A Colorado man who has insisted on his innocence for 30 years will get a new trial because the forensic analyst’s testimony in his trial is no longer supported by scientific evidence. In order for someone to offer an expert opinion in court, the judge must be...
violent crimes
A Texas death row inmate was convicted on a ‘false’ DNA test
Can DNA evidence be wrong? You bet. Although it is a sophisticated science, it is still performed by human beings. Sometimes, people make mistakes – and some people make more mistakes than others. At issue is a Texas crime lab that “so consistently and egregiously...
Eyewitness testimony is frequently unreliable
You might not think six eyewitnesses could all be wrong, but they were. The case was a 2010 murder. A man named Aaron Scheerhoorn was stabbed to death outside a nightclub in Houston. A crowd gathered, and six people told detectives that Lydell Grant was the murderer....
Philadelphia’s reform prosecutor moves against over-charging
Despite the obvious momentum for criminal justice reform demonstrated in the recent election and the potential passage of the First Step Act, many prosecutors around the country continue to engage in harsh, "tough on crime" tactics. One exception who bears watching is...
Sixth Amendment right trumps dead woman’s letter accusing husband
A Wisconsin judge ruled that a man was not correctly tried when he was convicted of killing his wife on the strength of a letter she wrote to a neighbor. The widower was sent to prison for life in 2008 for the poisoning homicide, which seemed to be the fate his wife...
WI lawmakers seek compensation increase for wrongful convictions
DNA evidence has become crucial in helping Wisconsin's law enforcement agencies solve violent crimes. Wisconsin's criminal DNA database has reduced the likelihood of wrongful convictions and has also helped exonerate some wrongfully convicted individuals who have...
Milwaukee man faces homicide charge after alleged stabbing
A first-degree homicide charge may be considered the most serious criminal offense, and it carries with it the most severe and harshest penalties. If convicted, a defendant's life and the lives of their loved ones may be forever changed. Defendants facing this serious...
Search of Green Bay home leads to arrests related to death
A homicide charge against a person is one of the most severe in criminal law. To be arrested for homicide, or any other criminal charge, the police must have probable cause, a legal requirement of sufficient reason from the facts and circumstances of the situation,...