M.C. writing from Texas
“In my case, the forensic evidence used against me are worth reconsidering. There is a reasonable probability my infant daughter died a SIDS related death and not a smothering death...[The State’s forensic scientist] was admonished on several occasions [for] wholly misrepresenting the cause of death to the jury.”
Location
Liberty County, Texas
Crime of Conviction
Capital murder
Year of Conviction
2009
Legal claims
M.C. was convicted of capital murder for the smothering death of his infant daughter, although he says evidence points to Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS). He says that evidence used to convict him has since been "dunked" as "junk science" because it was based on "dog scent evidence." M.C. writes that the pathologist who did the autopsy had a history of presenting biased cause of death assessments to jury, and he was never able to have his own expert testify.
Procedural issues
An appeal of M.C.'s conviction was filed, and an appellate court affirmed it in 2010. His petition for discretionary review was denied in 2011. He filed a state habeas petition in 2012, and it was denied in 2013. He has also unsuccessfully sought relief in federal court.
Counsel
M.C. says he was just appointed counsel for his "petition for DNA testing" that he filed in 2017.