Friday, February 19, 2016

Bulletin: Bite mark evidence: (2): Steven Chaney case: (Texas); Star-Telegram supports moratorium recommended by The Texas Forensic Science Commission in an editorial headed..." Bite mark analysis has lost its teeth"..."Bite mark analysis was brought to the commission’s attention after Steven Chaney was exonerated for a 1987 murder. Although he claimed innocence and had several alibi witnesses, a bite mark on the victim’s arm and two forensic dentists’ testimonies helped convince the jury otherwise. He served 28 years before being freed last fall. The Innocence Project submitted a complaint to the commission, which spent six months investigating it with panel of forensic dentists. The conclusion mirrored a National Research Council 2009 report, which says “no thorough study has been conducted of large populations,” and there’s no “existing scientific basis” on bite mark analysis. The commission’s sound recommendation will create better conviction integrity in criminal cases — if courts listen."



Read more here: http://www.star-telegram.com/opinion/editorials/article60722776.html#storylink=cpy