Amaral and the dogs

[ferryman]

No, you stated Morse was trained solely on humans, it's up to YOU go back this assertion up

Morse gets a fleeting reference in Grime's PdL profile as (then) a pup.

And here is an article from the Detroit Free Press and the Bianca Jones case:

ugust 24, 2012
The Detroit News
Christine Ferretti

Detroit — A canine expert whose dog allegedly detected a cadaver scent in the home of a missing toddler will be allowed to testify at the murder trial of the girl's father, a judge ruled Friday.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Vonda R. Evans made the ruling after attorneys for D'Andre Lane spent more than two hours trying to discredit the relatively new scientific method. Lane is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse in the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Bianca Jones

"I believe the evidence offered is sufficient to go forward. The people should be allowed to demonstrate to a jury that your client was implicated in this particular murder," Evans told the defense. "I think your argument is to weight as opposed to admissibility."

The court Friday also denied a defense motion to halt proceedings in the case while the state Court of Appeals evaluates efforts by Lane's attorneys to have the case tossed out. The attorneys said they also plan to appeal Friday's ruling.

Two forensic canine experts testified Friday before Evans ruled to admit at trial the potential evidence, which is key for prosecutors in the case against Lane.

Danian Woodson, an attorney for Lane, tried to argue against the cadaver dog evidence. But Evans cut her off and denied the motion.

After the hearing, Woodson said the alleged evidence is "not admissible, not relevant, highly prejudicial and should be excluded."

Lane has claimed Bianca was in the back seat of his 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis on the morning of Dec. 2 when he was approached by armed carjackers near Brush Street and Grand River.

The vehicle was found shortly after, but the child was not inside. Her body has not been found.

Forensic canine expert Martin Grime testified Friday and at Lane's prior preliminary examination that he brought in his victim recovery dog, Morse, two days after the girl went missing. He said the dog detected a cadaver scent inside Lane's car, on the child's blanket and car seat, and in the girl's bedroom and Lane's home.

Grime said the dogs detect only the generic scent of human decomposition. The dogs, he said, cannot determine identity, age, race, gender or the rate of decomposition.

Grime testified in court Friday that Morse has never had a false positive response, and that testing done just prior and after the dog worked in the Jones case was successful.

"I believe that the testimony, his conclusion is based on principles and methods that have been in place for several years," Evans said of Grime.

Also Friday, Rex A. Stockham, a special agent for the FBI who oversees its forensic canine program, said the agency has been studying the science for about a decade.

The FBI began testing contract and volunteer teams for the human scent detection program in 2008, Stockham said. The agency has three full-time dogs working in the country.

The dogs are tested annually to ensure they meet best practices standards. Morse has only been tested one time, Stockham said.

Prosecutors allege Lane beat the toddler to death with an 18-inch stick with a towel wrapped in duct tape at the end over a potty training incident.

Lane's attorney, Terry Johnson, contends Lane did "spank" the child with the stick, but that there was no evidence of child abuse or murder since the girl's whereabouts is unknown.

Lane told Detroit Police he left his home around 7:45 a.m. Dec. 2. He dropped his nephew and 8-year-old daughter off before visiting a gas station, Wayne County Community College in Detroit and, with a friend, near the Greyhound bus station on Howard Street. The carjacking, Lane claimed, occurred just afterward, with only him and Bianca in the vehicle.

FBI agent Christopher Hess testified at Lane's preliminary examination that the defendant was unable to explain where he was for a 45-minute window around the time his daughter disappeared.

Lane's girlfriend, Anjali Lyons, has testified she awoke Dec. 2 to Bianca's screams as Lane used the stick to beat the toddler for urinating in bed. Later the same morning, Lane carried a silent Bianca to his car. She was covered with an animal print blanket.

Lane's trial is slated for Sept. 18.

[ferryman]

Nowhere do his terms of reference state he must select that apartment for EVRD search.
It was he who selected it, not Amaral.

Sorry, yes, the apartment was Harrison's recommendation, but not the villa.

Is that what you mean?

[mercury]

Morse gets a fleeting reference in Grime's PdL profile as (then) a pup.

And here is an article from the Detroit Free Press and the Bianca Jones case:

ugust 24, 2012
The Detroit News
Christine Ferretti

Detroit — A canine expert whose dog allegedly detected a cadaver scent in the home of a missing toddler will be allowed to testify at the murder trial of the girl's father, a judge ruled Friday.

Wayne County Circuit Judge Vonda R. Evans made the ruling after attorneys for D'Andre Lane spent more than two hours trying to discredit the relatively new scientific method. Lane is charged with first-degree murder and child abuse in the death of his 2-year-old daughter, Bianca Jones

"I believe the evidence offered is sufficient to go forward. The people should be allowed to demonstrate to a jury that your client was implicated in this particular murder," Evans told the defense. "I think your argument is to weight as opposed to admissibility."

The court Friday also denied a defense motion to halt proceedings in the case while the state Court of Appeals evaluates efforts by Lane's attorneys to have the case tossed out. The attorneys said they also plan to appeal Friday's ruling.

Two forensic canine experts testified Friday before Evans ruled to admit at trial the potential evidence, which is key for prosecutors in the case against Lane.

Danian Woodson, an attorney for Lane, tried to argue against the cadaver dog evidence. But Evans cut her off and denied the motion.

After the hearing, Woodson said the alleged evidence is "not admissible, not relevant, highly prejudicial and should be excluded."

Lane has claimed Bianca was in the back seat of his 2004 Mercury Grand Marquis on the morning of Dec. 2 when he was approached by armed carjackers near Brush Street and Grand River.

The vehicle was found shortly after, but the child was not inside. Her body has not been found.

Forensic canine expert Martin Grime testified Friday and at Lane's prior preliminary examination that he brought in his victim recovery dog, Morse, two days after the girl went missing. He said the dog detected a cadaver scent inside Lane's car, on the child's blanket and car seat, and in the girl's bedroom and Lane's home.

Grime said the dogs detect only the generic scent of human decomposition. The dogs, he said, cannot determine identity, age, race, gender or the rate of decomposition.

Grime testified in court Friday that Morse has never had a false positive response, and that testing done just prior and after the dog worked in the Jones case was successful.

"I believe that the testimony, his conclusion is based on principles and methods that have been in place for several years," Evans said of Grime.

Also Friday, Rex A. Stockham, a special agent for the FBI who oversees its forensic canine program, said the agency has been studying the science for about a decade.

The FBI began testing contract and volunteer teams for the human scent detection program in 2008, Stockham said. The agency has three full-time dogs working in the country.

The dogs are tested annually to ensure they meet best practices standards. Morse has only been tested one time, Stockham said.

Prosecutors allege Lane beat the toddler to death with an 18-inch stick with a towel wrapped in duct tape at the end over a potty training incident.

Lane's attorney, Terry Johnson, contends Lane did "spank" the child with the stick, but that there was no evidence of child abuse or murder since the girl's whereabouts is unknown.

Lane told Detroit Police he left his home around 7:45 a.m. Dec. 2. He dropped his nephew and 8-year-old daughter off before visiting a gas station, Wayne County Community College in Detroit and, with a friend, near the Greyhound bus station on Howard Street. The carjacking, Lane claimed, occurred just afterward, with only him and Bianca in the vehicle.

FBI agent Christopher Hess testified at Lane's preliminary examination that the defendant was unable to explain where he was for a 45-minute window around the time his daughter disappeared.

Lane's girlfriend, Anjali Lyons, has testified she awoke Dec. 2 to Bianca's screams as Lane used the stick to beat the toddler for urinating in bed. Later the same morning, Lane carried a silent Bianca to his car. She was covered with an animal print blanket.

Lane's trial is slated for Sept. 18.

And that long winded emboldened quote proves Morse was trained solely on humans?

Where?

Do you understand the meaning of the term wasting bandwidth?

[ferryman]

And that long winded emboldened quote proves Morse was trained solely on humans?

Where?

Do you understand the meaning of the term wasting bandwidth?

Where do you suppose Morse was trained?

[Brietta]

No, you stated Morse was trained solely on humans, it's up to YOU go back this assertion up

YOUR post 4241 (as it stands now just in case there are any deletions subsequent to this post)

I do not care to 'back the assertion up'.  If it is wrong I am perfectly happy to concede that Morse was trained using dead pig ... which rather makes him second grade for work in the USA involving the FBI ... a country and an organisation which has ready and legal access to human remains for training purposes.

[mercury]

Where do you suppose Morse was trained?

I don't "suppose" anything...I have read a BBC report dated Feb 2008 when Grime and his dogs were in the UK....that stated Morse was being trained...so he couldn't have been trained in human cadavers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7263355.stm

ETA to add link!!

[mercury]

I do not care to 'back the assertion up'.

Then cease making assertions that you cannot back up, simples, and also cease to demand cites for others' assertions in case they say they don't care to back them up

 

Goodnight, don't let the dogs bite!

[ferryman]

I don't "suppose" anything...I have read a BBC report dated Feb 2008 when Grime and his dogs were in the UK....that stated Morse was being trained...so he couldn't have been trained in human cadavers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7263355.stm

ETA to add link!!

Which says this (of relevance)

 He (Grime) is currently training two new dogs, Morse and Lewis.

[misty]

I don't "suppose" anything...I have read a BBC report dated Feb 2008 when Grime and his dogs were in the UK....that stated Morse was being trained...so he couldn't have been trained in human cadavers

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7263355.stm

ETA to add link!!

Maybe he was trained solely on scent pads & historic remains in the UK and on actual human remains when he went to the US with Grime during his full-time role with the FBI.

[ferryman]

I'd never (previously) heard of Lewis.

I guess he didn't make the grade?

[pegasus]

Sorry, yes, the apartment was Harrison's recommendation, but not the villa.

Is that what you mean?

The application by the PJ to the judge for the villa search warrant stated as its justification the UK dog results of 1st Aug at the apartment.
The application was obviously written by the PJ, however the following excerpt from MH's remit make it likely that he actively contributed to the decision to apply for the villa warrant
"... consider further opportunities or areas for search ... as applicable to the latest intelligence ..."

[ferryman]

Maybe he was trained solely on scent pads & historic remains in the UK and on actual human remains when he went to the US with Grime during his full-time role with the FBI.

Shades of "Enhanced" victim recovery dog?

One of those Detroit Free Press articles (there are several) describes Morse as one of only 7 dogs in the country (presumably the States) that does what Morse does.

That might be about right for the Forensic Canine Program which was, I think, pretty exclusive.

[ferryman]

The application by the PJ to the judge for the villa search warrant stated as its justification the UK dog results of 1st Aug at the apartment.
The application was obviously written by the PJ, however the following excerpt from MH's remit make it likely that he actively contributed to the decision to apply for the villa warrant
"... consider further opportunities or areas for search ... as applicable to the latest intelligence ..."

The apartment was Harrison's recommendation, but not the villa.

Why would it be?

Madeleine never lived there ....

[Brietta]

Maybe he was trained solely on scent pads & historic remains in the UK and on actual human remains when he went to the US with Grime during his full-time role with the FBI.

In the absence of a cite to the contrary we shall just have to accept that Morse was not the real deal but was trained using dead pig.

However, of more relevance to Madeleine's case are the logs which record his training record and for which independent testimony was necessary in court.

There were no independent training records available for Eddie who was not accredited by ACPO when in Praia da Luz 
http://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Government%20and%20administration/R%20WiltshireOperationHavenRedacted%2020081112%20JN.pdf

Morse was obviously a good dog ... but having read a little of the background to the case, it is evident that Lane had plenty of compelling evidence weighted against him.

There was no evidence against the Drs McCann.


**Snip
The record simply does not support Lane's assertions that Grime and Stockham testified that the dogs were infallible. Rather, Stockham testified that the dogs' accuracy was in the high 90 percent range, and Grime specifically testified that he would not say that the dogs were perfect. The trial court also instructed the jury that it could not convict Lane solely on the basis of the cadaver dog evidence. - See more at: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/mi-court-of-appeals/1683760.html#sthash.V0do5M0B.dpuf

[misty]

In the absence of a cite to the contrary we shall just have to accept that Morse was not the real deal but was trained using dead pig.

However, of more relevance to Madeleine's case are the logs which record his training record and for which independent testimony was necessary in court.

There were no independent training records available for Eddie who was not accredited by ACPO when in Praia da Luz 
http://www.gov.je/SiteCollectionDocuments/Government%20and%20administration/R%20WiltshireOperationHavenRedacted%2020081112%20JN.pdf

Morse was obviously a good dog ... but having read a little of the background to the case, it is evident that Lane had plenty of compelling evidence weighted against him.

There was no evidence against the Drs McCann.


**Snip
The record simply does not support Lane's assertions that Grime and Stockham testified that the dogs were infallible. Rather, Stockham testified that the dogs' accuracy was in the high 90 percent range, and Grime specifically testified that he would not say that the dogs were perfect. The trial court also instructed the jury that it could not convict Lane solely on the basis of the cadaver dog evidence. - See more at: http://caselaw.findlaw.com/mi-court-of-appeals/1683760.html#sthash.V0do5M0B.dpuf

There may have been plenty of compelling circumstantial evidence against Lane, but Morse didn't alert to the sofa on which an unresponsive Bianca was seated prior to being placed in the vehicle. Morse did, however, alert to something non-specific in the bedroom she had been in prior to being placed on the sofa.
No cross-contamination on any clothes Lane was wearing or any other articles. Sound familiar?
http://law.justia.com/cases/michigan/court-of-appeals-published/2014/313818.html

I do think Lane was guilty, though - but not because of the cadaver dog evidence.