April’s show will look at the evidence, science, and law in the Amanda Knox case. Internationally renowned forensic pathologist Cyril Wecht and Italian lawyer Antonio Lordi will join us to discuss the Italian Supreme Court decision requiring an intermediate court of appeals to reconsider a decision setting aside Knox’s conviction for the [...]
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The Stolen Valor Act of 2005 made it a federal crime to falsely claim military medals and honors. The act was held unconstitutional in United States v. Alvarez, 567 U.S. ___ (2012). The defendant in Alvarez fraudulently represented himself as a retired Marine and Medal of Honor Recipient and used [...]
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It’s one of the most horrific and gut-wrenching stories to ever come out of Pennsylvania, and yet, it has received little national attention, if any. Dr. Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia doctor who ran an abortion clinic, is charged with killing 7 babies by way of late-term abortions, as well as [...]
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Shockingly this story has not been front page news in many media outlets. Kermit Gosnell, a Philadelphia doctor, is currently on trial for illegal and vile late-term abortions that have lead to the death of one woman and seven newborns. The Commonwealth is seeking the death penalty as the trial [...]
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The U.S. Supreme Court cases of Missouri v. Frye and Lafler v. Cooper decided last year have very significantly changed the way plea bargaining occurs in our criminal justice system. The decisions of these cases essentially give criminal defendants the right to effective counsel at the plea bargaining stage which [...]
There have been updates in the case of the former Butler County man who entered a nolo contendere plea to the third degree murder of his stepmother and father and then later requested to withdraw the plea. Colin Abbott was sentenced to thirty-five to eighty years in prison on February [...]
On April 25, 2013, Texas executed Richard Cobb for murder during the course of a felony. His partner in crime was executed a year ago for the participation in the slaying. Mr. Cobb was executed by lethal injection. His last words were “Life is death, death is life. I hope [...]
Yes, according to 18 USC § 2332a and 18 USC § 921. The alleged surviving Boston Marathon bomber, Dzhokhar Tsarnaev, is charged with violating 18 USC § 2332a (Use Of A Weapon Of Mass Destruction). The characteristics that qualify a device as a weapon of mass destruction are listed at [...]
Tom Clements had just returned from Germany, where he and some of the top minds in criminology (including Pittsburgh Veteran’s Court Judge John A. Zottola, Duquesne criminal law Professor Mark Bergstrom, and Pennsylvania Secretary of Corrections John Wetzel) had been learning about sentencing alternatives. Clements had always been a [...]
Amanda Knox CaseApril 22, 2013