Tag Archives: forensic examiner error

The Mississippi Sting operation that uncovered Michael West’s bitemark bunk

One of the extraordinary defense presentations at the recent EL Howard hearing in Columbus MS was given by the Honorable Chris Plourd (pictured above), the presiding Judge of Imperial County, CA Superior Court. Judge Plourd rose to the bench in … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, Bitemarks, costs of wrongful convictions, Crime lab scandal, Dr. Michael West, exoneration, Ray Krone bitemark case, wrongful convictions | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

DNA “falsifiability” gets some airtime, CRIME LAB chaos in MA, “vigorous debate’ in SBS

The latest in scientific quandaries within forensics from the NY Legal Aid Society Newsletter. Fool’s Gold: Legal Aid Society DNA Unit featured in Atlantic Magazine article about the increasing use of unreliable DNA “science” in the criminal justice system DNA … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice, criminal justice reform, CSI, DNA mixtures, DNA profiling, forensic science misconduct, forensic science reform | Tagged , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Forensics: Focus on bitemark beliefs and “The Syndrome”

While spending nearly a full May 5th springtime time day listening to the “Country Dentist” Dr Michael West lavish a Mississippi courtroom with his god-like powers of forensic observation aided by a blue light flashlight, I began to reflect on … Continue reading

Posted in Bite Marks, Bitemarks, criminal justice reform, CSI, death penalty, Dr. Michael West, exoneration, forensic testimony | Tagged , , , , , , , , | Leave a comment

Ballistics runs aground in TX. Its Forensic Comm ferrets out another mini-scandal

This all started from a complaint filed by a solo lawyer from Texas. The complaint sounds strikingly similar to the Steve Chaney bitemark complaint that led to the shoot-down of the dentists training and teaching bitemarks at UTSA and elsewhere. … Continue reading

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Another crime lab scandal arises from Virginia : Old school blood-typing failures

On the heels of Keith Allen Harward’s 33 years of wrongful incarceration, Virginia is now tackling hundreds of cases over the decades containing more questionable forensic “science.” Harward’s erroneous identification from a bitemark is only the beginning. “The Innocence Project … Continue reading

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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

Posted in AAFS, ABFO, costs of wrongful convictions, death penalty, forensic science reform, junk forensic science | Tagged , , , , | 1 Comment

The latest bitemark exoneration in VA raises the issue of what to do with other bitemark convictions

This editorial article speaks volumes about the the damage done to one man ( in his own words) and expands public concern about other criminal defendants in our Criminal Justice system during the 50 years of “judicially accepted” bitemark opinions … Continue reading

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US DOJ puts some teeth into review of other forensic practices beside just hair matching

Assistant DOJ director Sally Yates takes the high road in the direction of vetting closed criminal cases using other “police forensic sciences” involving “patterns.” Her statements indicates concerns about examiners “overstating” their conclusions in court. That bypasses whether the methods … Continue reading

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Questionable Gunshot Residue from old conviction gives Aussie court a new headache

In the rollup to a new trial against a man previous accused of murder, convicted and then released after 19 years, the focus of misuse or at least the accusations of questionably “researched” forensic evidence is in the headlines. Seems an FBI … Continue reading

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Take a new look at what mistakes occur with Forensic Gunshot Residue testing and testimony

The Cardiff School of Law Innocence Project students and their faculty took on the very basic and POPULAR “police science” of GSR and turned it (now improved expertise) on its head via misuse in an 17 year old conviction. http://www.independent.co.uk/student/news/dwaine-george-how-cardiff-law-school-s-innocence-project-discovered-scientific-evidence-was-of-no-a6850346.html

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