Mr.(Dan) Harmon has a long and colorful career in Arkansas
law enforcement. In 1980, he was running unopposed
for a second term as prosecuting attorney when he
abruptly withdrew and declared personal bankruptcy.
He came back from political oblivion with the train
deaths case. When Ives and Henry were found dead on
railroad tracks southwest of Little Rock in August 1987,
Gov. Clinton's medical examiner, Fahmy Malak, quickly
ruled the deaths "accidental," saying the teenagers had
fallen asleep after smoking too much marijuana. After a
public outcry, a second autopsy concluded the boys had
been murdered, and Mr. Clinton's solicitude for Dr.
Malak in this and other cases became a subject of
controversy. Gov. Clinton named Department of Health
Director Joycelyn Elders to head a commission to
review Dr. Malak. She cleared him of improprieties and
recommended a raise. Dr. Malak was eased out of
office on the eve of Mr. Clinton's 1992 presidential run.
Arkansas Justice (WSJ article)
It's Dangerous to Buck the System
Mena Murders in Arkansas
But why would Mr. Clinton defend Malak, although his rulings had been questioned in more than 20 cases? Dateline NBC and The Los Angeles Times have suggested a motive. They've documented Fahmy Malak's role in clearing Bill Clinton's mother, the late Virginia Kelly, of wrongdoing in the negligent death of a teenage girl at Ouachita Memorial Hospital in 1981. The Los Angeles Times reported that Dr. Malak's ruling helped Clinton's mother avoid scrutiny in the death of patient Susie Deer. The Times quoted the Polaski County coroner as saying there was a lot of speculation that "Malak's ruling in favor of Clinton's mother was a factor" in the governor's decision to retain him as state medical examiner.
Then-Governor Clinton said he resented any implications of a connection, and the governor's office proceeded to shut down further investigation of the train deaths. Dr. Malak was eventually removed as state medical examiner, but was given a job as a $70,000 per year consultant to the Arkansas Department of Health.