Crime, Science, and Information

In this interview, Dr. Wecht talks about his latest book, A Question of Murder.  In it, he reveals details of the deaths of Anna Nicole Smith, Daniel Smith, Stephanie Crowe, Danielle van Dam, and the hospital deaths after Katrina.  Dr. Wecht was directly involved in each of these cases.  In this interview, he offers his first hand knowledge, including startling information about the investigation into the hospital deaths post Katrina.

Dr. Wecht has served as a medical-legal and forensic pathology consultant in civil and criminal cases since 1962. He has been consulted by both plaintiffs' and defense attorneys in civil cases, and by both prosecutors and defense attorneys in criminal cases in jurisdictions throughout the United States and abroad.

Please join me for this fascinating interview with Dr. Cyril Wecht. 

To enter to win a copy of Dr. Wecht's book, A Question of Murder, please go to www.christinefunk.net.

Max Houck, formerly with the FBI, currently teaches in the Forensic and Investigative Sciences Program and the Division of Sociology and Anthropology at West Virginia University. His research has appeared in publications such as the Forensic Science Review, Computers and Security, Law Enforcement Technology, Forensic Science International, Forensic Science Communications, Journal of Forensic Sciences, Journal of the Canadian Society of Forensic Sciences and Microscopy Today.

While at the FBI, Max worked in the trace evidence unit, examining hair, fiber, fabric and ropes.  He shares his experiences and his knowledge in this fascinating area of forensic science.

 
What is the role of organization in creating forensic science errors?
 
Roger Koppl is a Professor of Economics and Finance in the Silberman College of Business and Director of the Institute for Forensic Science Administration at Fairleigh Dickinson University. His main research area is forensic science administration, which is the study of how error rates in forensic science may be affected by institutional and organizational structures. You can read his recent paper,  Organization Economics Explains Many Forensic Science Errors in the Journal of Institutional Economics here: http://journals.cambridge.org/action/displayFulltext?type=1&fid=7119372&jid=JOI&volumeId=6&issueId=01&aid=7119364 
 
Koppl’s work makes a theoretically grounded link between the architecture of organization and the incidence error.  It brings the economic point of view to the problem of forensic science errors.
 
In this interview, we discuss various ways errors can occur in the forensic science laboratory, and the steps labs can take to reduce them.

Please join me for a fascinating interview with Dr. Katherine Ramsland. You will learn what every lawyer should know about human psychology and how jurors process information.

Dr. Katherine Ramsland has a master's degree in forensic psychology from John Jay College of Criminal Justice, a Ph.D. in philosophy from Rutgers University and a master's in clinical psychology for Duquesne University. She is a professor of forensic psychology at DeSales University.

Dr. Ramsland joins us to talk about how jurors subconsciously process information and how they come to their verdicts – it’s not as straight forward as you might think! Every lawyer who tries cases to juries should listen to this valuable interview.

You can register for a chance to win a free autographed copy of her latest book, "The Forensic Psychology of Criminal Minds" at www.christinefunk.net.

You can learn more about Dr. Ramsland, her other books, and her work, at http://www.katherineramsland.com/main.html

Dr. Michael Welner explains how he began his investigation as to the competence of David Mitchell, alleged kidnapper of Elizabeth Smart. "All forensics is local," says Dr. Welner. "And the local feature of this case was the language of Mitchell in his religion and how that spoke to how rational his thinking was, what inspired his religious path, and the context that shaped him." As such, in order to understand David Mitchell, Dr. Welner first had to understand Mormon origins, and more importantly, the fundamentalist sects that are off-shoots of LDS. Dr. Welner talks about his exploration of these little known communities, that are intentionally 'off the grid,' in this interview.

Michael Welner, M.D. has been chosen to be the principal forensic psychiatrist in some of America’s most sensitive litigation in recent years, particularly in highly complex cases and frontier issues. After establishing himself as a clinician specializing in working with patients who had failed to respond to treatment, Dr. Welner became known for his unusual capacity for finding answers to elusive forensic mysteries. Board Certified in four disciplines, and an Associate Professor of Psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine, Dr. Welner has defined by example the application of the cutting edge of science to forensic practice. His case experience has spanned the range of criminal, civil, employment, and securities law. Through careful investigation and detail-oriented interviewing, Dr. Welner has embodied diligence and objectivity as the staple of the forensic examination.

Dr. Welner is the chairman of The Forensic Panel http://www.forensicpanel.com/.  He is currently studying how the Death Penalty is meted out in the United States.   You can assist in his research by participating in a survey on depravity here:  https://depravityscale.org/depscale/

You can read the Judge's ruling in the Mitchell case here: http://forensicpanel.com/data/Unsorted/Memorandum_Decision.pdf

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John Lentini, Arson Expert, speaks of his experience investigating fires, in the crime lab and in the field.  He discusses common misperceptions about 'Arson evidence,' including evidence that led to the conviction of Ernest Willis and the conviction and execution of Cameron Todd Willingham.

You can read more about the investigation into the Willis and Willingham cases here: 

http://www.innocenceproject.org/docs/ArsonReviewReport.pdf

You can watch Mr. Willingham's attorney explain his thought process about the case here: 

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PMSCIGGLj0s

Listen to John Lentini for an explanation as to why Mr. Martin's experiment was fundamentally unsound. 

Enjoy!

Christine Funk