jameson's Links  Terms of Service  News  Chat  Forum Archives  Cord Photos  Email  

jameson's WebbSleuths

Subject: "Werner Spitz - a bit on" Archived thread - Read only
 
  Previous Topic | Next Topic
Printer-friendly copy    
Conferences old JBR threads Topic #312
Reading Topic #312
jamesonadmin
Charter Member
14249 posts
Oct-20-02, 03:17 PM (EST)
Click to EMail jameson Click to send private message to jameson Click to add this user to your buddy list  
"Werner Spitz - a bit on"
 
  
Monday (Nov 11th): In a dramatic moment, defense counsel Baker challenges forensic pathologist Werner Spitz to
"gouge me" with his fingernails, in a challenge to the testimony of Spitz that even short fingernails (of the kind observed in
Ron Goldman and Nicole Brown) could have caused the cuts on Simpson's finger. (The judge forbade the proposed
demonstration).

Third Week (November 4th-November 8th) --

Friday (Nov 8th): Forensic pathologist Werner Spitz testifies that cuts on Simpson's left hand could have been caused
by the fingernails of Ron Goldman or Nicole Brown. Spitz also testifies that the assault that killed Nicole Brown could
have taken less than 15 seconds, and that Brown bled mostly downward and away from her killer, who was standing
behind her.
On cross-examination, defense counsel Baker presses the view that the assaults were long and messy, arguing that
Simpson could not have committed them and still have gotten to the airport as he did.
Spitz relies mostly on photographs and the coroner's report, since he did not examine the bodies.
Thursday (Nov 7th): Jurors see enlarged photographs of cuts and scabs on Simpson's left hand. They hear testimony by
Dr. Robert Huizenga that the injuries looked 5-7 days old when he saw them on June 15, 1994 (murders occurred on
June 12th).

http://spot.colorado.edu/~muellerc/Trisim02.htm

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Baden, New York City's former chief medical examiner, contradicted the testimony of his old friend, Dr. Werner Spitz, the
plaintiffs' pathologist who insisted a lone killer committed the crimes.

"It's likely there was more than one perpetrator," Baden said. "It's very difficult for one perpetrator to control two victims at the
same time. It would be impossible to stop people from yelling and screaming and taking evasive action."

Baden, a genial witness who often gestured and faced jurors as he gave his steadfast opinions, expressed his deep respect for
Spitz, then proceeded to contradict him on finding after finding. Cross-examination was to continue today.

Among the disputed conclusions:

Baden rejected Spitz's theory that cuts on Simpson's left hand were fingernail gouges left by the victims. In performing
over 20,000 autopsies, Baden said he's never seen such a cut caused by a fingernail.

"It's a deep, irregular cut and it was cut by some sharp, jagged object ... a jagged piece of glass or a knife. My opinion is it was
most likely broken glass," Baden testified.

Simpson said he cut a knuckle on his left middle finger with a broken glass in Chicago the morning after the killings. Spitz
introduced the fingernail-gouging theory for the first time last month when he testified for the victims' families, who are suing
Simpson.

A mark on Simpson's bicep in a photo taken after the killings was an old scar, not a fresh bruise from a struggle, Baden
said. Defense lawyer Robert Blasier offered to have Simpson take off his shirt and show jurors that the mark was still
there, but Judge Hiroshi Fujisaki didn't approve.
Baden said Goldman slowly bled to death after a knife severed his jugular vein. Earlier, Spitz testified that Goldman died
rapidly when a knife was thrust into his lower back and punctured his aorta. Baden said Goldman could have struggled
for five or 10 minutes before he died. Spitz said he died within a minute.
Baden said the killer would have had blood on his skin and clothing; Spitz said the assailant might not have been covered
with blood because of the position taken during the attacks.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/index/nns139.htm


  Printer-friendly page | Top
jamesonadmin
Charter Member
14249 posts
Oct-20-02, 03:19 PM (EST)
Click to EMail jameson Click to send private message to jameson Click to add this user to your buddy list  
1. "RE: Werner Spitz - a bit on"
In response to message #0
 
   http://detnews.com/history/morgue/morgue.htm - WOW!

In 1972, Dr Werner Spitz became Chief
Medical Examiner and immediately instituted
controversial reforms at the morgue. During his
16-year reign Spitz built an international reputation
by testifying at high-profile trials and congressional
investigations. He testified in investigations into the
Mary Jo Kopechne drowning, the Oakland
County child murders, the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and the Skid Row Murder trial in Los
Angeles. He wrote a textbook that is a standard in medical schools around the world.

Dr. Spitz decreed that bodies were to remain in the facility no longer than 24 hours. He installed closed circuit
television to ease the impact of identification on family members. He hired additional staff and trained them to run
the morgue more efficiently. For the first time Wayne State University affiliated itself with the morgue. Dr. Spitz set
up a private organization to help investigate Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS), commonly known as "crib
death."

He began sending pituitary glands to outside firms for use in manufacturing Human Growth Hormone, a vital
ingredient for children otherwise destined for dwarfism. He even took down the Morgue sign and replaced it with
a more benign "Wayne County Medical Examiner" plaque.

Famed Los Angeles Medical Examiner Dr. Thomas Noguchi said of Spritz: "He's probably one of the best
there is."

But like Noguchi, Spitz was less than deft at the politics that go with his office. Some of his changes came
under attack and his caustic manner bred resentment among some of the staff.

In 1976, Spitz found himself the target of
charges. Acting on tips from disgruntled staffers,
the Wayne County Organized Crime task force
accused Spitz of illegally using county time, money
and equipment to benefit a private foundation;
taking body parts from bodies without the
permission of the next of kin; improperly
conducting experiments to determine the effects of
various bullets, and working at outside jobs,
including the performing of autopsies for pay for
Macomb County.

But Wayne County Prosecutor William
Cahalan decided not to prosecute saying, "He was
just being a doctor. I was convinced he was just
doing what he thought was best for the medical
world-which can sometimes be a lot different than
what's best in the political world."

During the investigation, Spitz leveled charges against one of his assistants, Dr. Millard Bass. Acting on
information from Spitz, investigators discovered a large cache of human bones and tissue hidden in several
Greektown storage rooms rented by Bass. Bass eventually was charged with illegally beheading 11 bodies and
stripping the flesh from 14 others.

The charges were later dropped when a Recorders Court judge later ruled that Bass was carrying on
legitimate research. Bass had already resigned his county post and moved to the San Diego Zoo where, among
other duties, he performed autopsies on dead animals. Bass sued Wayne County contending he had been
wrongfully prosecuted and won a $1.8 million judgement, which was later reduced to $750,000.

After the court cases and media headlines, Spitz tried to keep a low profile. Nicknamed the "mean machine"
by morgue employees, he continued his hectic workload. Spitz admitted to being addicted to his work. "I like the
type of work I do, and I like the volume," he said. "People ask me how I can work with so much death. I guess
you could say I was a doctor of death. But a dead body is just that, a dead body. It's a terminal product."

By 1988, Spitz tired of the fight over moonlighting and resigned. The news shocked the medical community.
Dr. Robert Stein, chief of the Cook County medical examiner's office in Illinois, was critical of Wayne County,
saying moonlighting was common among coroners and declaring that most of his colleagues "consider Werner
Spitz to be the outstanding pathologist of this country, if not the world."

But according to Wayne County Executive Edward McNamara morale had perked since Spitz stepped down.

Dr. Bader Cassin replaced Spitz but his administration also proved controversial. By the early 90s the morgue
was handling about 2,500 autopsies a year with only five pathologists -- more than twice the nationally
recommended workload. Allegations of theft and vandalism of victims' property and charges of body hustling for
local funeral homes made some wonder if the institution had deteriorated into a house of horrors.

Cassin came under fire for failing to renew his medical license and a Hamtramck widow sued Wayne County
for taking her late husband's corneas without her permission.

In early 1995 the Wayne County Medical Examiner and staff moved into a new $14.5 million office near the
Detroit Medical Center, with promises that its state-of-the- art design and equipment would remedy the problems
the agency face in the building in Greektown.

Wayne County Executive Ed McNamara and current Medical Examiner Dr. Sawait Kanluen have vowed
changes in hiring and training procedures and have promised to restore the once premier teaching institution to its
former stature.


  Printer-friendly page | Top
jamesonadmin
Charter Member
14249 posts
Oct-20-02, 03:20 PM (EST)
Click to EMail jameson Click to send private message to jameson Click to add this user to your buddy list  
2. "Werner Spitz on Ramsey 1"
In response to message #1
 
   VAN SUSTEREN: Joining us now from Detroit, medical examiner Werner Spitz.

Dr. Spitz, we just heard former detective Arndt describe trauma as seen in sexual assault cases. Is
that something a detective could determine, or is that something left to the eye of someone who is
a specialist?

DR. WERNER SPITZ, MEDICAL EXAMINER: Well, I think that you need a forensic pathologist to
interpret injuries and to determine what they really mean. A detective is probably very
knowledgeable in many ways, but I think when it comes to interpretation of wounds, you need a
physician.

VAN SUSTEREN: And she also said that it was not a first-time injury. You know, looking at an injury,
I can tell if something is sort of an old bruise if someone is, you know, punched in the eye. But, you
know, is that something that you would think that the former detective would be able to determine?

SPITZ: No. The age of a bruise, the age of any injury, is often difficult even for an expert. And when
I say an expert, I mean a pathologists who examines the tissue under the microscope. And there are,
many times, different opinions along those lines. So a -- the word of a detective being very valuable,
I realize that, but not in this regard.

VAN SUSTEREN: Do you get the sense that former Detective Arndt is overstating it -- the case? I
know that you've had some involvement, but she is rather graphic; at least, she seems very
adamant about this sexual assault.

SPITZ: Well, detective Arndt impressed me -- and that is my personal opinion only -- that she is
emotionally attached to this case, that she evaluates and interprets findings more emotionally than
factually. And I think that became very noticeable to me when I watched the show in the morning.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, I know that you -- in part, you've been consulted in this case, but a medical
examiner picking up the current written autopsy report -- could a medical examiner make a
determination whether this child had been sexually assaulted or not?

SPITZ: Yes, yes. A pathologist could look in the microscope and make such determination whether
this child has been assaulted on one occasion or on recurrent occasions.

VAN SUSTEREN: And what do you think if some other medical examiner picked up the existing
information available now and looked at it? What kind of -- what would be the reasonable opinion
about whether this child had been assaulted or not -- sexually assaulted?

SPITZ: Well, I think, you know, there have been books written on this, and I think, today, the --
what I read in the literature -- it's quite evident that there has been an assault that is interpretable
as being sexual. There are other questions that relate to that, of course. For instance, whether it
occurred before death, after death, who knows -- a whole lot of questions.

But, unfortunately, I cannot -- I consulted with the Boulder Police Department, with the detectives,
and it was agreed that I would not air my opinions on public media and, therefore, I don't think I
should be telling you confidential information. But the fact that there is a sexual assault, I think that
is common knowledge today.

VAN SUSTEREN: Now, when you say sexual assault -- and this is just from -- not in terms of your
own involvement, but someone else picking up the information, can you tell whether it is a sexual
assault that is a criminal matter or whether it's simply an accidental injury that could even be
self-inflicted?

SPITZ: No. Yes, you can tell that. You can tell.

VAN SUSTEREN: And what would the -- do you think -- the expert opinion if someone else picked up
the current information? Sexual assault or an accidental injury, perhaps even self-imposed?

SPITZ: No, I don't think that a pathologist would look at that and interpret that as being an
accidental injury.

VAN SUSTEREN: All right, we're going to take a break. When we come back, impaneled a year: Where
is the grand jury probe of JonBenet's death headed? Stay with us.

http://www.espoir.com/ramsey/tran5.html


  Printer-friendly page | Top

Conferences | Topics | Previous Topic | Next Topic