New look at evidence OK’d in fatal 1989 Pa. fire
Jan 28, 2012, 10:10 PM
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) – A federal appeals court has granted another look at the evidence in the case of a man convicted of killing his daughter in what authorities alleged was an arson fire two decades ago in eastern Pennsylvania. Defense attorneys and some arson specialists say that determination was made using what’s now considered flawed science.
The 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday granted 76-year-old Han Tak Lee’s request for an independent examination of evidence from the July 1989 fire that killed 20-year-old Ji Yun Lee at a religious retreat in the Pocono Mountains.
Attorneys for Lee argue that advances in fire science now show that expert testimony was unreliable.
Defense attorney Peter Goldberger says his client is “delighted.” Monroe County District Attorney David Christine says an appeal is under consideration.
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