PUBLISHER'S NOTE: U.S. investigative journalist Radley Balko has exposed numerous miscarriages of justice. He identified serious flaws in the Jeffrey Havard case - including the opinion of medical examiner Steven Hayne - back in 2008.
STORY: "Mississippi Supreme Court denies Jeffrey Havard" by Radley Balko published in "Reason" on May 30, 2008.
GIST: During his trial Havard asked the court for funding to hire his own expert to review Hayne’s autopsy. The court turned him down, ruling that Dr. Hayne, with his thousands of appearances in Mississippi’s courts was sufficient. After Havard’s trial and conviction, Mississippi’s post-conviction relief office was able to get former Alabama state medical examiner Dr. Jim Lauridson to review Hayne’s work. Not surprisingly, Lauridson found it lacking. Hayne and several hospital workers testified at trial that the baby’s anus was dilated, indicating sexual abuse. Lauridson reviewed Hayne’s autopsy report and photos, and concluded that the evidence didn't support Hayne’s conclusion. The anus wasn’t torn or lacerated, and Lauridson says it can often dilate naturally in such cases. Lauridson also noted that hospital staff had inserted a thermometer into the child’s rectum in the frenzy to revive her. Tests showed no trace of Havard’s DNA in or on the child."
THE ENTIRE POST CAN BE FOUND AT:
http://reason.com/blog/2008/05/30/mississippi-supreme-court-deni
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: The Toronto Star, my
previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put
considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith
and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic
pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses
on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at:
http://www.blogger.com/post-edit.g?blogID=120008354894645705&postID=6408887284438140301
Information on "The Charles Smith Blog Award"- and its nomination process - can be found at:
http://smithforensic.blogspot.com/2011/05/charles-smith-blog-award-nominations.html
Harold Levy: Publisher; The Charles Smith Blog; hlevy15@gmail.com;
