InfoAnda - FBI reviews cases where flawed evidence used

Pakistanis angry over detentions in Times Sq. case
Monday, May 24, 2010
ISLAMABAD – Relatives of three men detained by Pakistan for alleged links to the suspect in the attempted Times Square bombing say the men are innocent.
They

Taiwan denies boycotting Australian film festival
Thursday, August 6, 2009

AFP - Thursday, August 6TAIPEI (AFP) - - Taiwan's Beijing-friendly government on Wednesday denied boycotting an Australian film festival amid a row over the e

Merkel's support dips, regional ally resigns International
Thursday, September 3, 2009

By Sarah Marsh and Noah Barkin

BERLIN (Reuters) - Chancellor Angela Merkel suffered a double blow on Thursday as a senior party ally in east German

Minister seeks closure of anti-Berlusconi websites
Wednesday, December 16, 2009
ROME (AFP) - – The Italian government moved Tuesday to close down Internet sites encouraging further violence against Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, who

Asian markets mixed after Wall Street rally
Wednesday, March 18, 2009

By ELAINE KURTENBACH,AP Business Writer AP - Wednesday, March 18SHANGHAI - Asia's stock market rally seemed to be running out of steam Wednesday, despite an

Taliban threaten France with attacks: video | 17 November 2008
Afghan candidate wounded in grenade attack | 4 September 2010
NASA finds water on the moon | 14 November 2009

'Slumdog' kids get ready for a trip to the Oscars | 21 February 2009

Forum Views () Forum Replies ()

Read more with google mobile : FBI reviews cases where flawed evidence used

Yahoo! My Yahoo! Mail More Yahoo! Services Account Options New User? Sign Up Sign In Help Yahoo! Search web search Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Africa Europe Latin America Middle East North America FBI reviews cases where flawed evidence used By P. SOLOMON BANDA - Tuesday, January 19 Send IM Story Print DENVER – Three people convicted of murder have been released from prison because their cases were tainted by a now discredited theory that bullets found at a crime scene could be linked to bullets found in possession of suspects. Nearly five years after the FBI abandoned its so-called comparative bullet lead analysis, the FBI has yet to complete its review of nearly 2,500 cases where law enforcement used such evidence to investigate a case. So far, the agency has found 187 cases where so-called comparative bullet lead analysis evidence was not only used in the investigation, but came into play at trial where FBI experts provided testimony. It has notified prosecutors in those cases where testimony from its experts "exceeds the limits of the science and cannot be supported by the FBI," one agency letter says. At least three convictions _ that of a Colorado man who served 12 years in prison for a double slaying, a Florida man who served 10 years after being convicted of killing his wife, and an Oregon man convicted of a triple slaying _ have recently been overturned. All three men are now free. Comparative bullet lead analysis was based on the theory that lead bullets pick up trace elements such as copper, antimony, arsenic, bismuth and silver during manufacturing. When the soft metal is shaped into bullets and packaged, bullets in the same box would contain similar amounts of the trace elements, the theory went. FBI lab technicians compared bullet fragments from a crime scene with bullets possessed by suspects. If the trace elements closely matched, prosecutors _ backed by FBI testimony _ would argue the suspects' guilt. Defense attorneys say the analysis appeared to be a miracle of science: It required a small nuclear reactor, once housed at an FBI lab at the Hoover Building in Washington, D.C., and relied on the expertise of only a handful of qualified FBI agents. FBI experts wowed jurors by explaining how gamma rays, energy released from bombarding a bullet with neutrons, could be measured to make a match. "Sure, you have this whiz-bang, whipper-dipper machine that looks at all the elements of the universe, but it doesn't mean anything," said attorney Dave Wymore, a former director of the Colorado public defenders office who fought successfully to exclude such evidence in a triple-murder case and won an acquittal in 1999. The FBI began the tests in the mid-1960s. It quit in 2005, after the National Research Council of the National Academy of Science concluded that while its methods of measuring trace elements were sound, its conclusions were flawed. Millions of other bullets could contain trace elements in identical quantities, the council said. That rendered the FBI's box-by-box conclusions meaningless. FBI lab spokeswoman Ann Todd said the agency has reviewed about 2,000 cases and is waiting on information from prosecutors who may have used the bullet evidence at trial in the remaining 500 cases. In cases where an FBI expert testified, the agency is reviewing trial transcripts. Cases where a defendant pleaded guilty aren't being reviewed. In Colorado, attorneys for Tim Kennedy, convicted in 1997 for the double slaying in Colorado Springs, received an FBI letter in May 2008. The judge cited the discredited evidence, among other factors, in reversing Kennedy's conviction in April last year. He was freed in May. Kennedy's attorneys, John Dicke and Kathleen Carlson, said testimony by FBI bullet expert Ernest Roger Peele added an air of credibility to what they called a weak case. At first, investigators thought that the 1991 slayings of Steve Staskiewicz and his girlfriend, Jennifer Carpenter, were a contract "hit" to silence Carpenter, who was a victim and a witness in a sexual assault and kidnapping case. When investigators couldn't tie Kennedy to two people suspected of ordering the hit, prosecutors developed the theory that Kennedy was desperate for money to buy drugs and allegedly killed his friends inside their trailer. A gun owned by Kennedy was used in the slayings. Kennedy testified that he had lent Staskiewicz three of his guns. The defense conceded that the couple was killed by a gun and bullets belonging to Kennedy but argued he wasn't the killer. But jurors heard hours of testimony from the FBI's Peele, who said bullets recovered from the victims and bullets found in Kennedy's apartment were so identical that if they were "dropped on the floor, I couldn't tell which specimen they came from." "The FBI guy was the determining factor," Dicke said. "It was the air of overwhelming credibility. Even the judge was impressed." Peele, who conducted such tests for at least 15 years and testified in more than 150 cases, declined to comment when reached by The Associated Press. El Paso County prosecutors are appealing the judge's ruling. Dan Zook, who prosecuted the case, declined to comment, though at a May hearing he argued that other evidence against Kennedy was overwhelming, including lying to the police about why his gun was the murder weapon. Kennedy remains free on bail, while prosecutors appeal the reversal of his conviction. In Florida, Jimmy Ates was released from prison in December 2008 after serving 10 years for the 1991 murder of his wife, Norma Jean Ates, in Baker. While other evidence helped win his release, the use of comparative bullet lead analysis "was really the lynchpin to get that case back into court," said Seth Miller of the Innocence Project of Florida. A letter from the FBI was the determining factor in allowing Ates to reopen his case after he had exhausted his appeals. He is to be retried next year. The FBI has agreed to notify attorneys with the Innocence Project, along with prosecutors, of any suspect cases. Attorneys at the Chicago law firm of Winston & Strawn are helping ensure the defendants learn of the discredited evidence. "Somebody needs to be there to review those cases," said Miller, whose organization has received 24 letters from the FBI. "The reality is if you're an indigent person in prison, you may not even get that letter if it goes to the prosecutor." His group isn't taking action in 12 cases where it determined prosecutors have overwhelming evidence of guilt. "We're sort of taking one piece away and determining what it means," Miller said. "It's not always an easy calculus to figure out." James Colaw, the division chief of the Clay County state attorney's office who will retry Ates, cited the risk of manipulations of the FBI's sweeping review. "The analysis should be: Can we say that that evidence contributed to that conviction, and if that evidence was not used, would the outcome have been the same?" Colaw said. Philip Scott Cannon of Salem, Ore., was freed most recently, on Dec. 18 of last year, after serving more than 10 years in prison for the 1998 fatal shootings of Celesta Graves, 24, and Suzan Osborne and Jason Kinser, both 26. In that case, prosecutors hold out little hope that Cannon would be retried because exhibits from the trial could not be found. "Polk County (Oregon) totally screwed this thing up," Graves' sister, Jennifer Murdock of Salem, told the (Salem) Statesman Journal last month. "It's basically a bunch of crap that the families have to go through all this again." Recommend Send IM Story Print Related Articles Idaho-registered plane crashes in Oregon; 2 killed AP - 2 hours 3 minutes ago Chicago man apparently killed by daughter's dogs AP - 2 hours 21 minutes ago Haiti aid security boosted as looters swarm Reuters - 2 hours 22 minutes ago North Dakota city skips a day on new calendar AP - 2 hours 22 minutes ago Obama joins honors for slain civil rights leader AP - 2 hours 34 minutes ago News Search Top Stories Surrounded by thieves, father digs for precious US visa Luxembourg's Juncker returned as Eurogroup head Wall Street sell-off hits Asian shares Toyota to double global hybrid output: report Why coastal oil spills can pollute for decades: study More Top Stories » ADVERTISEMENT Most Popular Most Viewed Most Recommended Obama surprises Michelle with birthday dinner Saab drivers hit the road to support car brand Pope to visit Rome synagogue amid Jewish anger Why coastal oil spills can pollute for decades: study Obama's 1st yr marked by diplomacy, but few results More Most Viewed » Beat the blues by going to bed early: study Huge tomb found at Egypt's Saqqara pyramid Woman who saved Anne Frank's diary dead at 100 Scientists praise Obama as Doomsday clock reset More Most Recommended » Elsewhere on Yahoo! Financial news on Yahoo! Finance Stars and latest movies Best travel destinations More on Yahoo! News Home Singapore Asia Pacific World Business Entertainment Sports Technology Subscribe to our news feeds Top StoriesMy Yahoo!RSS » More news feeds | What are news feeds? Also on Yahoo Answers Groups Mail Messenger Mobile Travel Finance Movies Sports Games » All Yahoo! Services Site Highlights Singapore Full Coverage Most Popular Asia Entertainment Photos Copyright © 2010 Yahoo! Southeast Asia Pte. Ltd. (Co. Reg. No. 199700735D). All Rights Reserved. Terms of Service | Privacy Policy | Community | Intellectual Property Rights Policy | Help

Other News on Tuesday, 19 January 2010
Iran opposition urges protests on Revolution day
Ukraine hospital blast leaves 7 dead, 17 missing: officials
Google pledges cooperation with German competition probe
Wall Street sell-off hits Asian shares
Israeli PM holds historic joint cabinet meeting in Berlin
Yanukovich leads Tymoshenko in Ukraine polls
Iran hails UN indecision over further sanctions
US-TECH Summary
British tourist, several Egyptians killed in storms
Turkey blocking 3,700 websites, reform needed: OSCE
Movie Critic Roger Ebert Blasts Rush Limbaugh, Says He Should Be Horse-Whipped
UK High Court rules for Nokia vs IPCom
Iraq instructs lawyers to take on Blackwater cases
Germany warns Iran it faces new sanctions |
Gunmen kill 5 people at Baghdad aid office
ASML Q4 order book seen to signal tech rebound
Turk who shot Pope John Paul released from prison
Toronto 18 bomb plotter gets 12 years |
Handset market recovery in focus after weak 2009
Iraq instructs lawyers to take on Blackwater cases |
Moderate quake rocks Guatemala, Salvador; no damage |
Iraqis authorize government to sue Blackwater
Somali pirates free oil tanker for record ransom |
Iran city prosecutor assassinated: report |
Israel and Vatican negotiating over holy sites
UK High Court rules for Nokia vs IPCom
Major attacks in Afghanistan's capital
Taliban militants attack Afghan capital; 12 killed
Obama joins honors for slain civil rights leader
Lending a hand: Ways the Obamas have helped out
US soldier born in Haiti asks to leave Afghanistan
Apple to host event January 27, tablet expected |
Civil rights icon King remembered in hometown
Thai Cabinet replacements take oath of office
Sanctions 'must end' before nuclear talks: N.Korea
5 people shot to death in southeast Texas
Exxon tanker loses power at Prince William Sound
US man in Cambodia arrested on child porn charge
Calif. woman killed in Colo. heli-skiing accident
Militants kill anti-Taliban militiaman in Pakistan
FDA debates tougher cancer warning on tanning beds
Nepal hands over detained Tibetans to UN agency
Analysis: Campaign traits carry over to presidency
Rare bird's breeding ground found in Afghanistan
Montana governor does it his own way
FBI reviews cases where flawed evidence used
Japan Airlines deal talks 'going well': KLM
Golden Globes shines with TV audience boost
Stead, Pinkney win top children's book awards
Singer Billy Bragg to stop paying taxes over bank bonuses
Morocco's Berbers get their own TV channel
Golden Globe parties full of celebs, booze, rain
Country music hitmaker Carl Smith dies at 82
Cancer-stricken actor Dennis Hopper divorcing wife |
Singer Billy Bragg to stop paying taxes over bank bonuses |
Avatar passes $500 million at U.S. box office |
Midwives, Economists Forecast Baby Boom In U.K.
British Physicists Tie Light In Knots
U.K. Retailer Launches Gift List Registry For Newly Divorced People
Bangladeshi Farmers Can Open Bank Account With Only 14 Cents
Duck Hunters Trigger False Alarm At Texas Nuke Weapons Assembly Plant
Kabul on high alert after brazen Taliban strikes
Juncker bids to revamp eurozone governance
Haiti aid picks up, doctors fear disease risk |
LCD makers set for strong first half after Q4 slowdown
Prince William arrives in Australia
Venezuela seizes three banks, orders two closed
Pro-Russia rivals face-off in Ukraine presidential run-off
Afghan troops vital cog in anti-Taliban surge
Apple tablet computer expected at January 27 event
Kraft set to take over Cadbury after sweetened offer
Taliban reconciliation unlikely: Gates
In a first, Obama 'tweets' visit to aid center for Haiti
Babies pulled from the Haitian rubble
Jawbone makes talk pretty and smart
Obama's first State of the Union address set for January 27
Pakistani 'Al Qaeda' scientist trial begins in NY
Gates praises India restraint after Mumbai attacks |
Turkey should 'reform or abolish' Internet law: OSCE
Defiant Obama defends first White House year
Surrounded by thieves, father digs for precious US visa
Sony to sign deal with Simon Cowell: report
Apple to host event January 27, tablet expected |
Prince William lands in Australia for 3-day visit
LCD makers set for strong first half after Q4 slowdown |
Taiwan to consider canceling Haitian debt
Life sentence for ex-China Supreme Court justice
Obama to seek $1.35 billion more for education
Gates calls for closer defense ties to India
US, Japan mark 50 years since security pact signed
Report: More men get economic boost from marriage
Extreme cold affects millions in northwest China
Report: FBI illegally collected phone records
Bodies of China peacekeepers lost in Haiti return
Some evacuations lifted in Calif. as storm tapers
Taiwan-China likely to delay trade talks: official
Former gov backs Poizner in CA gubernatorial race
Top Chinese judge jailed for life for graft
Global minimum and maximum temperatures
NBA star Mutombo honored for deeds in native Congo
Portland man's body found in backyard sinkhole
Cancer-stricken Dennis Hopper divorcing wife
Depp says sexiest man title is a 'joke'
Lax Indian rules still problem after Satyam fraud
Japan Airlines bankruptcy filing expected Tuesday
Taiwan raises overnight rate to rein in liquidity
Universal Studios to build theme park in S.Korea
Asian stocks lackluster ahead of more US earnings
NBC chief defends role in late-night debacle |
Sony to sign deal with Simon Cowell: report
PAKISTAN
Australia: Qantas execs not focus of Vietnam probe
TV seen enjoying 2010, e-readers could struggle |
Major redevelopment for Australian Open unveiled
Obama's State of Union speech forces TV shuffle |
Leno anticipates return to 11:30, lauds O'Brien
Seoul shares rise helped by banks; gains limited
Obama's State of Union speech forces TV shuffle
Sony to sign deal with Simon Cowell: report |
Japan Airlines set for bankruptcy filing
Clean, green cycling emerges from doping era
Obama's Popularity Slips But African Americans Still Supportive
"Country Gentleman" Carl Smith dies, age 82
Technology Enables Record Haiti Donations Via Mobile Giving
Cancer-stricken Dennis Hopper divorcing wife |
Cancer-stricken Dennis Hopper divorcing wife
Election Watchdog Groups Fearful Of Electronic Voting Fraud In Massachusetts Senate Election
Country Gentleman Carl Smith dies, age 82 |
Small Plane Crashes In Iowa; 1 Wounded
TV seen enjoying 2010, e-readers could struggle
Seattle Middle School Suspends Students For Alleged Cyberbullying
Former Sen. Norm Coleman Won't Run For Minnesota Governor
Hunt for Russia's famed Amber Room leads to Nazi bunker
FDA Will Not Regulate BPA For Now
Depp says sexiest man title is a 'joke'
Family Of Five Found Dead In Texas Home
Israeli soldier discharged over protest sign
Google postpones Android phone launch in China
Cadbury melts into Kraft with $19bln takeover
China urges flexibility on Iran, downplays sanctions |
Google probing possible inside help on attack
Yemen Shi'ite rebel leader alive but wounded |
Iran police say public help in arresting "rioters"
Pakistan blocks agenda at U.N. disarmament conference |
Taliban attack shows tactical skill, military limits |
Iran welcomes West's new 'realism' on nuclear drive
Iran says arrests 4 suspects in prosecutor's killing |
Iraq instructs lawyers to take on Blackwater cases |
Nearly 150 dead in clashes in Nigerian city |
Iran leader warns opposition ahead of revolution day |
Cuba political prisoner tally drops in 2009 |
Google postpones cellphone launch in China |
China says Google no exception to the law |
War refugees struggle to rebuild in Sri Lanka
Pakistani soldier killed in Indian firing
New York Times may charge for online content: report |
Vietnam to try democracy activists for subversion
Vietnam sentences 6 drug traffickers to death
Reputed al-Qaida supporter faces NYC trial
Google probing possible inside help on attack |
Asian businessmen urged to protect Coral Triangle
Taiwan's top prosecutor resigns over scandal
Saving delta is at core of new Calif. water policy
Koreas hold 'serious' talks amid North's threats
China urges flexibility on Iran
Pakistan TV station's reporters attacked
Obama to visit Virginia elementary school
Death sentence sought for former anti-graft chief
Victim to speak `from the grave' in Peterson case
The nation's weather
Same-sex marriage judge dealt with other gay cases
For La. Haitians, earthquake rekindles terror
INSIDE WASHINGTON: Secret bill-writing on the rise
Pakistani rupee weakens further; stocks post gains
Asia shares mixed on Japan Airlines bankruptcy news
Google postpones mobile phone launch in China
China calls for stronger trade ties with India
China tells Google to obey laws after exit threat
France's Carrefour set for India breakthrough
Pakistani July-Dec c/a deficit narrows to $1.758 bln
S.Korea eyes record $12b resource spending in '10
Avatar unlikely to match Titanic Oscar haul |
Leno gives his side as O'Brien's exit deal delayed |
FACTBOX-South Korea M&A deals in the pipeline
Simon Cowell, Sony sign new TV, music, film deal |
U.S. Military Begins Airdropping Of Food To Quake Ravaged Haiti
New Jersey Poised To Swear In New Republican Governor
Connecticut Sues Health Net For Data Breach Involving 446,000 Patients
Firearm Scope Maker's Bible Verses On Products Used By Military Ignite Controversy
Susan Boyle snubbed, gets no Brit Award nomination
More Than 860,000 Pounds Of California Ground Beef Recalled
Female artists lead Brit Award nominees
Michelle Obama figure shown at London wax museum
US Officials Update On Rescue Efforts In Haiti But Questions Remain
US-ENTERTAINMENT Summary
Leno gives his side as O'Brien's exit deal delayed
NYC judge to rule on tossing Letterman extort case
Paris symbol of Jewish life reopens as jeans shop
"Avatar" unlikely to match "Titanic" Oscar haul
Pakistan's female squash player defies tradition
Beijing chocolate theme park set to open
Greece at new risk of being pushed off euro
Bodies of missing Tenn. mom, Jo Ann Bain, and daughter found
Female Breasts Are Bigger Than Ever
AMD Trinity Accelerated Processing Units Now in Volume Production
The Avengers (2012 film), made the second biggest opening- and single-day gross of all-time
AMD to Start Production of piledriver
Ivy Bridge Quad-Core, Four-Thread Desktop CPUs
Islamists Protest Lady Gaga's Concert in Indonesia
Japan Successfully Broadcasts an 8K Signal Over the Air
ECB boosts loans to 1 trillion Euro to stop credit crunch
Egypt : Mohammed Morsi won with 52 percent
What do you call 100,000 Frenchmen with their hands up
AMD Launches AMD Embedded R-Series APU Platform
Fed Should not Ignore Emerging Market Crisis
Fed casts shadow over India, emerging markets
Why are Chinese tourists so rude? A few insights

USD EUR - 1 year graph		BlogMeter 1.01