The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that US District Judge Gustave Diamond has denied a defendant’s motion to suppress evidence and dismiss charges in a case where the evidence was destroyed before trial. In this case, the Allegheny County District Attorney’s office permitted drug evidence and a coin purse allegedly seized from the defendant to be incinerated. Before granting the request to incinerate the evidence, the District...
In The News: Judge to rule on case where drug evidence was destroyed
The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reports that a federal judge may permit a drug case to proceed after the Allegheny County Office of the District Attorney destroyed evidence. The case, which is being heard by U.S. District Court Judge Gustave Diamond, involves a defendant who has been accused of possession with intent to deliver heroin. After the Allegheny County DA’s office transferred prosecution to the United States Attorney...
BriefLaw: Commonwealth v. Willard Oakley Moser
Commonwealth v. Willard Oakley Moser 2010 PA Super 119 (7/08/2010) Topic: Evidence of Prior Trials in Current Cases Summary: Under Pa.R.E. 410(a)(2), evidence of a prior nolo contendere plea is inadmissible in any future criminal proceedings. http://www.aopc.org/OpPosting/Superior/out/S33002_10.pdf Share this:Click to share on Facebook (Opens in new window)Click to share on Twitter (Opens in new window)Click to share on LinkedIn (Opens in new...
In the News: National Academy of Sciences report casts doubt on nation’s crime lab
A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences casts doubt on the effectiveness of American crime labs. The report indicates that, due to problems with funding, the quality of the science used, and the lack of dependable standards, much evidence used in court is unreliable. Additionally, according to the report, the only type of evidence that is truly dependable is DNA. The article on MSN states that “no other crime scene evidence...