Science Thursday – August 23, 2012

08.23.12

An Indiana woman convicted of murder based on arson evidence receives a new trial, a panel of exonerees speak about forensic flaws at a conference in Philadelphia, and laboratory issues in North Carolina and Minnesota affect criminal cases. Here’s this week’s round up of forensic news:

 

Kristine Bunch, of Indiana, was

released from prison

and has been granted a new trial after serving 16 years. Her conviction for the murder of her three-year-old son was reversed because the arson evidence critical to her conviction has been discredited.

 

Innocence Project Co-Director Peter Neufeld called on the American Chemical Society to

help prevent wrongful convictions

based on faulty forensics at a recent conference in Philadelphia. He was joined by three exonerees who spent years in prison for crimes they didn’t commit.

 

North Carolina prosecutors

dropped a DWI case

because a former state crime lab analyst refused to accept a subpoena to testify.

 

Senior officials at the St. Paul Police Department

are demanding answers

for the drug unit’s failure.

Leave a Reply

Thank you for visiting us. You can learn more about how we consider cases here. Please avoid sharing any personal information in the comments below and join us in making this a hate-speech free and safe space for everyone.

This field is required.
This field is required.
This field is required.