GUILTY CA - Leila Fowler, 8, murdered, 12yo charged, Valley Springs, 27 Apr 2013 - #5

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sindydee said:
Just saw that the murder conviction was reversed.....

http://sacramento.cbslocal.com/2018/02/22/isiah-fowler-murder-conviction/
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From the link:

An appeals judge has reversed the conviction of Isiah Fowler, the boy convicted of killing his 8-year-old sister Leila Fowler in 2013.
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Prosecutors said inconsistencies in his interviews immediately after the murder proved he was the killer and a court agreed.
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An appeals judge ruled that interview evidence cannot be used because Isiah Fowler was not read his rights.
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Plesser says there is DNA evidence found on Leila that he says shows further proof Isiah Fowler was not the killer.

“So the DNA that was found on her body did not belong to our client, anyone in his family, any of the law enforcement or first responders, or crime scene technicians who were in the house, and no one who was in the federal database,” Plesser said.
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The California Attorney General could file a petition for the California Supreme Court to review the reversal.
If not, the case goes back to the Calaveras County D.A., to decide whether to drop charges or retry the case again.
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Very interesting.

Family believes he did not kill his sister.
 
I don’t know what to say here. There were so many doubts about this conviction all along. What a nightmare for this family - I can’t imagine. It reminds me of the conviction years ago of a young boy whose sister was murdered also.....he didn’t respond to questioning the way LE expected and was interrogated endlessly. The videos of that interrogation was heartbreaking. Anyway after several years he was released after the conviction was overturned due to DNA that was found to belong to a drifter....the drifter was the murderer after all. The story line is way too similar for my liking. Wow, just wow.
 
Blondie in Spokane said:
I don’t know what to say here. There were so many doubts about this conviction all along. What a nightmare for this family - I can’t imagine. It reminds me of the conviction years ago of a young boy whose sister was murdered also.....he didn’t respond to questioning the way LE expected and was interrogated endlessly. The videos of that interrogation was heartbreaking. Anyway after several years he was released after the conviction was overturned due to DNA that was found to belong to a drifter....the drifter was the murderer after all. The story line is way too similar for my liking. Wow, just wow.
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That was the Michael Crowe case. He was never convicted, his defense attorney was sharp enough to spot blood on the clothes of a man who'd been arrested on the day after the murder for questioning and demand a DNA test, which proved the blood was Stephanie Crowe's. The police officers then tried to claim that the defense attorney had planted the evidence! Luckily she was on CCTV the whole time so their stupid accusation was dismissed.

One of the police officers involved in coercing a false confession from Michael Crowe also obtained a false confession from a suspect in the West Memphis 3 case, (although not from one of the three men convicted).
 
sindydee said:
Wonder what evidence they have. It just seems really bizarre that if he did it, he could clean himself up so well that he didn't leave a trace. Wish there was more information.
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From the news report posted above:
"Leila Fowler’s blood was found in the interior of a clean knife found on an unmarked white towel in the house, the prosecution said, and a Ghostbusters T-shirt that belonged to Isiah and was stained with Leila’s blood was found stuffed in a hamper in his room."

Defense claims the knife in evidence is not the knife used to stab Leila. Also claim there was "unidentified male" DNA in her hair and underpants. Defense Attorney Reichel decried that Judge Harlan did not examine the alleged murder weapon before her verdict, which was discussed at length, before the conclusion of the arguments. Trial spanned 3 days. Sentencing scheduled for July 24 - 10AM

This was always a strange case to me. Wow, IF is already 17!
 
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Seattle1 said:
From the news report posted above:
"Leila Fowler’s blood was found in the interior of a clean knife found on an unmarked white towel in the house, the prosecution said, and a Ghostbusters T-shirt that belonged to Isiah and was stained with Leila’s blood was found stuffed in a hamper in his room."

Defense claims the knife in evidence is not the knife used to stab Leila. Also claim there was "unidentified male" DNA in her hair and underpants. Defense Attorney Reichel decried that Judge Harlan did not examine the alleged murder weapon before her verdict, which was discussed at length, before the conclusion of the arguments. Trial spanned 3 days. Sentencing scheduled for July 24 - 10AM

This was always a strange case to me. Wow, IF is already 17!
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I know. Same here. Would be interested to see the transcripts.
 
Wow. I just started reading all this last night. I'm shocked he was found guilty again. They really don't have any evidence against him. It certainly doesn't seem beyond a reasonable doubt. Their biggest evidence seems to be the inconsistencies in his story. He was 12 yo! I have a 12 yo and her story would be inconsistent too. I mean I can see something happen and she's not going to consistently or accurately convey what went on. Those inconsistencies do not seem that significant to me especially for a scared and traumatized 12 yo.

I was also shocked by the transcript of the interview when his father was there. He seemed to basically badger and push him into a confession. Of course the most they got was along the lines of "I guess, maybe I did it. I don't remember". Wow. Poor kid. I've been accused of something before where I remember being so overwhelmed I wondered if I could have done it even when I knew I had not done it, had no motivation or memory. It was brief but I remember just feeling like I was going crazy because this person accused me of something.

Also saying they repeatedly told a 12 yo he was free to leave? Yeah, right. No child and many adults would feel free to leave that situation. It would take any incredibly confident and assertive 12 yo to get up and walk out of an interview room. I'm in my 40's and I know I would not feel like I could just get up and walk out. People feel pressured to do what's expected of them. That's pretty normal.

This case is a mess. Surely there is some evidence never mentioned because no 12 yo is able to carefully and perfectly clean up a crime scene......Wow.
 
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