We’re now half-way through the Casey Anthony trial. That is, the prosecution is about to rest its case and, beginning in the next day or so, the defense will begin presenting its case. The testimony has been fascinating. It’s included statements and photographs from forensic experts, and even video recordings of the accused in jail. …
This month two news items presented a stunning contrast in the world of crime and punishment. In Ohio, USA, Johnnie Baston became the first person in the United States to be executed with the single-dose drug pentobarbital. Most lethal-injection executions are performed using the drug sodium thiopental, but faced with a nationwide shortage the country …
On his last day in office, outgoing New Mexico Governor Bill Richardson has captured news headlines by deciding not to issue a pardon for Billy the Kid. Richardson made the news earlier by reporting that he was reviewing the matter and that he may indeed grant a posthumous pardon to the 21 year-old outlaw. Billy …
On December 7, 2000, Claude Jones was executed for the liquor store murder of Allen Hilzendager. Jones’ conviction was based largely on two pieces of evidence: the testimony of one of Jones’ co-defendants, Timothy Mark Jordan, and microscopic analysis of a small hair found on the store counter near Hilzendager’s body. There were at least …
How much is freedom worth? This past month, two men found out. In Ontario, Canada, William Mullins-Johnson spent 12 years in prison for the rape and murder of his niece, based largely on the testimony of forensic pathologist Dr. Charles Smith. After irregularities were found in many of Smith’s reports, an investigation was launched that …