – FSI Journal

Meet “Freddie the Fingerprint” Reviewing the actual courtroom testimony of forensic experts is clearly the way to suggest “reforms” and to publish how examiners approach their “science” in diverse ways. Sound familiar? Pathology. Bitemarks. An interesting look at what goes … Continue reading

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