Li Changyu responded, "This is the first case where I have to defend myself." Federal | Judge | Li Changyu
According to a report by the Associated Press in New York on July 22, a federal judge ruled on the 21st that renowned forensic scientist Li Changyu is responsible for fabricating evidence in a murder case. The case resulted in two Connecticut men being sentenced to decades in prison for crimes they had not committed.
According to reports, Ralph "Ricky" Burch and Sean Henning were convicted of the murder of Everett Karl in the 1980s. One of the evidences on which the judge made this judgment is the testimony of Li Changyu. Li Changyu said at the time that he found blood on a towel at the home of the 65 year old victim in New Milford town, more than 80 kilometers southwest of Hartford.
A judge overturned the conviction for serious murder against Burch and Henning in 2020, and the two subsequently filed a federal misjudgment lawsuit accusing Li Changyu, eight police investigators, and the town of New Milford.
The ruling on the 21st requires this lawsuit against the police and the town of New Milford to be tried. When approving the motion for summary judgment against Li Changyu, the only unresolved issue for the jury will be the amount of damages.
According to reports, Li Changyu, who previously served as the head of the state's forensic laboratory and is now an honorary professor at the University of New Haven, did not immediately respond to emails requesting his comment.
According to reports, 84 year old Li Changyu rose to fame after testifying in the 1995 O.J. Simpson murder trial, when he questioned the handling of blood evidence. He has also served as an advisor in other high-profile investigations, including the 1996 murder of 6-year-old Joanne Ramsey in Colorado; In the 2004 murder trial of Scott Peterson, he was charged with killing his pregnant wife, Lacy; The murder trial of record producer Phil Specter in 2007.
In 1989, when Burch and Henning were on trial, jury members heard descriptions of extremely bloody crime scenes. The victim Carl was stabbed 27 times, with his throat cut and his head hit 7 times.
There is no forensic evidence to prove that Burch and Henning are related to this crime. No bloodstains were found on their clothes or cars. The crime scene includes hair and over 40 fingerprints, but none of them match the two individuals.
The prosecutor presented evidence from the yet unknown Li Changyu, aimed at proving that the attacker may have avoided staining themselves with a large amount of blood.
Li Changyu also testified that he found a towel in a bathroom near the crime scene with stains on it. He tested it and found that the stains matched with blood.
After the above trial, when the two men appealed their conviction, tests conducted by relevant personnel showed that the stains were not blood.
According to reports, Judge Victor Bolden ruled on the 21st that Li Changyu did not provide any evidence to support his testimony that year.
The judge wrote, "Apart from claiming to have undergone the test, there is no evidence in the records to prove that he conducted such a test." He also wrote, "There is evidence in this record that the actual test conducted did not indicate the presence of blood."
The judge also ruled that Li Changyu failed to properly use the immunity defense that may have exempted him from paying damages, so he can no longer claim exemption.
Burch, who was sentenced to 55 years in prison for serious murder, spent more than 30 years in prison. Later, he was released in 2019 after a judge ordered a retrial. Henning, who was 17 years old at the time of the incident, received probation in 2018.
After their convictions were revoked in 2020, Li Changyu defended his actions during the investigation.
Li Changyu told a large number of reporters, "In my 57 year career, I have investigated more than 8000 cases and have never been accused of any improper behavior or deliberate provision of unfounded evidence. This is the first case where I have to defend myself."
