🎉 Excitement is in the air! Get ready to be part of something extraordinary at Investigating Innocence, Inc.'s Bloodstain Pattern Analysis (BPA): In the Courtroom CLE. It's an event like no other, and we want you to be there! 🎉Every registration to this event will bring us closer to achieving our mission. Together, we can create a brighter, more compassionate world for all.Thank you for supporting our mission, your support is invaluable.Program DescriptionThe first use of bloodstain pattern analysis (BPA) in an American courtroom occurred in 1966, in the case of Dr. Sam Sheppard, an innocent man wrongfully convicted of killing his wife, that inspired the TV show The Fugitive. Forensic Scientist Dr. Paul Kirk’s analysis of cast-off stains at the crime scene became an influential part of the case’s forensic history and the exoneration of Dr. Sheppard. The BPA profession was firmly established in 1971 by Herb Macdonell, who wrote a textbook for characterizing blood stain patterns, called Flight Characteristics and Stain Patterns of Human Blood. Macdonell was critical of those in the profession who went beyond the bounds of what could be supported by science, resulting in the conviction of many innocent people, including Joe Bryan, David Camm and Julie Rea, whose cases will be featured in this first Wrongful Conviction Lecture Series sponsored by Investigating Innocence, a national organization of private investigators devoted to freeing innocent people from prison. Since that report was issued, the BPA profession adopted more rigorous standards, including the adoption of the scientific method. But for those maintaining their innocence, such as Darlie Routier, those standards came too late. This conference will take a critical look at the BPA testimony that convicted her more than 30 years ago, with a fresh set of eyes looking at her case, in light of these new standards. 8:00 A.M. Introduction to BPA and the evolving science. Presenter, UNT Biology Professor Angela Tanzillo-Swarts, Program Moderator A professor in the Biology Department at the University of North Texas in Denton, Angela teaches forensic molecular biology and biomedical criminalistics. Her degrees include Master of Science in Pharmacy, University of Florida in Gainesville and a Bachelor of Science in Zoology, University of Texas at Austin. She has 24 years of experience in forensic science and is an expert in forensic DNA and bloodstain pattern analysis. In 2020, she was awarded an Honorary MBE for her services to the COVID response in the Cayman Islands by the Queen of England and was inducted as a Member of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire. Angela is the Host/Creator of the science education podcast “Secrets from the Crime Lab”.8:20 A.M. - The Julie Rea case. Presenter, Bill Clutter, Investigating Innocence, National Director of Investigations. In 1997, Julie Rea’s 10-year-old son, Joel, was brutally stabbed to death in the middle of the night in Lawrenceville, Illinois. Three years after the crime, accused by her ex-husband of killing her son, a special prosecutor was appointed, resulting in a modern-day witch hunt. Rod Englert was hired by prosecutors and provided probable cause to arrest Julie based on his analysis of bloodstain patterns that he characterized as cast-off stains on the mother’s nightshirt, which he concluded was caused by mother wielding the knife that was taken from the kitchen. Bill Clutter’s post-conviction investigation convinced Texas Ranger John Allen that the crime was committed by a notorious serial killer, Tommy Lynn Sells, who was executed by the State of Texas in 2014. Julie Rea was freed from prison after serving three years of a 65-year sentence and subsequently received a Certificate of Innocence. In 2018, her story was told by award winning journalist Pamala Colloff, writing for ProPublica in partnership with The New York Times Magazine. Bill Clutter bioA licensed private investigator, in 1998, Bill Clutter was among the speakers who presented at the historic National Conference on Wrongful Convictions and the Death Penalty at Northwestern Law School in Chicago. That event became the catalyst for the creation of the Illinois Innocence Project, which he started more than a quarter century ago. His investigation of two capital cases helped exonerate three men who were wrongfully convicted and given death sentences. He was recognized for that work by the Chicago Tribune when Illinois abolished the death penalty in 2011. Also, that year, Bill received his 40-Hour training as a blood stain analyst from Bevel, Gardner & Associates. He has been court qualified as an expert in crime scene analysis.9:20 A.M. Ten-minute break9:30 A.M. The case of Joe Bryan. Presenter, Celestina Rossi, Senior Crime Scene Investigator with an introduction by Anita Zannin Vida In 1985, Joe Bryan, a high school principal, left his home in Clifton, Texas to attend an education conference in Austin. While there, an intruder entered his home and bludgeoned his wife to death. Even though he was 130 miles away when the crime was committed, Joe Bryan was indicted and convicted of his wife’s murder based on a misinterpretation of bloodstain patterns allegedly found on a flashlight found in the trunk of Bryan’s car by police detective Robert Thorman. Presenter Celestina Rossi was hired by the Texas Forensic Science Commission to review Thorman’s BPA analysis, which prompted Thorman to prepare an affidavit stating that his conclusions about the bloodstain pattern analysis “was not accurate or scientifically supported.” The Parole Board subsequently agreed to release Bryan, after serving 33 years in prison. Hiscase was also extensively covered by journalist Pamala Colloff. Celestina Rossi bio“Cele”, as she is known to her friends, is an investigator for the Montgomery County District Attorney’s Office. She is a forensic specialist with more than 30 years' experience and recognized expertise in crime scene investigations, bloodstain pattern analysis, crime scene reconstruction, and shooting incident reconstruction. She also serves as an Adjunct Instructor for the Texas Forensic Science Academy at the Texas A&M Engineering Extension Service (TEEX), where she teaches multiple courses that include Forensic Technician, Bloodstain Analysis, and Processing Evidence of Violent Crimes. She is past President of the Association of Crime Scene Reconstruction and the International Association of Bloodstain Pattern Analysts. 10:50 A.M. Ten-minute break 11:00 A.M. - The David Camm case. Presenter, Eugene Liscio, 3D Forensic Analyst In 2001, David Camm, a former Indiana state trooper, was playing basketball at his church miles away when his wife and two children were shot to death in the garage of their home in Georgetown, Indiana. Three days later, Camm was arrested and charged with their murders based on the erroneous conclusions of bloodstain expert Rod Englert, who interpreted 8 linear bloodstain patterns on the bottom of Camm’s t-shirt as high velocity impact spatter and opined that Camm had to be holding the gun when it was fired. Defense bloodstain experts Terry Laber and Bart Epstein, using principles of the scientific method disagreed with Englert, and concluded that the bloodstains were caused when Camm’s t-shirt came into contact with blood-soaked strains of his daughter’s hair. Camm told police he reached over his daughter to pull his 7-year-old son out of the vehicle in an attempt to render CPR, as his body was still warm. A crime scene reconstruction by presenters Bill Clutter and Eugene Liscio helped prove to a jury that the crime had been committed by Charles Boney, who weeks earlier had been released from prison for crimes he committed as a student at Indiana University. Known as the “Shoe Bandit”, Boney had been convicted of robbing women at gun point of their shoes to satisfy a foot fetish. Camm spent 13 years in prison before being acquitted by a jury in a third retrial in 2013. Eugene Liscio bioA graduate of the Aerospace Engineering Program at Ryerson Polytechnic University, Eugene is a Professional Engineer in the province of Ontario, Canada, based in Toronto. He teaches a course in 3D Forensic Mapping and Reconstruction as an Adjunct Professor at the University of Toronto. He specializes in creating 3D animations of crime scene and accident reconstructions. He teamed up with other forensic experts in conducting an animated crime scene reconstruction in the case of David Camm, a former Indiana state police trooper who was wrongfully in Indiana based on misinterpretations of BPA experts who testified for the prosecution. Eugene’s video presentation was played to a jury in Lebanon, Indiana, during Camm’s third-retrial in October of 2013, resulting in his acquittal. He has been using Photogrammetry in his work since 2006 and has taught hundreds of professionals from various backgrounds using his method.12:15 P.M. Luncheon program panel presentation. 1:45 Break 2:00 P.M. The case of Warren Horikek. Presenters, James H. “Jim” Varnon Jr., retired Ft. Worth Police Department CSI and Anita Zannin Vida. In 1995, James Varnon was called to the scene of a reported suicide in Ft. Worth, Texas, where he found Bonnie Horinek dead from an apparent self-inflicted gunshot wound. Although her husband Warren also worked at the Ft. Worth Police Department as a police officer, Varnon barely knew him. There were no signs of a struggle that would implicate foul play. The autopsy conducted by the medical examiner led him to conclude it was a suicide. The district attorney agreed. But in Texas, there is an unusual law that allows private individuals to petition for the appointment of a special prosecutor, which is what the family of Bonnie Horinek did. The special prosecutor hired bloodstain expert Tom Bevel, a disciple of Herb Macdonell who founded the BPA profession. Bevel’s analysis focused on examining approximately a dozen tiny blood spatter stains on the left shoulder of the t-shirt Warren Horinek was wearing. He tried to determine if these bloodstains were caused by high-velocity impact spatter for firing the gun that killed his wife or from CPR that Warren attempted on his wife. In 2005, Macdonell reviewed the case and disagreed with Bevel’s analysis that the small specs of blood were caused by high velocity impact spatter. Horinek was released from prison in August of 2016, after serving his full sentence.Jim Varnon bio A graduate of North Texas University—known then as North Texas State University—Jim has 35 years’ experience in law enforcement with the last 25 years working as a Crime Scene Investigator (CSI). Anita Zannin Vida M.S.F.S., bioAnita graduated Magna Cum Laude from Buffalo State College with a Bachelor of science degree Forensic Chemistry and a second Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice. She earned a Master of Science degree in Forensic Science from Syracuse University. Additionally, she taught at Syracuse University for four years, and assisted as faculty and lab instructor at over ten Bloodstain Evidence Institutes, the original 40-hour basic bloodstain pattern analysis course in NY, PA and Parma, Italy and was a visiting professor at Francisco Marroquin Law School in Guatemala. Ms. Vida is an internationally recognized expert in bloodstain pattern analysis and has been accepted as an expert in federal, state and international courts.3:20 PM Ten-minute break 3:30 PM The case of Darlie Routier. Presenter, Hallie Stewart and a panel discussion with the BPA experts. In 1996, Darlie Routier was sleeping on the downstairs couch in her home in Rowlett, Texas, with her two boys, Devon, 6, and Damon, 5, lying next to her, when an intruder, according to Darlie, attacked her in the middle of the night with a knife that was taken from her kitchen. Both boys died of their injuries. Darlie, who had physical evidence of a violent attack, including bruises and a severe knife wound to her throat, coming within 2 millimeters of severing her carotid artery. Her life as saved by the chain of a gold necklace, which prevented the knife blade from advancing further, otherwise, she too, would have been killed. Even though her husband who was sleeping upstairs later admitted to engaging in several schemes to commit insurance fraud, which included hiring someone to steal his car and to break into his home, the investigation by police focused their attention on blaming the mother for this crime. Dallas County prosecutors hired bloodstain expert Tom Bevel, who found what he characterized as cast-off stains on the back of Darlie’s nightshirt, and opined that this evidence proved she wielded the knife that killed her two boys. Darlie’s public defender hired BPA experts Terry Laber and Bart Epstein, but they were never called at trial to challenge Bevel’s testimony after private attorney Doug Mulder took over Darlie’s defense. Hallie Stewart bioA resident Rowlett, Texas, Hallie’s professional experience includes working as a regional manager of an ambulance company, and more recently, as branch manager of a major national bank. Although the crime happened in her hometown more than 30 years ago, when she was a child, Hallie was unaware of the Darlie Routier case. After listening to Crime Junkie, a top-rated true crime podcast, Hallie contacted Investigating Innocence offering her services as a volunteer sleuth. Austin based PI Mark Gillespie, State Director of Investigations for Investigating Innocence of Texas was so impressed with her work, he has offered to have Hallie continue her post-conviction investigation under his Agency PI license.
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Denton, Texas, United States
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