Stephanie Crowe, 12, was stabbed to death in the bedroom of her Escondido home in January 1998. Her brother and two of his friends were arrested. The case collapsed on the eve of trail after drops of the girl's blood were found on clothes worn by a transient seen in the neighborhood the night of the slaying.
The transient was eventually charged in the case and convicted of voluntary manslaughter. An attorney representing the Crowe family brought a false-arrest lawsuit against the San Diego authorities after hiring one of America's most famous and controversial forensic pathologists, Dr. Cyril Wecht.
In Dr. Wecht's latest book, "A Question of Murder" he openly challenges the conduct of the police and prosecutors in the Crowe case. Dr. Wecht said he was disturbed by "the way the cops zeroed in on the victims brother and the two others without conducting a meaningful, encompassing investigation." He further stated, "That case cries out to anybody who is interested in ethical conduct in our criminal-justice system. Police and prosecutorial bias, incompetence - those kinds of things happen with greater frequency than most of us want to acknowledge."
Aggressive work by an experienced San Diego criminal defense attorney is needed in every single case. In San Diego, the prosecution relies heavily on DNA evidence and testimony to support charges of murder, rape, domestic violence, and burglary. This DNA evidence may be faulty and requires an independent review. The importance of reviewing law enforcement forensic work cannot be overstated. Contact Pro Law Partners so an experienced attorney can put their expertise to work on your case right away.
