In 2002, when discussing the Danielle van Dam case on Larry King Live, Dr Michael Baden stated that, “When the passions of the community and the district attorney and the prosecutor are so raised in a case, one can get a false verdict”. He quoted the case of Jeanine Nicarico, who was abducted, raped and murdered. Police, prosecutors and forensic scientists got so caught up in those passions that they gave false results, and as a consequence, two men were wrongly convicted and spent years in jail. Baden added that, “I think that there is a real danger in these most heinous of cases for mistakes to be made. And we have to calm our passions, as horrible as this crime is.” (Referring to the crimes against Danielle.)
Ironically, just a month later, there was a repeat, when David Westerfield was wrongly convicted of kidnapping and murdering Danielle. And Baden was himself guilty of what he had warned against, when he dismissed the science of forensic entomology, which was the strongest evidence of Westerfield’s innocence.
I fear that there may be another repeat in the George Floyd case. Let’s get all the facts and then calmly consider them before condemning anyone.
I agree with your assessments.
I believe he intends to be well-meaning, but he also strikes me as one that is willing to shape to the data.