GRIPPING new true-crime documentary series The Innocence Files was released on Netflix on April 15, 2020.
In the first episode, we see the story of Dr. Michael West who gained notoriety in the 80’s when he testified at a number of high-profile trials.
2
Who is Dr Michael West?
Dr. West is a Dentist and Forensic Odontologist.
His job entailed analysing bite marks in criminal cases.
In the Innocence Files, viewers will see how his ‘expert’ advice, led to the wrongful conviction of more than half-a-dozen people.
His work would involve him taking teeth impressions from the accused person, then making moulds to see if they matched the marks seen on the victim.
It was later found out that this method, called “direct comparison”, can be unreliable.
2
What happened to Dr Michael West?
West, 67, is now retired, and currently lives in Hattiesburg, Mississippi.
Dr. West’s bite mark testimony directly contributed to the murder convictions of Levon Brooks and Kennedy Brewer. Brooks and Brewer were accused of killing two young girls in the early 1990’s.
There was minimal evidence against the pair, but West was adamant that the bite marks seen on the two girls came from them.
Both men were exonerated from the crime more than a decade later after the real killer admitted his crime.
In 2009, it was alleged that West had once forced a suspect’s dental mould into a corpse to make it fit.
DRUG DRAMA
Who is in the cast of Netflix’s White Lines?
DESTINED TO DIE
Money Heist fans convinced they know who will be murdered in season 5
Tales of Tinsletown
A look at the the new period drama mini-series, Hollywood
KISS AND MICHELLE
When is Michelle Obama’s documentary Becoming released on Netflix?
Many of his colleagues have publicly condemned his actions.
This includes Dr. Niki Osborne, a forensic research scientist, who said: “It was inappropriate for West to make such declarative statements on a suspected person’s guilt.”
In a 2011 deposition, West said he “no longer believes in bite-mark analysis.”
He said: “I don’t think it should be used in court, I think you should use DNA, throw bite marks out.”