Tag Archives: Forensic science

Forensics: The tip of the iceberg of Trump’s shutdown. Declined attendance at Forensic Conferences like the AAFS

(photo credits: Forensic Magazine). The American Academy of Forensic Science annual meeting is next month in Baltimore. The AAFS has a large percentage of crime labbers, students, and related government forensics-types who use the week-long meetings for education, networking, and … Continue reading

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Forensics and Law: Lack of scientific concerns shows its ugly head in the US Supreme Court

Take a look at this short op-ed about how the highest US court handles junk police forensics. This time the subject is dog sniffing dogs as probable cause for the police to ransack your house. Lawyers need more Science 101 … Continue reading

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Forensics: Police Discover Oregon Cold Case Killer Was Executed By Texas In 1999.

A striking example of how serial murderers cross the country killing their victims. It also clarifies how nationwide genealogy DNA databases connect police departments separated geographically and the inadequacies of the US federal CODIS system. https://www.forensicmag.com/news/2019/02/police-discover-oregon-cold-case-killer-was-executed-texas-1999?et_cid=6595071&et_rid=498417758&type=cta&et_cid=6595071&et_rid=498417758&linkid=https%3a%2f%2fwww.forensicmag.com%2fnews%2f2019%2f02%2fpolice-discover-oregon-cold-case-killer-was-executed-texas-1999%3fet_cid%3d6595071%26et_rid%3d%%subscriberid%%%26type%3dcta

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Probative Value of Forensic Science Conclusions Should be Based on Empirical Data, Not Subjective Impressions

The misapplication of forensic science is a contributing factor in 45% of the 362 wrongful convictions overturned by DNA evidence. — Read on http://www.innocenceproject.org/probative-value-forensic-science-conclusions/ Tell this to all your dentists who do bitemark comparisons. They refuse to admit any of … Continue reading

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Forensics: The timeline of battling junk forensics in the Texas courts – lessons learned – all from bitemarks

“Grits” runs us the story on the enormous effort undertaken in Texas to teach judges and prosecutors that bitemarks are the spawn of the alchemists and soothsayers among us. Grits for Breakfast legal blog The timeline of getting  TX courts … Continue reading

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Forensics: Texas becomes the first State to call bitemarks “junk science.”

As usual in these innocence cases, it took decades to overcome the inequities of flawed and exaggerated forensic experts. In this case, Steven Chaney is has been finally  declared “actually innocent” and will receive $2.5 million for his decades in … Continue reading

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Forensics: Another court bypasses recanted expert testimony and agrees with a DA being “confused” about what junk forensics means.

Lets say again, that almost any excuse can be used by some courts to deny that junk forensic testimony should be a threshold for a successful request for a new trial. https://www.propublica.org/article/judge-in-joe-bryan-case-rejects-defense-pleas-for-new-trial

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Forensics: 1985 trial using junk bitemark evidence not a problem to another appellate court

(Image: the concept of worms causing dental decay) Yet another confirmation that the “rule of law” used in courts of review supersedes unspeakable injustice of failed expert testimony used to convict. This story indicates the prosecutors philosophy of “once convicted, … Continue reading

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Forensics: A good look at an expert’s advocacy. Admitted by some courts, but not all.

This story is about a MD who has a strange habit of giving opinion evidence in child abuse cases cloaked as sound science. Works for him. One court called him out on it. https://www.propublica.org/article/david-ayoub-an-anti-vaxxer-new-crusade

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Faulty Forensics Put Me on Death Row – VICE Video: Documentaries, Films, News Videos

Another look at bitemark “experts” running amok. Most people are introduced to forensic science through TV and film, and because of this we have come to see forensic techniques as foolproof methods for solving crimes. But many forensic science techniques … Continue reading

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