Louisiana Supreme Court Frees Death Row Prisoner, Calling Evidence Against Him “Scientifically Indefensible”

The Louisiana Supreme Court unanimously overturned Jimmie Duncan's 1998 death row conviction for the drowning death of a toddler, ruling that the bite mark evidence used to convict him was 'scientifically indefensible' and now widely regarded as junk science. The article provides extensive sourcing, including direct quotes from Justice Cade Cole's official opinion, Chief Justice John Weimer's concurrence comparing bite mark evidence to 17th-century witch trial practices, named legal representatives from the Innocence Project, and corroboration from NOLA.com and other regional outlets confirming the ruling and its basis in discredited forensic methods. The reporting details how forensic dentist Michael West's examination video—not shown to original jurors—appears to show him grinding a teeth mold into the child's body to create bite marks, and notes that Duncan is the last of ten inmates freed after convictions partly based on evidence from West and pathologist Steven Hayne. Watch for potential retrial decisions by District Attorney Steve Tew, who stated at oral arguments he would retry Duncan despite the Supreme Court's rejection of the forensic evidence, and monitor whether this case catalyzes broader scrutiny of bite mark analysis in other pending cases.