Serial’s Adnan Syed Files Motion for Bail Pending Appeal

Serial Podcast

Adnan Syed was granted a new trial on the ground that he received ineffective counsel in 2000 from a defense attorney who failed to cross-examine a state cellphone expert witness on key evidence. His counsel has now filed a motion for bail pending his appeal. Syed’s Conviction In 2000, Adnan Syed was convicted of the […]

Sanctions Reversed Against Florida Expert Who Made Mistake in Affidavit

Mallet and Florida Flag

A Florida jury found James Clark guilty of causing the death of an 85-year-old woman while driving after drinking. Frank Fore, an accident reconstruction expert, was hired to help Clark’s lawyer overturn the manslaughter DUI conviction. In support of the lawyer’s challenge to the conviction, Fore prepared an affidavit expressing the expert opinion that Clark […]

DWI Forensic Expert Accused of Perjury and Mixing Up Results

test tubes with blood on a tray

Christopher Youngkin, a forensic analyst in Texas, has been accused of perjury and mixing up lab test results. Youngkin is one of the leading forensic analysts for the Department of Public Safety in Garland, Texas. The lab where Youngkin works is responsible for blood alcohol content testing and other tests in seven counties in Texas: […]

Expert Faults Police Interrogation Tactics in Newborn Murder Trial

Baby feet

A 15-year-old girl charged with murdering her newborn in California relied on an expert witness to cast doubt on the reliability of her confession. The expert questioned police interrogation tactics that have been shown to produce false confessions. Because the accused is a juvenile, press accounts refer to her as “Maribel S.” Her first-degree murder […]

Michigan Criminal Trials Highlight Expert Dispute over Shaken Baby Syndrome

Michigan Criminal Trials Highlight Expert Dispute over Shaken Baby Syndrome

Two Michigan men accused of killing infants have consulted expert witnesses to dispute allegations that the children died from Shaken Baby Syndrome. The cases, which have gone to trial, will serve as a critique of Shaken Baby Syndrome with both sides presenting experts to debate not only whether or not the condition explains the deaths, […]

Scholar Examines Whether Police Officers Are Helpful to Juries As Expert Witnesses

Policeman standing with crossed arms

Anna Lvovsky examines  the origins and scope of the judicial presumption of police expertise for the Harvard Law Review. History of Police Expertise in Courts Lvovsky asserts that the idea of a police officer as an expert developed out of the police professionalization movement, which gained prominence in the 1950s. Trial court judges began to welcome […]

Supreme Court to Rule on Case Where Expert Testified that Race Predicts Violence

Supreme Court Building in DC

The Supreme Court had heard oral argument in the case of Duane Buck, a Texas murderer who was convicted after an expert witness testified that he was more dangerous because he was black. The Conviction Duane Buck was convicted of the murder of his girlfriend, Debra Gardner, and a man he believed she was having […]

Senior Criminalist Angela Stroman Gave Testimony in DUI Case

Don't drink and drive concept. Close up of man hand drinking beer and holding car keys. Responsibly and safety driving

Senior Criminalist Angela Stroman gave testimony about blood alcohol levels in a DUI trial against Michael Matthew Montoya in Yolo County, California. The Crash Michael Matthew Montoya was celebrating Davis’ Picnic Day 2015. He consumed 6 beers at the event and drove away in a black Honda that he later crashed. Montoya told Yolo County […]