Evidence

200 Text Messages to be Released in Detroit Obstruction Case

A Michigan appeals court has declined to block the release of some 200 text messages at the heart of a criminal case against former Detroit Mayor Kwame Kilpatrick’s ex-chief of staff. Judge Timothy Kenny intends to keep some of the messages under seal because they involve communications between the parties…

Oct 22, 2008 9:58 PM CDT

LAPD Report IDs Faulty Fingerprint Work; Lawyers Seek Audit

In at least two cases, faulty fingerprint work by the Los Angeles Police Department has apparently pointed to the wrong suspects, and charges were dropped, according to a confidential internal report. But “LAPD officials do not know how many other people might have been wrongly accused over the years as…

Oct 17, 2008 11:32 PM CDT

MRI May Show Nothing, Even If Patient is Injured

Just because an MRI shows nothing wrong doesn’t mean the test is right. So patients who are in significant pain should seek a second opinion regardless of whether an initial magnetic resonance imaging test indicates they are fine, physicians tell the New York Times in an article that should be…

Oct 14, 2008 10:32 PM CDT

Mom Charged With Murder in Case of Missing Florida Toddler

Following months of investigation in a much-publicized case of a missing Florida toddler, a grand jury has indicted her mother in a first-degree murder case. Casey Anthony, 22, also was charged with aggravated child abuse, aggravated manslaughter and providing false information to law enforcement in the indictment unsealed today, reports…

Oct 14, 2008 9:37 PM CDT

Faulty Eyewitness IDs, Flawed Procedures Helped Convict the Innocent

Faulty eyewitness identifications, often encouraged by flawed police procedures, were the reason why 18 of 19 men cleared by DNA evidence since 2001 were initially convicted in Dallas County, Texas, of crimes that they didn’t commit. Although the county has led the nation in the number of defendants exonerated by…

Oct 13, 2008 5:14 PM CDT

Judge Tosses Blonde’s Suit Claiming Wrong Hair Dye Ruined her Social Life

A Connecticut judge has refused to get tangled up in a woman’s suit claiming a switched tube of hair dye turned her blonde hair brown, wreaking havoc on her social life. Judge Richard Gilardi of Bridgeport said the root of the problem with the lawsuit was a lack of evidence…

Oct 8, 2008 5:24 PM CDT

Public Appeal & Engineer’s Work Diary Lead to Dig for 16-Year-Old’s Body

Some 40 years after a now-dead child serial killer admittedly stabbed a 16-year-old neighbor boy to death, authorities today are expected to begin excavating the Southern California site where they believe he buried the body of Roger Dale Madison. It is near a freeway, and, authorities now believe, Mack Ray…

Oct 6, 2008 5:03 PM CDT

Canadian Judge Castigates Pathologist; Money Pledged to Wrongfully Convicted

Officials in Ontario, Canada, promised compensation to wrongfully convicted criminal defendants today after a judge commissioned by the government to investigate a pediatric pathologist castigated Dr. Charles Smith in a written report. Despite being proclaimed as a leading expert, Smith actually knew little, had sloppy work practices and rarely visited…

Oct 1, 2008 8:40 PM CDT

2 Ga. Lawyers Testify: What Happened the Day When Judge Barnes Was Murdered

It seemed like a routine court hearing. Everyone was in a good mood, and Georgia Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes had just made one of his trademark jokes. But when a man in a business suit stepped up behind Barnes, seeming to be a staffer about to hand something to…

Sep 30, 2008 5:30 PM CDT

Judge Rebukes Prosecutors in Stevens Gift-Giving Case

The federal judge overseeing the gift-giving case against Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, angrily rebuked the Justice Department for mishandling a witness. U.S. District Judge Emmet Sullivan didn’t go so far as to declare a mistrial, but he was upset that prosecutors sent a key witness back to Alaska, giving the…

Sep 29, 2008 5:15 AM CDT

Detroit Shutters Crime Lab with ‘Absolutely Shocking’ Error Rate

A Michigan State Police audit released Thursday reportedly exposed extensive problems with the Detroit Police firearms lab and prompted officials there to shutter the entire crime lab. State police began their evaluation of the lab in June after firearms evidence in a case was found to be tainted. The problems,…

Sep 26, 2008 3:54 PM CDT

E-mail to Play Key Role in Trial of Sen. Stevens

Testimony began Thursday in the case against Sen. Ted Stevens, R-Alaska, the first such trial against a sitting senator in more than 20 years. Stevens’s lawyer, Brendan Sullivan, opened by saying that the 84-year-old Stevens didn’t lie on his financial disclosure forms, is an honest man and didn’t intentionally violate…

Sep 26, 2008 3:01 PM CDT

Pa. High Court: Reporter Can Shield Grand Jury Sources

Citing Pennsylvania’s Shield Law, the state supreme court ruled 4-1 that a Scranton Times-Tribune reporter doesn’t have to reveal the identity of a confidential source used in a story about a grand jury investigation of prison brutality. The underlying case involves a 2004 story in which then Times-Tribune reporter Jennifer…

Sep 26, 2008 11:34 AM CDT

No Withdrawal for Lawyer ‘Fronting’ $20K in Expert Fees

A state judge in New York has rebuffed attempts by a lawyer who asked to withdraw as a family’s counsel in a wrongful death case because he doesn’t think it’s his responsibility to front $20,000 in fees for expert witnesses needed for trial. Indeed, Court of Claims Judge Stephen J.…

Sep 26, 2008 11:05 AM CDT

Sodomizing a Sheep Doesn’t Put Perp on Michigan Sex Offender List

Despite a trend toward recognizing limited animal rights on the estate planning front, a Michigan appeals court has taken a traditional view of the law concerning a man convicted of sodomizing a sheep. Jeffrey Scott Haynes, 45, a habitual offender who is serving a 2½- to 20-year prison term for…

Sep 25, 2008 6:54 PM CDT