Cyril Wecht
Encyclopedia
Dr. Cyril Harrison Wecht (born March 20, 1931, Greene County, Pennsylvania
) is an American
forensic pathologist
. He has been a consultant in numerous high-profile cases, but is perhaps best known for his criticism of the Warren Commission
's findings concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy
.
He has been the president of both the American Academy of Forensic Science and the American College of Legal Medicine, and currently heads the board of trustees of the American Board of Legal Medicine
. He served as county commissioner, coroner
and, later Medical Examiner
of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
.
called Bobtown. His father, Nathan Wecht, was a Lithuanian
born storekeeper; his Ukrainian
born mother Fannie Rubenstein was a homemaker and helped out in the store. When Wecht was young, Nathan moved the family to the Hill District neighborhood
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
and opened a neighborhood grocery store
. He attended and graduated from the now closed Fifth Avenue High School
in Pittsburgh.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXZ_GA7VH_Y&NR=1
Wecht had musical leanings and was concertmaster of the University of Pittsburgh
Orchestra during his undergraduate years. He earned a B.S.
from the University of Pittsburgh
in 1952, an M.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
in 1956, an LLB from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law
in 1962, and a J.D.
degree from the University of Maryland School of Law
.
After serving in the United States Air Force
, he became a forensic pathologist. He served on the staff of St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh before becoming Deputy Coroner of Allegheny County in 1965. Four years later he was elected coroner. Wecht served as coroner from 1970 to 1980, and again from 1996 to 2006.
, Sharon Tate
, The Symbionese Liberation Army shootout, John F. Kennedy
, The Legionnaires’ Disease panic, Elvis Presley
, JonBenét Ramsey
, Dr. Herman Tarnower
(the Scarsdale diet guru), Danielle van Dam, Sunny von Bülow
, the Branch Davidian
incident, Vincent Foster, Laci Peterson
and most recently Daniel
and Anna Nicole Smith
. During his career, Wecht performed more than 14,000 autopsies
. He is a clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh
School of Medicine and an adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University
.
Wecht is both outspoken and controversial. In 1979, Wecht examined Elvis Presley
's medical records for 20/20
and disputed earlier autopsy results suggesting Presley may have had cardiovascular disease. Wecht argued Presley died from a lethal drug cocktail overdose. In his book Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?, he argues that the death was likely an accidental result of a sex “game” committed by her father.
His forensic consultant engagements include:
conclusions and single bullet theory
. Out of the four official examinations into the Kennedy Assassination, Dr. Wecht is the only forensic pathologist who has disagreed with the conclusion that both the single bullet theory and Kennedy’s head wounds are mutually consistent.
, the son of Anna Nicole Smith
who died while visiting his mother in the Bahamas. Wecht attested that Daniel Smith died as a result of the interaction of methadone, sertraline
(Zoloft) and escitalopram
(Lexapro).
's schools of Law, Nursing, Natural and Environmental Sciences, Business, Pharmacy, and Liberal Arts, as well as with other academic institutions.
Grave Secrets: A Leading Forensic Expert Reveals the Startling Truth about O.J. Simpson, David Koresh, Vincent Foster, and Other Sensational Cases and Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?
In 1978, he had been elected chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Party. One yeat later, Dr. Wecht was elected an Allegheny County Commissioner in 1979. In 1982, he was the Democratic party's nominee to oppose John Heinz for the US Senate seat to which Heinz had first been elected six years previously. Wecht's challenge was unsuccessful: Heinz won 59 percent of the vote.
Wecht and fellow Democratic County Commissioner Tom Foerster were frequently at odds, and battled for control of the Democratic Party in Allegheny County, which Wecht chaired. Although the Democratic Committee rejected Foerster and endorsed Wecht for re-election as commissioner in 1983, the committee paired him with Sheriff Gene Coon, with whom he also had a longstanding political feud. Ultimately Foerster teamed up with former Pittsburgh Mayor Peter F. Flaherty
, and the two defeated Wecht and Coon in the primary election for the two Democratic nominations. Wecht then lost the chairmanship of the county's Democratic Party in 1984 to Foerster's hand-picked candidate, Scott Township Tax Collector Ed Stevens. Wecht then sought to become chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party that same year, but was defeated by Ed Mezvinsky, a former Congressman from Iowa.
in his first bid for elective public office.
While serving as the county’s coroner, Wecht continued to operate a private forensic consulting business on the side known as Wecht Pathology Associates. Wecht Pathology Associates charges clients for examining cases, conducting autopsies, and testifying in civil and criminal trials. In his official capacity as county coroner, Wecht continued to squabbled with DA Zappala, often over deaths that took place during encounters with police.
In the case that is the precursor to Wecht’s federal prosecution, US vs. Wecht, Wecht ruled that Charles Dixon had been suffocated through positional asphyxiation during a 2002 encounter with police officers from Mount Oliver and Pittsburgh. When Wecht ruled the death of Dixon a homicide, DA Zappala refused to press charges against the officers. In response, Wecht, acting in his private capacity as an employee of Wecht Pathology Associates, wrote a medical opinion outlining the officers’ alleged role in Dixon’s death which was utilized by Dixon's family in a civil suit against the county.
In response to Wecht's testimony in the Dixon case, Zappala accused Wecht of violating the federal Hobbs Act, which prohibits public officials from using their offices for private gain. In early 2005, Zappala launched an investigation into whether Wecht had been using county resources to carry out private work — allegations similar to those Wecht had faced before. By spring of 2005, FBI agents were seizing documents in Wecht’s private and county offices.
Wecht continued to serve as Coroner until the position was eliminated in 2006. County Executive Dan Onorato
named him as the county's first appointed Medical Examiner in 2006. By January 2006, a federal grand jury had indicted Wecht on 84 criminal counts, prompting Wecht to step down from his county post per an agreement he made when the investigation became public in 2004 that if indicted he would resign as county coroner.
In 1979 Wecht was accused of performing autopsies for other counties at the county morgue and depositing the fees from these autopsies in his private business' bank account. Wecht responded that the funds in question had been used solely to upgrade the office and staff.
After a long investigation, Wecht was indicted on multiple criminal counts that charged Wecht with personally profiting from work at the coroner's office. Wecht allegedly transacted approximately $400,000 of his private business work using county facilities and the county morgue. In the spring of 1981, the six week long criminal trial began. All charges were dismissed except for one, theft of services. Wecht was acquitted on the remaining charge.
Public concerns were raised about the motivation and conduct of the prosecution before and after the trial. Speculation arose that the prosecution of Dr. Wecht was politically motivated. Attorney General and Governor of Pennsylvania Dick Thornburgh
, a defense lawyer for Wecht, testified before a house panel investigating the US Attorneys' Firing Scandal that Wecht was targeted politically.
Representative Michael F. Doyle
and Representative John Conyers Jr., questioned the prosecution's tactics in the aftermath of the first trial and instituted Congressional hearings on the matter. Op-eds in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review called for dismissal of the proposed re-trial. On April 12, 2008, 33 prominent leaders in the Pittsburgh community sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey and US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan
requesting that the prosecution dismiss the indictment against Wecht. Shortly after the press release of this letter, Senator Arlen Specter
publicly recommended against a retrial for Dr. Wecht. Former jurors stated to the press that they believed that the prosecution had been politically motivated.
On May 5, 2008, the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility
(OPR) revealed that it initiated an investigation into the Wecht prosecution due to claims that the case was a "selective prosecution".
On May 14, 2009, the trial judge in the retrial excluded most of the evidence against Wecht because it was seized under illegal and improperly executed search warrant
. On June 2, 2009, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan
announced that her office would file a motion to dismiss all charges against Wecht.
Greene County, Pennsylvania
-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 40,672 people, 15,060 households, and 10,587 families residing in the county. The population density was 71 people per square mile . There were 16,678 housing units at an average density of 29 per square mile...
) is an American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
forensic pathologist
Forensic pathology
Forensic pathology is a branch of pathology concerned with determining the cause of death by examination of a corpse. The autopsy is performed by the pathologist at the request of a coroner or medical examiner usually during the investigation of criminal law cases and civil law cases in some...
. He has been a consultant in numerous high-profile cases, but is perhaps best known for his criticism of the Warren Commission
Warren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
's findings concerning the assassination of John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
.
He has been the president of both the American Academy of Forensic Science and the American College of Legal Medicine, and currently heads the board of trustees of the American Board of Legal Medicine
American Board of Legal Medicine
The American Board of Legal Medicine sets the standards for training and certifying competency in health care law for dual degreed physician attorneys, with the self-stated aim of promoting excellence in practice through its certification process...
. He served as county commissioner, coroner
Coroner
A coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
and, later Medical Examiner
Medical examiner
A medical examiner is a medically qualified government officer whose duty is to investigate deaths and injuries that occur under unusual or suspicious circumstances, to perform post-mortem examinations, and in some jurisdictions to initiate inquests....
of Pittsburgh and Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County, Pennsylvania
Allegheny County is a county in the southwestern part of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2010 census, the population was 1,223,348; making it the second most populous county in Pennsylvania, following Philadelphia County. The county seat is Pittsburgh...
.
Background
Wecht was born to Jewish immigrant parents in a tiny mining village in Dunkard Township, PennsylvaniaDunkard Township, Pennsylvania
Dunkard Township is a township in Greene County, Pennsylvania, United States. The population was 2,358 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the township has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water.-Demographics:As of the census of 2000,...
called Bobtown. His father, Nathan Wecht, was a Lithuanian
Lithuanians
Lithuanians are the Baltic ethnic group native to Lithuania, where they number around 2,765,600 people. Another million or more make up the Lithuanian diaspora, largely found in countries such as the United States, Brazil, Canada, Colombia, Russia, United Kingdom and Ireland. Their native language...
born storekeeper; his Ukrainian
Ukraine
Ukraine is a country in Eastern Europe. It has an area of 603,628 km², making it the second largest contiguous country on the European continent, after Russia...
born mother Fannie Rubenstein was a homemaker and helped out in the store. When Wecht was young, Nathan moved the family to the Hill District neighborhood
Hill District (Pittsburgh)
The Hill District is a collection of neighborhoods that is considered by many to be the cultural center of African-American life in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, an American city. Harlem Renaissance poet Claude McKay once called the district "the crossroads of the world," referring to the...
of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania
Pittsburgh is the second-largest city in the US Commonwealth of Pennsylvania and the county seat of Allegheny County. Regionally, it anchors the largest urban area of Appalachia and the Ohio River Valley, and nationally, it is the 22nd-largest urban area in the United States...
and opened a neighborhood grocery store
Grocery store
A grocery store is a store that retails food. A grocer, the owner of a grocery store, stocks different kinds of foods from assorted places and cultures, and sells these "groceries" to customers. Large grocery stores that stock products other than food, such as clothing or household items, are...
. He attended and graduated from the now closed Fifth Avenue High School
Fifth Avenue High School
Fifth Avenue High School is a defunct school located at 1800 Fifth Avenue in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania's Bluff neighborhood.Built in 1894 as a large Romanesque/Gothic Revival building, it served the Pittsburgh Public Schools until its closure in 1976...
in Pittsburgh.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nXZ_GA7VH_Y&NR=1
Wecht had musical leanings and was concertmaster of the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
Orchestra during his undergraduate years. He earned a B.S.
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
from the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
in 1952, an M.D. degree from the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine
The University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine is a medical school located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA. The School of Medicine is also known as Pitt Med, and is ranked as a “top medical school” by U.S. News & World Report in the publication's categories of research and primary care...
in 1956, an LLB from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law
University of Pittsburgh School of Law
The University of Pittsburgh School of Law was founded in 1895, and became a charter member of the Association of American Law Schools in 1900...
in 1962, and a J.D.
Juris Doctor
Juris Doctor is a professional doctorate and first professional graduate degree in law.The degree was first awarded by Harvard University in the United States in the late 19th century and was created as a modern version of the old European doctor of law degree Juris Doctor (see etymology and...
degree from the University of Maryland School of Law
University of Maryland School of Law
The University of Maryland Francis King Carey School of Law is the second-oldest law school in the United States by date of establishment and third-oldest by date of first classes. The school is located on the campus of the University of Maryland, Baltimore in Downtown Baltimore's West Side...
.
After serving in the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...
, he became a forensic pathologist. He served on the staff of St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh before becoming Deputy Coroner of Allegheny County in 1965. Four years later he was elected coroner. Wecht served as coroner from 1970 to 1980, and again from 1996 to 2006.
Forensics career
Wecht became famous appearing on television and consulting on deaths with a high media profile. Some of the cases include; Robert F. KennedyRobert F. Kennedy
Robert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
, Sharon Tate
Sharon Tate
Sharon Marie Tate was an American actress. During the 1960s she played small television roles before appearing in several films. After receiving positive reviews for her comedic performances, she was hailed as one of Hollywood's promising newcomers and was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for...
, The Symbionese Liberation Army shootout, John F. Kennedy
John F. Kennedy
John Fitzgerald "Jack" Kennedy , often referred to by his initials JFK, was the 35th President of the United States, serving from 1961 until his assassination in 1963....
, The Legionnaires’ Disease panic, Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
, JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Ramsey
JonBenét Patricia Ramsey was an American child beauty pageant contestant who was murdered in her home in Boulder, Colorado, in 1996. The six-year-old's body was found in the basement of the family home nearly eight hours after she was reported missing. She had been struck on the head and strangled...
, Dr. Herman Tarnower
Herman Tarnower
Herman Tarnower was a cardiologist and the author of the bestselling diet book The Complete Scarsdale Medical Diet...
(the Scarsdale diet guru), Danielle van Dam, Sunny von Bülow
Sunny von Bülow
Martha Sharp Crawford von Bülow , known as Sunny von Bülow, was an American heiress and socialite. Her husband, Claus von Bülow, was convicted of attempting her murder by insulin overdose, but the conviction was overturned on appeal...
, the Branch Davidian
Branch Davidian
The Branch Davidians are a Protestant sect that originated in 1955 from a schism in the Davidian Seventh Day Adventists , a reform movement that began within the Seventh-day Adventist Church around 1930...
incident, Vincent Foster, Laci Peterson
Laci Peterson
Laci Denise Peterson was an American woman who was the subject of a highly discussed murder case after she went missing while seven and a half months pregnant with her first child. Peterson was reportedly last seen alive on December 24, 2002...
and most recently Daniel
Daniel Wayne Smith
Daniel Wayne Smith was the son of the model and actress Anna Nicole and Billy Smith. He infrequently appeared in his mother's E! Network reality TV show, The Anna Nicole Show...
and Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
. During his career, Wecht performed more than 14,000 autopsies
Autopsy
An autopsy—also known as a post-mortem examination, necropsy , autopsia cadaverum, or obduction—is a highly specialized surgical procedure that consists of a thorough examination of a corpse to determine the cause and manner of death and to evaluate any disease or injury that may be present...
. He is a clinical professor at the University of Pittsburgh
University of Pittsburgh
The University of Pittsburgh, commonly referred to as Pitt, is a state-related research university located in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded as Pittsburgh Academy in 1787 on what was then the American frontier, Pitt is one of the oldest continuously chartered institutions of...
School of Medicine and an adjunct professor of law at Duquesne University
Duquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
.
Wecht is both outspoken and controversial. In 1979, Wecht examined Elvis Presley
Elvis Presley
Elvis Aaron Presley was one of the most popular American singers of the 20th century. A cultural icon, he is widely known by the single name Elvis. He is often referred to as the "King of Rock and Roll" or simply "the King"....
's medical records for 20/20
20/20
20/20 is an American "television newsmagazine", , broadcast on ABC since June 6, 1978. Created by ABC News executive Roone Arledge, the show was designed similarly to CBS's 60 Minutes but focuses more on human interest stories than international and political subjects...
and disputed earlier autopsy results suggesting Presley may have had cardiovascular disease. Wecht argued Presley died from a lethal drug cocktail overdose. In his book Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?, he argues that the death was likely an accidental result of a sex “game” committed by her father.
Cyril H. Wecht and Pathology Associates
Since 1962, Wecht has had a private practice. He has served as a medical-legal and forensic pathology consultant in both civil and criminal cases. Wecht is consulted by both plaintiffs' and defense attorneys in civil cases, and by both prosecutors and defense attorneys in criminal cases in jurisdictions throughout the United States and abroad.His forensic consultant engagements include:
- for the Los Angeles County Coroner's Office in regard to the 1968 Robert F. KennedyRobert F. KennedyRobert Francis "Bobby" Kennedy , also referred to by his initials RFK, was an American politician, a Democratic senator from New York, and a noted civil rights activist. An icon of modern American liberalism and member of the Kennedy family, he was a younger brother of President John F...
assassination, the 1969 Sharon Tate/LaBianca cases, and the 1974 Symbionese Liberation Army Deaths; - for the Health Hospital, Panama Canal Zone as a member of the Special Expert Panel on American Legionnaires’ Disease (Department of Health, Education and Welfare, Centers for Disease Control)
- for the ABC network television show 20/20 in regard to the John F. Kennedy assassinationJohn F. Kennedy assassinationJohn Fitzgerald Kennedy, the thirty-fifth President of the United States, was assassinated at 12:30 p.m. Central Standard Time on Friday, November 22, 1963, in Dealey Plaza, Dallas, Texas...
(in 1976) and the death of Elvis Presley - U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations, Forensic Pathology Panel
- for the 1991 film JFKJFK (film)JFK is a 1991 American film directed by Oliver Stone. It examines the events leading to the assassination of President John F. Kennedy and alleged subsequent cover-up, through the eyes of former New Orleans district attorney Jim Garrison .Garrison filed charges against New Orleans businessman Clay...
JFK Assassination: House Select Committee on Assassinations (1978)
In 1978 he testified before the House Select Committee on Assassinations as the lone dissenter on a nine member forensic pathology panel re-examining the assassination of John F. Kennedy, which had concurred with the Warren CommissionWarren Commission
The President's Commission on the Assassination of President Kennedy, known unofficially as the Warren Commission, was established on November 27, 1963, by Lyndon B. Johnson to investigate the assassination of United States President John F. Kennedy on November 22, 1963...
conclusions and single bullet theory
Single bullet theory
The single bullet theory was introduced by the Warren Commission in its investigation of the assassination of President John F. Kennedy to explain what happened to the bullet which struck Kennedy in the back and exited through his throat...
. Out of the four official examinations into the Kennedy Assassination, Dr. Wecht is the only forensic pathologist who has disagreed with the conclusion that both the single bullet theory and Kennedy’s head wounds are mutually consistent.
Investigation Into The Death of Daniel Smith (2007)
Wecht was hired by Callenders and Co, a Bahamian law firm, to do an independent autopsy on the body of Daniel SmithDaniel Wayne Smith
Daniel Wayne Smith was the son of the model and actress Anna Nicole and Billy Smith. He infrequently appeared in his mother's E! Network reality TV show, The Anna Nicole Show...
, the son of Anna Nicole Smith
Anna Nicole Smith
In 1992 Smith was chosen by Hugh Hefner to appear on the cover of the March issue of Playboy, where she was listed as Vickie Smith, wearing a low-cut evening gown. The centerfold was photographed by Stephen Wayda. Smith said she planned to be "the next Marilyn Monroe". Becoming one of Playboys...
who died while visiting his mother in the Bahamas. Wecht attested that Daniel Smith died as a result of the interaction of methadone, sertraline
Sertraline
Sertraline hydrochloride is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. It was introduced to the market by Pfizer in 1991. Sertraline is primarily used to treat major depression in adult outpatients as well as obsessive–compulsive, panic, and social anxiety disorders in...
(Zoloft) and escitalopram
Escitalopram
Escitalopram is an antidepressant of the selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor class. It is approved by the U.S...
(Lexapro).
Allegheny County Coroner and Medical Examiner
In 1965, Wecht became Deputy Coroner of Allegheny County. Four years later he was elected Coroner of Allegheny County. Wecht served as coroner from 1970 to 1980, and again from 1996 to 2006. In 2006, Wecht served briefly as the first Allegheny County Medical Examiner, which replaced the role of County Coroner. Unlike the County Coroner position, which was an elected office, the County Medical Examiner position is an appointed position. Wecht resigned from the position of Medical Examiner, fulfilling an agreement he made with the county that if he was indicted, he would resign his county position.The Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law
In the fall of 2000, the Duquesne University School of Law established the Cyril H. Wecht Institute of Forensic Science and Law. The Institute offers graduate degree and professional certificate programs in forensic science to a diverse group of students spanning the disciplines of law, nursing, law enforcement, pharmacy, the health sciences, business, the environmental sciences and psychology. The Institute collaborates with the Duquesne UniversityDuquesne University
Duquesne University of the Holy Spirit is a private Catholic university in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States. Founded by members of the Congregation of the Holy Spirit, Duquesne first opened its doors as the Pittsburgh Catholic College of the Holy Ghost in October 1878 with an enrollment of...
's schools of Law, Nursing, Natural and Environmental Sciences, Business, Pharmacy, and Liberal Arts, as well as with other academic institutions.
Books
Wecht has written numerous books, including: Into EVIDENCE: Truth, Lies and Unresolved Mysteries in the Murder of JFK, November 22, 1963: A Reference Guide to the JFK Assassination,Grave Secrets: A Leading Forensic Expert Reveals the Startling Truth about O.J. Simpson, David Koresh, Vincent Foster, and Other Sensational Cases and Who Killed JonBenet Ramsey?
Early Years (1965-1985)
In 1965, Wecht became Deputy Coroner of Allegheny County. Four years later he was elected Coroner of Allegheny County. Wecht served as coroner from 1970 to 1980 (and again from 1996 to 2006).In 1978, he had been elected chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Party. One yeat later, Dr. Wecht was elected an Allegheny County Commissioner in 1979. In 1982, he was the Democratic party's nominee to oppose John Heinz for the US Senate seat to which Heinz had first been elected six years previously. Wecht's challenge was unsuccessful: Heinz won 59 percent of the vote.
Wecht and fellow Democratic County Commissioner Tom Foerster were frequently at odds, and battled for control of the Democratic Party in Allegheny County, which Wecht chaired. Although the Democratic Committee rejected Foerster and endorsed Wecht for re-election as commissioner in 1983, the committee paired him with Sheriff Gene Coon, with whom he also had a longstanding political feud. Ultimately Foerster teamed up with former Pittsburgh Mayor Peter F. Flaherty
Peter F. Flaherty
Peter Francis "Pete" Flaherty was an American politician from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.He served as Assistant District Attorney of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania from 1957 to 1964; a City of Pittsburgh Councilman 1966 to 1970; Democratic mayor of Pittsburgh from 1970 to 1977; United States Deputy...
, and the two defeated Wecht and Coon in the primary election for the two Democratic nominations. Wecht then lost the chairmanship of the county's Democratic Party in 1984 to Foerster's hand-picked candidate, Scott Township Tax Collector Ed Stevens. Wecht then sought to become chair of the Pennsylvania Democratic Party that same year, but was defeated by Ed Mezvinsky, a former Congressman from Iowa.
Later years (1995-2006)
In 1995, Wecht, after 12 years out of public life, was again elected as Allegheny County's Coroner. In 1999, he ran for the newly created position of Allegheny County Chief Executive, defeating one-term minority County Commissioner Mike Dawida in the Democratic primary, but losing to prominent Republican millionaire businessman Jim RoddeyJim Roddey
James C. "Jim" Roddey is a Pennsylvania businessman and politician best known as the former Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania, from 2000 to 2004.He is also a former United States Marine...
in his first bid for elective public office.
While serving as the county’s coroner, Wecht continued to operate a private forensic consulting business on the side known as Wecht Pathology Associates. Wecht Pathology Associates charges clients for examining cases, conducting autopsies, and testifying in civil and criminal trials. In his official capacity as county coroner, Wecht continued to squabbled with DA Zappala, often over deaths that took place during encounters with police.
In the case that is the precursor to Wecht’s federal prosecution, US vs. Wecht, Wecht ruled that Charles Dixon had been suffocated through positional asphyxiation during a 2002 encounter with police officers from Mount Oliver and Pittsburgh. When Wecht ruled the death of Dixon a homicide, DA Zappala refused to press charges against the officers. In response, Wecht, acting in his private capacity as an employee of Wecht Pathology Associates, wrote a medical opinion outlining the officers’ alleged role in Dixon’s death which was utilized by Dixon's family in a civil suit against the county.
In response to Wecht's testimony in the Dixon case, Zappala accused Wecht of violating the federal Hobbs Act, which prohibits public officials from using their offices for private gain. In early 2005, Zappala launched an investigation into whether Wecht had been using county resources to carry out private work — allegations similar to those Wecht had faced before. By spring of 2005, FBI agents were seizing documents in Wecht’s private and county offices.
Wecht continued to serve as Coroner until the position was eliminated in 2006. County Executive Dan Onorato
Dan Onorato
Daniel "Dan" Onorato is the current Chief Executive of Allegheny County, Pennsylvania. On Tuesday, May 18, 2010, Onorato won a crowded four-way primary to become the Democratic nominee for governor...
named him as the county's first appointed Medical Examiner in 2006. By January 2006, a federal grand jury had indicted Wecht on 84 criminal counts, prompting Wecht to step down from his county post per an agreement he made when the investigation became public in 2004 that if indicted he would resign as county coroner.
Allegheny County Criminal Trial (1979-1981)
Wecht's tenure as Allegheny County Coroner was not without controversy. While he was responsible for significant upgrades in the professionalism and technology of the coroner's office during his service in that office from 1970 to 1980, making the Allegheny County Coroner's office one of the best in the nation, Wecht's political career proved controversial due to his opinionated nature and as he put it his unwillingness to "run away from a fight.”In 1979 Wecht was accused of performing autopsies for other counties at the county morgue and depositing the fees from these autopsies in his private business' bank account. Wecht responded that the funds in question had been used solely to upgrade the office and staff.
After a long investigation, Wecht was indicted on multiple criminal counts that charged Wecht with personally profiting from work at the coroner's office. Wecht allegedly transacted approximately $400,000 of his private business work using county facilities and the county morgue. In the spring of 1981, the six week long criminal trial began. All charges were dismissed except for one, theft of services. Wecht was acquitted on the remaining charge.
Allegheny County Civil Trial
Although Wecht was acquitted in the criminal case, the County Controller levied a civil surcharge of $390,000 against him for mingling private and public work at the morgue. In 1983, a civil court ruled that Wecht owed the county $172,410. On appeal, the original award to the county was increased to $250,000. In 1992, the county and Dr. Wecht reached a settlement resulting in Wecht having to repay the county $200,000.Federal Criminal Trial
On January 28, 2008, a federal trial against Wecht began, on charges of public corruption. Roughly two weeks prior to the start of the trial proceedings, the prosecution sought to withdraw 43 of the 84 counts against Wecht; the judge dismissed those charges with prejudice. Following trial the jury could not reach agreement on the remaining counts, and the judge declared a mistrial. The prosecution immediately announced that they planned to retry Dr. Wecht.Public concerns were raised about the motivation and conduct of the prosecution before and after the trial. Speculation arose that the prosecution of Dr. Wecht was politically motivated. Attorney General and Governor of Pennsylvania Dick Thornburgh
Dick Thornburgh
Richard Lewis "Dick" Thornburgh is an American lawyer and Republican politician who served as the 41st Governor of Pennsylvania from 1979 to 1987, and then as the U.S...
, a defense lawyer for Wecht, testified before a house panel investigating the US Attorneys' Firing Scandal that Wecht was targeted politically.
Representative Michael F. Doyle
Michael F. Doyle
Michael F. "Mike" Doyle is the U.S. Representative for , serving since 1995. He is a member of the Democratic Party. The district is based in Pittsburgh and includes most of Allegheny County....
and Representative John Conyers Jr., questioned the prosecution's tactics in the aftermath of the first trial and instituted Congressional hearings on the matter. Op-eds in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review called for dismissal of the proposed re-trial. On April 12, 2008, 33 prominent leaders in the Pittsburgh community sent a letter to Attorney General Michael Mukasey and US Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan
Mary Beth Buchanan
Mary Beth Buchanan, née Kotcella, , was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She was nominated by George W...
requesting that the prosecution dismiss the indictment against Wecht. Shortly after the press release of this letter, Senator Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter
Arlen Specter is a former United States Senator from Pennsylvania. Specter is a Democrat, but was a Republican from 1965 until switching to the Democratic Party in 2009...
publicly recommended against a retrial for Dr. Wecht. Former jurors stated to the press that they believed that the prosecution had been politically motivated.
On May 5, 2008, the Department of Justice's Office of Professional Responsibility
Office of Professional Responsibility
The Office of Professional Responsibility is part of the United States Department of Justice responsible for investigating attorneys employed by the DOJ who have been accused of misconduct or crimes in their professional functions...
(OPR) revealed that it initiated an investigation into the Wecht prosecution due to claims that the case was a "selective prosecution".
On May 14, 2009, the trial judge in the retrial excluded most of the evidence against Wecht because it was seized under illegal and improperly executed search warrant
Search warrant
A search warrant is a court order issued by a Magistrate, judge or Supreme Court Official that authorizes law enforcement officers to conduct a search of a person or location for evidence of a crime and to confiscate evidence if it is found....
. On June 2, 2009, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan
Mary Beth Buchanan
Mary Beth Buchanan, née Kotcella, , was the United States Attorney for the Western District of Pennsylvania. She was nominated by George W...
announced that her office would file a motion to dismiss all charges against Wecht.
See also
- CoronerCoronerA coroner is a government official who* Investigates human deaths* Determines cause of death* Issues death certificates* Maintains death records* Responds to deaths in mass disasters* Identifies unknown dead* Other functions depending on local laws...
- Allegheny County