Tag Archives: Forensic science

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

Advances of science affects some convictions – so far bitemarks aren’t included

The resounding inconsistencies in how US courts “handle” forensic expertise is brain-numbing. The Mississippi Supreme Court and the state attorney General Jim Hood’s go to chief appellate guy, Jason Davis (pictured above), are still investing in the now bitemark rejecting … Continue reading

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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

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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Taking a look at forensic science fakery – The Country Dentist

Lets get real, the connection between rigorous multiple studies in forensic science and what is done “in the field” can be described as inconsistently applied. Ive been exposed to a single Journal of Forensic Science article from 1984 that was … Continue reading

Posted in AAFS, criminal justice reform, CSI, Dr. Michael West, Forensic Science, forensic testimony, junk forensic science | Tagged , , , , , | Leave a comment

Back and forth in court about raising technical instrumentation ballistic standards

  Does this picture have J. Edgar Hoover and Shirley Temple doing a bullet comp? A prosecutor takes exception to a defense ballistics guy saying higher definition imaging improves accuracy in bullet and rifling comparisons. The guy states that crime labs … 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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