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New Study Exposes Reliability Gap in Traditional Time-of-Death Methods

Loaded on April 1, 2026 by Jo Ellen Nott published in Criminal Legal News May, 2026, page 39
Filed under: Forensic Sciences, Evidence - Integrity/Reliability of, Daubert Standards, Expert and Opinion Testimony, Scientific Testimony or Evidence. Location: United States of America.

by Jo Ellen Nott

For decades, forensic pathologists have relied on body temperature, rigor mortis, and potassium levels in the vitreous humor of the eye to estimate time of death. These methods have underpinned countless prosecutions, but their accuracy degrades sharply beyond the early post-mortem window. Rectal temperature …

 

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  1. Swabbed at Booking, Searched for Life: How Pre-Conviction DNA Collection Built a Genetic Mass Surveillance System, by David Kim
  2. Sixth Circuit Announces State-Law Exceptions to Appeal Deadlines Preserve “Pending” Status Under AEDPA, Holding Belated-Appeal Procedures Toll Federal Habeas Limitations Period, by David Reutter
  3. No Blood, No Proof: Study Challenges Post-Cleanup DNA Evidence, by Jo Ellen Nott
  4. Tenth Circuit Holds Prior California Child Pornography Conviction Does Not Trigger Federal Mandatory Minimum Because State Statute Encompasses Conduct Beyond Federal Definition Under Categorical Approach, by Douglas Ankney
  5. Florida Supreme Court Announces Rule 3.170(f)’s Good-Cause Plea-Withdrawal Standard Does Not Apply at Post-Appeal Resentencing, by David Reutter
  6. Kentucky Supreme Court Clarifies Parole Board May Delegate Final Revocation Hearings to Administrative Law Judges but Holds Due Process Requires Parolees Be Permitted to File Exceptions to ALJ Findings Before Board Renders a Final Revocation Decision, by Douglas Ankney
  7. Six Years of the First Step Act: Federal Prison Data Reveal Treatment Gains, Persistent Disparities, and Unanswered Questions, by Richard Resch
  8. Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court: Amending Indictment to Change Subsections of Aggravated Child Rape Statute Constitutes an Impermissible Substantive Amendment, by David Kim
  9. Colorado Supreme Court Announces Defendant Must Be Competent Before Undergoing Mental-Condition Examination Under § 16-8-107(3)(b), by David Reutter
  10. New York Court of Appeals Holds Generic Physical Description Insufficient to Justify Pursuit in Mistaken Identity Case, and Suspect’s Flight Cannot Support Reasonable Suspicion Absent Evidence He Knew He Was Fleeing Law Enforcement, by Douglas Ankney
  11. Oregon Supreme Court Announces Article I, Section 9, of State Constitution Protects Privacy in Internet Browsing Conducted Over Public Wi-Fi Networks, by David Kim
  12. California Court of Appeal Announces Plea Agreements Cannot Bar § 1172.1 Resentencing, Holds Merit-Based Denial of Petition Is Appealable, by David Reutter
  13. New Study Exposes Reliability Gap in Traditional Time-of-Death Methods, by Jo Ellen Nott
  14. Pennsylvania Supreme Court Announces Mandatory Life Without Parole for Felony Murder Unconstitutional Under State Constitution, Holding Article I, Section 13 Provides Broader Protections Than Eighth Amendment, by Richard Resch
  15. Indiana Supreme Court Clarifies “Single Statutory Offense” for Substantive Double Jeopardy Analysis, Holding Powell Test Governs Multiple Convictions Under Elevated Forms of Common Base Offense, by David Kim
  16. SCOTUS Unanimously Announces Heck Does Not Bar §1983 Suits Seeking Purely Prospective Relief, Resolving Circuit Split Over Whether a Prior Conviction Precludes a Forward-Looking Constitutional Challenge to the Statute of Conviction, by Richard Resch
  17. SCOTUS Announces Sentencing Reform Act Does Not Authorize Automatic Extension of Supervised Release When Defendant Absconds, Resolving Circuit Split, by David Kim
  18. Georgia Supreme Court Clarifies That Failure to Object to Ineligible Juror Does Not Constitute Waiver Unless Party Knew or Could Have Discovered Ineligibility Through Ordinary Diligence, by David Reutter
  19. Montana Supreme Court Holds Defendant’s Sentence Must Be Vacated Where District Court Premised Sentence on Defendant’s Exercise of Constitutional Rights to Jury Trial, Silence, and Against Self-Incrimination, by Douglas Ankney
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