Cyril Harrison Wecht (born March 20, 1931) is an American forensic pathologist. He has been a consultant on high-profile cases, but perhaps best known for his criticism of the Warren Commission's findings about the assassination of John F. Kennedy.
He has been president of the American Academy of Forensic Science and the American College of Legal Medicine, and currently heads the supervisory board of the American Board of Legal Medicine. He serves as County Commissioner and Coroner & amp; Koroner Allegheny County; The Medical Examiner serves the Pittsburgh metropolitan area.
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Wecht was born to a Jewish immigrant parents in a small mining village in Dunkard Township, Pennsylvania named Bobtown. His father, Nathan Wecht, was a Lithuanian-born shopkeeper; her Ukrainian-born mother, Fannie Rubenstein, was a housewife and helped in the shop. When Wecht was young, Nathan moved the family to the Hill District district of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and opened a grocery store in the neighborhood. He attended and graduated from Fifth Avenue College which is now closed in Pittsburgh.
Wecht has a musical tendency and became a concertmaster of the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra during his graduate years. He earned a B.S. from the University of Pittsburgh in 1952, the M.D. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in 1956, an LL.B. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1962, and a J.D. from the University of Maryland Law School. After serving in the United States Air Force, he became a forensic pathologist. She serves on St. Hospital staff. Francis in Pittsburgh before becoming Coroner's Deputy from Allegheny County in 1965. Four years later he was elected as a coroner. Wecht served as a coroner from 1970 to 1980, and again from 1996 to 2006.
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Career forensics
Wecht became famous for appearing on television and consulted about death with high media profiles. Some cases include; Robert F. Kennedy, Sharon Tate, Brian Jones, The Symbionese Liberation Army shootout, John F. Kennedy, The Legionnaires' Disease panic, Elvis Presley, JonBenÃÆ'Â © t Ramsey, Dr. Herman Tarnower (Scarsdale diet teacher), Danielle van Dam, Sunny von BÃÆ'¼low, Davidian Branch incident, Vincent Foster, Drawer Peterson, Daniel, Anna Nicole Smith, and Rebecca Zahau. During his career, Wecht performed more than 14,000 autopsies. He is a clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine and a law professor at Duquesne University.
Wecht is outspoken and controversial. In 1979, Wecht examined Elvis Presley's medical records for <2020 and denied previous autopsy results suggesting Presley may have cardiovascular disease. Wecht believes Presley died of a deadly deadly drug overdose. In his book Who Kills JonBenet Ramsey? , he argues that the death may have been the result of coincidence of the sex "game" perpetrated by his father.
Cyril H. Wecht and Pathology Associates
Since 1962, Wecht has been doing private practice. He has served as a medical-legal and forensic pathologist consultant in both civil and criminal cases. Wecht was consulted by plaintiffs lawyers and defenders in civil cases, and by prosecutors and defense lawyers in criminal cases in jurisdictions throughout the United States and abroad.
The involvement of his forensic consultant includes:
- to the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office in connection with the assassination of Robert F. Kennedy in 1968, the Sharon Tate/LaBianca 1969 case, and the Death of the Symbionese Liberation Army 1974;
- for the Health Hospital, Panama Canal Zone as a member of the Special Panel of Specialists on American Legal Disease (Department of Health, Education and Wellbeing, Centers for Disease Control)
- for ABC network television 20/20 in connection with the assassination of John F. Kennedy (in 1976) and the death of Elvis Presley
- US. House of Representatives Select Committee on Murder, Forensic Pathology Panel
- for the 1991 movie JFK
- Jeffrey Locker case expert.
JFK Assassination
In 1965 Wecht presented a paper criticizing the Warren Commission for a meeting of the American Forensic Science Academy. In 1972, Wecht was the first civilian to grant permission to examine evidence of Kennedy's assassination. Wecht first discovered that Kennedy's brain, and all the related data in the murder, had disappeared.
In 1978, he testified before the House of Representatives Electoral Committee on Murder as the only person who disagreed with the nine members of the forensic pathology panel who re-examined the assassination of John F. Kennedy, who agreed with the Warren Commission conclusion and single bullet theory. Of the four official examinations to the Kennedy Assassination, Wecht is the only forensic pathologist who disagrees with the conclusion that the single bullet theory and Kennedy's head wounds are consistent.
Investigation of Daniel Smith's death
Wecht was employed by Callenders and Co, the Bahamian law firm, to conduct an independent autopsy on Daniel Smith's body, the son of Anna Nicole Smith who died while visiting his mother in the Bahamas. Wecht proves that Daniel Smith died as a result of methadone interactions, sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro).
In the fall of 2000, the Duquesne University Law School established the Institute of Forensic Science and Law Cyril H. Wecht. The Institute offers bachelor's degrees and professional certificate programs in forensic science to a diverse group of students covering the disciplines of law, nursing, law enforcement, pharmacy, health sciences, business, environmental sciences and psychology.
Books
Wecht has written many books, including:
- From crime scene to courtroom (2011)
- Police-Related Death Investigation (2011)
- Science and Forensic Law (2006)
- Stories from Morgue (2005)
- Aspects of Chemical Forensic and Terrorism Biology (2004)
- Mortal evidence (2003)
- To PROOF: Unfinished Truth, Lies, and Mystery in JFK's Murder
- November 22, 1963: Reference Guide for JFK Assassination
- Secret Grave: A Leading Forensic Expert Reveals a Shocking Truth about O.J. Simpson, David Koresh, Vincent Foster, and Other Sensational Cases
- Who Kills JonBenet Ramsey?
- Homicide Questions
- The Cause of Death (1993)
- Legal Medicine (1985)
- Explore the Medical Malapraktik Dilemma (1972)
- Preparing and Wining Medical Negligence Cases (2016)
- Forensic Pathology in Civil & amp; Criminal Cases (2016)
Political career
In the early years (1965-1985)
In 1965, Wecht became Vice Coroner of Allegheny County. Four years later he was elected Coroner of Allegheny County. Wecht served as a coroner from 1970 to 1980. His first departure from Coroner's office was not filled without controversy. Wecht did not resign as Inspector until 9 January, two days after he swore as Regional Commissioner of Allegheny, because the law did not forbid him to hold both Coroner's office and Commissioners.
He resigned under pressure from various sources, including his predecessor as Examiner, Dr. Ralph Stalter, a Republican, and the administration of Governor Dick Thornburgh, as well as a Republican. He initially recommended that Dr. Joshua Perper succeeded him, and indeed Perper held the Coroner Coroner title until Thornburgh appointed Dr. Sanford Edburg to replace Wecht. While Perper initially rejected the appointment as unconstitutional, the Supreme Court of State upheld Thornburgh's right to appoint Edberg, who should have taken over Coroner's office on March 2, 1981.
In 1978, he was elected chairman of the Allegheny Regional Democratic Party. One year later, Wecht was elected to the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners. In 1982, he was a Democratic candidate to oppose new Senator John Heinz in an offer for a second term; Heinz won the election with 59 percent of the vote.
Wecht and fellow Democratic Area Commissioner Tom Foerster often clashed, and fought for the Democrats in Allegheny County, headed by Wecht. Although the Democratic Committee rejected the Foerster and favored Wecht for re-election as commissioner in 1983, the committee paired him with Sheriff Gene Coon, with whom he also had a long political dispute.
Foerster is working with former Pittsburgh Mayor Pete Flaherty, and both beat Wecht and Coon in the main election for two Democratic nominations. Wecht later lost the post of Democratic chairman in the district in 1984 to become the elected candidate of Foerster, Scott Township Tax Collector Ed Stevens. Wecht then attempted to become chairman of the Democratic Party of Pennsylvania in the same year, but was defeated by Ed Mezvinsky, a former congressman from Iowa.
Year later (1995-2006)
In 1995, Wecht, after 12 years out of public life, was once again elected as Allegheny County Coroner. In 1999, he ran for a newly created position from Chief Executive of Allegheny County, defeating one of Mike Dawida's minority commission members in the Democratic primary, but lost to Republican leading businessman Jim Roddey in his first bid for elective public office.
While serving as a county coroner, Wecht continues to operate a private forensic consulting business on the side known as Wecht Pathology Associates. Wecht Patology Associates requires clients to examine cases, perform autopsies, and testify in civil and criminal courts. In his official capacity as a territorial coroner, Wecht continues to quarrel with DA Zappala, often over deaths that occurred during a meeting with the police.
In the case of the forerunner of Wecht's federal prosecution, US vs. Wecht, Wecht decided that Charles Dixon had suffocated through positional asphyxia during a 2002 meeting with police officers from Mount Oliver and Pittsburgh. When Wecht decided Dixon's death as a murder, DA Zappala refused to file charges against the officers. In response, Wecht, acting in his personal capacity as an employee of Wecht Patology Associates, wrote a medical opinion describing the alleged role of officers in Dixon's death used by the Dixon family in a civil suit against the area.
Responding to Wecht's testimony in the Dixon case, Zappala accused Wecht of violating the federal Hobbs Act, which prohibits public officials from using their offices for personal gain. In early 2005, Zappala launched an investigation into whether Wecht had used local resources to do private work - similar to Wecht's earlier allegations. In the spring of 2005, FBI agents confiscated documents at Wecht's private and regional offices.
Wecht continued to act as an Examiner until the position was abolished in 2006. Regional Executive Dan Onorato named him the first appointed District Medical Superintendent in 2006. In January 2006, a federal grand jury had indicted Wecht over 84 criminal charges, which prompted Wecht to step down from his regional post per agreement he made when the investigation became public in 2004 that if he was indicted he would resign as a regional coroner.
Court case
The Allegheny County Criminal Court (1979-1981)
Wecht's ownership as Allegheny County Coroner is controversial. While he was responsible for a significant increase in the professionalism and technology of the coroner's office during his service in the office from 1970 to 1980, making Allegheny County Coroner's office one of the best in the country, Wecht's political career proved controversial because he was of natural stance and when he put his reluctance to "escape a fight."
In 1979 Wecht was accused of carrying out an autopsy for other areas of the nursing home area and deposited fees from this autopsy in his private business bank account. Wecht replied that the funds had been used solely to improve office and staff.
After a lengthy investigation, Wecht was charged with criminal allegations accusing Wecht of personal gain from work at the coroner's office. Wecht allegedly transacted about $ 400,000 of his private business work using district facilities and local mortuary houses. In the spring of 1981, a six-week criminal trial began. All charges are dismissed except one, theft of service. Wecht was released at the cost of the remaining.
The original judge in court was censored by a panel of judges and some findings were left blank due to a judicial error. Wecht's lawyers allege that he is a victim of a political conspiracy.
Allegheny County civil court
Although Wecht was released in a criminal case, the County Controller charged a civilian surcharge of $ 390,000 against him for mixing private and public employment in the morgue. In 1983, a civil court ruled that Wecht owed $ 172,410. On appeal, the original award to the area increased to $ 250,000. In 1992, the county and Wecht reached a settlement so Wecht had to pay $ 200,000.
Federal criminal court
On January 28, 2008, a federal court against Wecht began, on charges of public corruption. About two weeks before the start of the trial, the prosecutor's office attempted to withdraw 43 of 84 counts against Wecht; Judge Arthur J. Schwab dismissed the accusations with prejudice. After the trial, the jury can not reach agreement on the remaining amount, and the judge declares the cancellation of the hearing. The prosecutor immediately announced that they were planning to retry Wecht.
Concerns arise about the motivation and behavior of prosecutors before and after the trial. Speculation emerged that Wecht's prosecution was politically motivated. Former Attorney General and Governor of Pennsylvania Dick Thornburgh, defense lawyer for Wecht, testified before a panel of homes investigating US Lawyers Shooting Scandal that Wecht is politically targeted.
Congressman Mike Doyle (whose district includes Pittsburgh) and John Conyers questioned prosecution tactics after the first trial and instituted a congressional hearing on the matter.
Op-eds at The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette and Pittsburgh Tribune Review are calling for the dismissal of the proposed re-trial. On April 12, 2008, 33 prominent community leaders in Pittsburgh sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey and US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan requested that prosecutors reject the charges against Wecht. Shortly after the press release of this letter, Senator Arlen Specter publicly recommended opposing a retrial for Wecht. Former jurors told the press that they believed that prosecutors were politically motivated.
On May 5, 2008, the Office of Professional Responsibility of the Department of Justice (OPR) revealed that they began an investigation into Wecht's prosecution because of the claim that the case was a "selective prosecution".
On May 14, 2009, a new court judge in a retrial excluded most of the evidence against Wecht for being arrested under an unlawful search warrant and improperly executed.
On June 2, 2009, Buchanan announced that his office would file a motion to dismiss all charges against Wecht.
In popular media
Wecht is portrayed by Albert Brooks in the 2015 Concussion film. In the film, Wecht is a staunch supporter of Bennett Omalu's efforts to expose the relationship between concussion and football.
References
Further reading
- The New York Times article
- New York Times 2 article
- "The Real CSI, PBS Frontline documentary, April 17, 2012. Broad interview with Dr. Wecht on CFC (Certified Forensic Consultant) credentialing by the American College of Forensic Examiners International Inc. and the use of forensic techniques.
External links
- Official website
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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