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Taser, the fast-growing stun-gun maker whose stock skyrocketed over the last year, has hired Dr. Wecht to review and issue an independent opinion on cases in which suspects died after the the company's weapon was used on them and .
Posted Mon, May 3 | Permalink
Dr. Wecht and other U.S. experts examined Taiwan President Chen Shui-bian's alleged gunshot wound from a mysterious assassination attempt just one day before the presidential election on March 19.
Dr. Wecht and his American colleagues, which included Michael Baden, were asked to examine Chen after the opposition Nationalist Party demanded an investigation by impartial foreign experts due to suspicion that the shooting, which only lightly wounded Chen and Vice President Annette Lu, was staged for sympathy votes.
Dr. Wecht, however, said after looking at the wound and taking some photos and measurements he saw nothing there inconsistent with it being a gunshot wound.
See U.S. Crime Experts Examine Taiwan President's Wound, Reuters
Posted Wed, Mar 31 | Permalink
Jack Markowitz is a columnist and retired business editor of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. He recently wrote a kind column on Dr. Wecht, drawing comparisons between his place within his profession and that of other Pittsburghers such as Fred Rogers and Allan Meltzer. See Pittsburgh needs more 'industries' like Wecht.
Posted Wed, Mar 31 | Permalink
Court TV's series Forensic Files will air a special on November 19 (9:00 PM ET) which will examine alleged audio evidence of a second shooter in the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
The program will air on the eve of The Wecht Institute's 2003 Conference on the JFK Assassination at Duquesne University, November 21. Dr. Wecht will appear as special guest on the show. For more, see Court TV's The JFK Assassination: Investigation Reopened, Examines Alleged Audio Evidence of Second Shooter
Posted Fri, Nov 7 | Permalink
Appearing on MSNBC, Dr. Wecht said the findings in the coroner's report on Connor Peterson, the unborn son of Laci and Scott Peterson, were extremely significant.
Dr. Wecht told Dan Abrams the cuts found on Connor Peterson's body were consistent with the child having been removed from his mother's womb, Laci Peterson, via an incision, rather than expelled from the body due to decomposition of the uterus.
Later, on MSNBC's 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann,' Dr. Wecht also said he believes, at this point, having not seen the autopsy report or pictures, the plastic tape found around the baby's neck will prove to be a pick-up or artifact.
See Coroner Finds Plastic 'Noose' Around Peterson Baby's Neck and 'Countdown with Keith Olbermann' for May 29
Posted Fri, May 30 | Permalink
Appearing on Fox News, Dr. Wecht said the doctors studying Laci Peterson's body are probably finished with the microscopic anatomical work and may now be waiting for toxicological findings, which could take several weeks.
He said most important will be whether or not the doctors examining the body were able to arrive at a cause of death. It will be in the favor of the defense if the doctors cannot, he said. See Details of Laci's Death Gruesome, But Cause Still Unknown.
Posted Thu, May 15 | Permalink
Appearing on Fox News, Dr. Wecht said he believes a piece of evidence that would be of tremendous significance in the cases of Laci and Connor Peterson would be the cement block or blocks that were used to weight the bodies down. See The Case Against Scott Petersen.
Posted Wed, Apr 23 | Permalink
Appearing on Fox News, Dr. Wecht said it could be difficult at this point to see how Laci Petersen's body, if found, will provide forensic scientific evidence that will relate back to her husband, Scott Peterson, or another killer. Dr. Wecht said with the body likely having undergone significant postmortem change, it will depend on if the mechanism of death -- whether Laci was strangled, shot or stabbed -- can be determined. See Searching for LaciThe Experts Weigh In.
Posted Mon, Jan 20 | Permalink
Appearing on Fox News, Dr. Wecht said investigators in the Beltway Sniper case could use fragments recovered from within victims to help the police work backward and pick up trace evidence for DNA.
See The Big Picture on the Beltway Sniper Shootings
Posted Fri, Oct 11 | Permalink
Nearly 20 years ago in California, the missteps of medical examimers helped defense attorney Steven Feldman win an acquittal for Robert Corenevsky in the murder trial of a jeweler named Tom Wood. Testimony from Dr. Wecht was crucial, CourtTV reports.
Feldman was trying to prove Corenevsky was nowhere near the murder when it was committed. But the main pathologist testifying for the prosecution said he could not give an accurate estimate of the time Wood died because toxicological evidence from alcohol in the body could have been skewed. Dr. Wecht, however, testified medical examiners had overlooked gunshot particles around the wound, a serious misstep. He concluded the victim died between 6:30 and 9 a.m. Other experts agreed. Corenevsky was acquitted.
See Twenty years ago, Westerfield's lawyer won acquittal with similar defense
Posted Fri, Aug 2 | Permalink
Dr. Wecht agrees with San Diego Medical Examiner Dr. Brian Blackbourne that Danielle was murdered between Feb. 1 to Feb. 18. See WHEN WAS DANIELLE VAN DAM KILLED?.
Posted Thu, Aug 1 | Permalink
Appearing on Fox News, Dr. Wecht said an examination of Chandra Levy's bones would quickly reveal whether she was shot, stabbed or beaten to death. He said investigators are unlikely to find much physical evidence that could help them identify a potential killer because such evidence probably deteriorated during the 13 months since the homocide. See Report: Levy May Have Been Restrained With Clothing.
Posted Sat, May 25 | Permalink
CBS News reports Dr. Wecht and homicide detective Bill Wagner both say it's impossible to rule out foul play in the death of former Enron executive Cliff Baxter based on case documents. See The Mysterious Death Of An Enron Exec.
Posted Wed, Apr 10 | Permalink