Better Science Could Mean a New Day in Court
Recently, Texas lawmakers approved Senate Bill 344 which, according to this article, is the first law in America to allow defendants a new trial in light of relevant scientific evidence that was not accessible at the time of the first trial because the science had yet to be developed. For Robert Avila, the passage of this law might save his life. In his original trial, where he stood accused of killing his girlfriend’s 19 month old child in a fit of jealousy while babysitting her two children, Avila denied involvement in the child’s death despite the evidence stacked against him – including a signed confession and evidence that demonstrated that the four-year-old present could not have inflicted injuries serious enough to kill the baby. However, 12 years later, new biomechanical evidence reveals that there is a chance that the toddler could have accidentally caused the child fatal injuries. At the time Avila went to trial, forensic pathologists did not have the tools to consider this possibility. With the passage of this bill, Avila might have another day in court, and another chance to prove his innocence.
Source: The Texas Tribune
Citation:
Grissom, B. The Texas Tribune. New Law Gives New Hope to Death Row Inmate. Retrieved September 12, 2013, from http://www.texastribune.org/2013/09/08/new-law-gives-new-hope-death-row-inmate/.
[Abstract written by Emily McGowan, ForensIQ Intern]
