Document Type

Blog Post

Publication Date

7-10-2024

Abstract

The case of an Alabama man convicted of murdering his wife in 1985 will not be reviewed by the U.S. Supreme Court, despite evidence that, nearly 40 years later, has been “wholly discredited.”

The Supreme Court denied certiorari in the case of McCrory v. Alabama, but Justice Sonia Sotomayor cited research from Indiana University Maurer School of Law Professor Valena Beety in her concurring agreement with the court’s decision.

Charles M. McCrory was convicted for the murder of his wife, Julie Bonds, based in large part on expert testimony from an odontologist who matched McCrory’s teeth to two bite marks on Bonds’ shoulder. But the odontologist retracted his testimony later, writing that science has revealed the limitations of bitemark evidence. McCrory had requested a new trial, which was denied by the Court of Criminal Appeals of Alabama.

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