Texas appeals court gives man a second chance in sex assault, murder case

"That's not my character," says a man convicted of the sexual assault and murder of a six-month-old child, as A.C. Thompson reports for ProPublica and PBS Frontline. "That's not who I am."

And on Jan. 25, just late last month, the Texas Court of Criminal Appeals agreed with the man, apparently siding with the many medical experts who have questioned the evidence used by prosecutors to obtain his conviction.

Thompson reports that 23 U.S. and Canadian people have faced similar circumstances, finding themselves charged with crimes against children based on "questionable medical evidence."

The Texas court did not let him go; he is remanded to the lower courts where prosecutors have the option to file new charges. The court set aside his conviction based on the fact that his defense attorneys did nothing in an effort to rebut the medical evidence.

The issue surrounding the medical evidence centers on bias (or outright mistakes) on the part of forensic pathologists.

This reporting effort by ProPublica and PBS Frontline highlights exactly why it's so important to hire a good criminal defense attorney when you've been charged with a crime.

Source: Texas Court Voids Conviction in Child Death Case