Category Archives: wrongful convictions

Death sentences: A trail of dubious contributions to justice: questionable and in some cases, erroneous bitemark opinions.

I have reported on this subject before, as the continued acceptance of the bitemark id “pseudoscience” in US courts still allows this prejudicial type of prosecutorial expert opinion to be considered “relevant evidence.” Continuing on this topic, my experience as a defense … Continue reading →

Posted in Bitemarks, criminal justice, exoneration, Forensic Science, forensic testimony, Ray Krone bitemark case, William Richards Exoneration Case, wrongful convictions | 2 Comments

Ray Krone’s Exoneration from bitemark evidence: THE INSIDE STORY @csidds

Photo by: Heidi Huber/AP This picture has Ray Krone ( left) immediately after his release from AZ prison in 2000. Part of his story is below, which develops the persona of the Prosecutor Noel Levy who put Ray on  death … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, Bitemarks, Exoneration costs, junk forensic science, Ray Krone bitemark case, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

Forensic Science Misconduct: A Dark Cautionary Tale @csidds

Let’s start with  a quick review of a few cases related to the subject of  forensic science failure and accompanying misconduct (Section 1). This  involves law enforcement officers, CSIs, prosecutors and prosecutorial experts in the multiple criminal justice systems: All … Continue reading →

Posted in Bad Forensic Science, criminal justice, CSI, exoneration, Exoneration costs, expert testimony, Forensic Science, junk forensic science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forensics in Focus | March 3 | Forensic science Reform bill needs your support | Get involved

I am thrilled to share that the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee just scheduled a markup for Senator Rockefeller’s S. 2022, The Forensic Science and Standards Act of 2014, on Wednesday, March 5th.  A markup is a hearing of the full Senate … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

FORENSIC FOCUS | Links to Science, News Trends and the Law

FORENSIC FOCUS LINKS: Monday Feb 17, 2014 FORENSIC CASES, RESEARCH AND TRAINING with some criminal justice. 1. Register for Tuesday Feb 18 webcast presentations at the AAFS annual meeting. Topics are NIJ funding grantees forensic projects and DIY funding opportunities. … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, Uncategorized, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

FORENSICS | The Hon. Harry T. Edwards, co-chair of the NAS 2009 report on forensics, speaks to the Commission on Forensic Science

Last week, Judge Edwards had a few comments regarding the tasking challenges facing the newly constructed Committee on Forensic Science. He’s the fellow who has spoken so clearly on the aftermath of the NAS forensic report that voiced scientific disappointment … Continue reading →

Posted in Forensic Science, junk forensic science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Bitemarks and Wrongful Executions: Law Prof Considers the Connection

A law professor has an impressive blog post that elaborates on the dangers of bad forensic science leading to executions of innocent defendants.  Read it here. He also has a few things to say about bitemark identification. A recent bitemark … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bitemarks, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , | 3 Comments

FORENSICS | Nature (prestigious science magazine) releases “Faulty Forensics Under Fire” about Bitemark Unreliabilty

The Nature piece starts with this picture and a following caption.  “There is little evidence that bite marks on a crime victim’s skin allow reliable identification of the perpetrator.” For those who think the National Commission on Forensic Science is … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bitemarks, Forensic Science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Leave a comment

FORENSICS | Review of questionable research on bite marks. US taxpayers’ $715,000 funded it.

In a recent post, I promised to do a review of this promised-to-be-published “paradigm proof” from a Marquette University news release which revealed a “silver bullet” forensic cure to bite marks’ spotty history. The caption for the news release is … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bad Forensic Science, Bitemarks, Forensic Science, junk forensic science, National FOrensic Science Commission, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , | 1 Comment

FORENSICS | National Commission on Forensic Science Publishes Bowers’ Comments on Bite Mark Accreditation

On Friday, January 31, 2014, the NCFS published their agenda for its one and one-half day meeting starting next week.  The Commission allowed public comments regarding the panel’s tasks and accepted  C. Michael Bowers DDS JD documentation regarding the status of … Continue reading →

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bite Marks, Bitemarks, exoneration, Forensic Science, junk forensic science, National FOrensic Science Commission, William Richards Exoneration Case, wrongful convictions | 2 Comments