In re Richards
Annotate this CasePetitioner was convicted in 1997 for the murder of his wife. Petitioner subsequently sought habeas corpus relief, stating that his murder conviction was based on false evidence given at trial by the prosecution's dental expert. The dental expert stated that he had testified inaccurately at trial. Other dental experts agreed that the expert had testified inaccurately based on newly available computer technology. After an evidentiary hearing, the superior court granted habeas corpus relief. The court of appeals disagreed. At issue on appeal was whether a conviction is based on "false evidence" when it depends in part on the opinion of an expert witness, and posttrial advances in technology have raised doubts about the expert's trial testimony without conclusively proving that testimony to be untrue. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding (1) in such circumstances the expert's trial testimony was not shown to be "false evidence," but the information garnered from technological advances could be presented as newly discovered evidence in support of habeas corpus relief; and (2) habeas corpus relief should be granted only if the new evidence points unerringly to innocence or reduced culpability, a showing that Petitioner did not make.
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