New Jersey Abolishes Death Penalty

The recent spate of overturned murder convictions in the U.S. (the Innocence Project has reported 18 this year alone) has apparently led some jurisdictions to reconsider their capital punishment policies. One, the state of New Jersey, lead by Governor Jon Corzine, has abolished the death penalty and commuted the death sentences of eight men to …

Pathologist’s Conclusions “Ridiculous”

In the 1990s Doctor Charles Smith was a leading expert in forensic pediatric pathology, until many of his findings were called into question. In reviewing his cases, his colleagues have described some of his conclusions as “ridiculous.” In a SIDS (sudden infant death syndrome) case Smith suspected the parents of criminal activity, but offered no …

How Much Should The Jury Be Told?

There were so many missing women, most of them drug addicts and prostitutes, in and around Vancouver, B.C. that the police formed a Missing Women Task Force. Eventually their investigation led to the arrest, trial, and conviction of a man who may be Canada’s worst serial killer, Robert Pickton. Last week, Pickton was convicted of …

Pickton Gets Life

Robert Pickton has been sentenced to the maximum term possible for his second-degree murder convictions in the deaths of six women: life in prison with no chance of parole for 25 years. The 58-year old still faces an additional 20 murder charges. However, considering the expense and length of his first trial on six charges …

Second-Degree Murder Convictions For Pickton

Robert Pickton was today found guilty on six charges of second-degree murder in a courtroom in New Westminster, B.C. However, he was found not guilty on six charges of first-degree murder. In a move that Pickton’s defense attorneys said denied their client of a fair trial, Judge James William revised his instructions to the jury …