The State of Connecticut has settled with the Lapointe Family for nearly $5.9 million. Richard Lapointe was wrongfully convicted and incarcerated for the rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. In 1992, Richard A. Lapointe was sentenced to life plus 60 years for the 1987 rape-murder of Mrs. Bernice Martin. Lapointe had Dandy walker Syndrome and was physically […]
Wrongful Convictions
Adam Gray: exonerated and awarded $27 million
I told you to watch the case of Adam Gray. The same flawed and overhauled technology used in forensic arson detection that resulted in Cameron Todd Willingham’s death sentence and that bears eerie similarities to Kenneth Richey’s case, moved a federal jury to award Adam Gray $27 million. Wrongfully convicted, Adam served 24 years in […]
Junk Science by M. Chris Fabricant
If you love to read about Forensic Sciences then this book by M. Chris Fabricant should be on your list. A variety of junk sciences are discussed and how they are slowly weeded out. The essence of Fabricant’s book is this: Can scientific evidence overturn legal precedent? It seemed insurmountable at one point and once the […]
Four Shots in Oskie by Justin Wingerter
From the moment I held the book ‘Four Shots in Oskie’ by Justin Wingerter in my hands, the word unassuming started to flutter around in my brain. Like the sound of rustling leaves on a windy fall day, the sound popped up in various degrees of loudness, often just a whisper, to never really leave. […]
Zeigler, at long last: DNA testing
A motion was filed today by the William Thomas Zeigler defense team with the approval of the Orange County State Attorney’s office for DNA testing. It still needs a judge’s approval however, these joint motions are seldom denied. But, as we have been asking for DNA testing since 1994, I will not be able to […]
Wrongful Convictions
In January 2021 the ABA Journal published an article called ‘Reckoning with Wrongful Convictions: Lessons Learned from an Examination of 25 Wrongful Convictions in Brooklyn, New York‘ written by Brooklyn District Attorney Eric Gonzalez. In the above-mentioned article, DA Gonzalez summarizes the report “426 Years: An Examination of 25 Wrongful Convictions in Brooklyn, New York.” That […]
Rest in Peace, Richard Lapointe
Richard Lapointe (Oct. 18, 1945 – Aug. 4, 2020) died of corona virus complications. “He eventually tested negative for the virus, but could not outlive its complications.” Richard was born with Dandy Walker syndrome. This syndrome causes a malformation of the head. Fluids build up and place pressure on the brain. It is a hereditary […]
Louise Raney Keko (Aug 18, 1938 – Aug 4, 1991)
The case of Louise Raney Keko (Aug 18, 1938 – Aug 4, 1991) is still unsolved. For obvious reasons, she is the case of the Month for August. UPDATE: I received the picture you see here on the left from the family with permission to use on this post. Thank you! ** I came across […]
Zeigler: moral right denied
The Tampa Bay Times reports that the Florida State Attorney Aramis Ayala has rejected the appeal made on behalf of William Thomas Zeigler to have his pre-trial evidence from the 70s tested with modern DNA technology. Ayala denied this request “even though her conviction integrity unit urged her in April to grant it, saying it […]
Kristina S. Hickey (1969 – 1984)
Introduction Kristina S. Hickey (1969 – 1984) was murdered in Park Forest, Illinois, 1984. She was 15 years old and still in high school. On January 15, 1987, Christopher Abernathy was convicted for Kristina’s murder. On February 11, 2015, after 30 years of incarceration, Abernathy was exonerated by DNA and set free. But who killed […]