Blue Mass Group

Reality-based commentary on politics.

Will Dave Wedge do the Right Thing?

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It’s always an interesting experience when the phone rings and it’s The Herald’s Dave Wedge on the other end. He wanted to know how I thought the politicization of the LaGuer case would affect the legal case currently in the SJC. I said that if the added attention prompts people to look at the fact that four reputable DNA experts have questioned the DNA results in the LaGuer case then it shouldn’t hurt.

I supplied him with the letters from DNA experts Theodore Kessis, Daniel Hartl, Dean Wideman and Lawrence Kobilinsky. I am cautiously optimistic that he’ll take the opportunity to break the story that there is real doubt about the validity of the DNA test that seemed to seal the case against LaGuer. I told him that it is too bad the case has become an issue in the campaign. It is currently in the courts where it will rightfully be decided.

I hope Wedge will take the opportunity to report on these expert opinions. Somehow, I think he just might. We’ll see.

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Comments

  1. You’re right that this is an issue for the courts.  I give you a lot of credit for sticking to facts and putting this story out there to receive the media attention it deserves.  How could reasonable doubt be determined if the facts weren’t known?  Why is a public official using this as a wedge issue when someone’s life is at stake?  If the court does decide in LaGuer’s favor, I so hope the media will wake up and begin reporting on what cases like this mean to everyone in the state.  Basic constitutional rights should be important to all of us.

  2. It serves the public to have more information now that Healey has made it the cornerstone of her campaign.  In fact, it’s almost strange that the media has reported the story only on the basis of what Healey offers as fact.

  3. It’s basically a hit piece.  So, no, he won’t totally do the right thing, but at least the information is out there.  Maybe less biased reported will report the facts.

  4. Wedge’s article in today’s Herald is somewhat disappointing, but I still say there is room for hope. He ends with:

    Many academics and journalists who had taken up LaGuer’s cause withdrew support in 2002 after DNA tests called for by LaGuer linked him to the rape. But he insists the tests were flawed, a claim bolstered by reports from several DNA experts who claim the samples tested may have been mishandled and tainted.

    Here’s hoping that Wedge will take the time to read the experts’ letters, call them up and interview them, and come to grips with what they are saying. IMHO this is a juicy angle to the LaGuer story no matter how you cut it. If it isn’t Wedge, then hopefully some reporter will put it out there.

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