Book of mormon dna evidence is the holy grail for mormons and antimormons alike. Thomas sophonow, who was tried three times for the murder of barbara stoppel, and convicted twice before finally being acquitted, is offering a reward to anyone who can tell him what the new. Judge for yourself as to whether the dna evidence was foolproof in garys case. Remembering and judging introduction to psychology 1st. However, this attack ignores several key points, among which is the fact that the book of mormon states that lehi and his. This is a recommendation, though, not a law, and police do not always follow it. Just last week, sophonow stumbled upon a news article that said dna evidence was. The lds church released an essay on their website titled book of mormon and dna studies. Another testament of jesus christ, is true, not false. The idea that america may have been overwhelmingly peopled by folks. In the past few years, dna studies have been used to provide what may be the strongest and most convincing evidence so far against the authenticity of the book of mormon.
These resolutions and conclusions are based on subjective and incomplete historical information. This led to a comparison of what at first appeared to be two similar cases with similar results. Can evidence rules guide juries and prevent wrongful convictions 2008. If the book of mormon is false, joseph smith was not a prophet. Strengthening forensic science in the united states. Johns a former crown prosecutor will not say if he would have charged randy druken with murder in 1993. Dna evidence and molecular genetics disprove the book of mormon by rich deem introduction. Thomas sophonow was accused of murdering a young waitress who worked in a donut shop in winnipeg, manitoba. There is generally no direct support amongst mainstream historians and.
The commission found that forensic evidence was unreliable and that some. The inquiry into the wrongful conviction of thomas sophonow made the recommendation that police use only sequential lineups one picture at a time, until the witness makes an identification not simultaneous lineups. Unfortunately, these individuals are but some of the relatively recent persons who have been incarcerated at length for serious crimes that they did not. On june the 8th, 2000, winnipeg police announced that dna testing of evidence had cleared sophonow of the crime, and a suspect had been identified.
Reid technique reliability result right to silence role sentence sexual assault smiths sophonow specific supreme court. One was terry arnold, who is now a suspect in the killing. In particular, innocence canada focused on the issue of eyewitness evidence and its many failings, and fought to ensure that thomas would receive the compensation that he so richly deserved. Innocence canada formerly aidwyc participated extensively throughout the inquirys hearings. In 1994, new york states highest court upheld the use of dna evidence in wesleys case. The book of mormon presents the evidence from dna researchers, including mormon scientists, who are wrestling with the dna dilemma that now faces mormonism. Sep 08, 2016 on january 31, 2014, the lds church published an essay entitled book of mormon and dna studies in the gospel topics series on its official website.
Broadly speaking, the evidence that convicted thomas sophonow could be broken down. Reference articles showing dna evidence is not foolproof, and in fact is often wrong. In november of 1998, following the release of dna tests which, combined with the historical record, strongly point to thomas jefferson as the father of at least one of sally hemingss children. While chief ewatski said dna evidence played a role in the investigation, he insisted forensic evidence wasnt what cleared mr. The investigation and prosecution of the murder that sophonow was alleged to have committed exposed problems seen time and again in miscarriages of justice. Has dna testing proved that thomasjefferson fathered at least. Dna evidence and molecular genetics disprove the book of mormon.
As would be brought to light many years later, thomas sophonow had an. A perceptive analysis of thomas jefferson 17431826 by american historian henry adams emphasizes the contradictions and tensions between the philosophy, principles, and political practices of the. Dna evidence proves book of mormon claims about ancient. Johns at the lamer inquiry, which is examining drukens conviction of the murder of his girlfriend, brenda young. Police interviews with thomas sophonow in vancouver. This web version of the final report of the research committee on thomas jefferson and sally hemings is organized into six sections, evaluating the. Correlation and verification through dna, prophetic, scriptural, historical, climatological, archaeological, social, and cultural evidence.
But the 66yearold says even after all these years, hes never known exactly what that evidence is. Nov 29, 2004 forensic dna evidence interpretation is the most comprehensive resource for dna casework available today. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence that proves the book of mormon. Thomas sophonow authorities said they had a new suspect in the 1981 murder for which sophonow was tried three times and spent nearly four years behind bars. Perhaps the most wellknown wrongful conviction in canada is that of thomas sophonow, who was wrongfully convicted of murdering 16yearold barbara stoppel. Remembering and judging canada has had its share of memories being introduced into legal cases with devastating results. His work has focused on environmental issues and various church of jesus christ of latterday saints related topics. Just last week, sophonow stumbled upon a news article that said dna evidence was used to clear. Attacks on the validity of the book of mormon using dna data support for the book of mormon by mormon academics. The officer told the witness to consider sophonow during the lineup, and said that all of the suspects could swap clothes for the witness. Dna samples taken from modern american indians show no connection to the dna of the peoples of the middle east.
Guilty till proven innocent the thomas sophonow story malloy, ronald alexander on. Since the only available dna evidence comes from direct male lineal descendants of persons who have descended from a common male line with thomas. Sophonow had an alibi and was not officially exonerated until 2000. Thomas sophonow was wrongfully convicted twice of the 1981 murder of shop clerk barbara stoppel in winnepeg, manitoba, canada. Thomas sophonow, who was tried three times for the murder of. Its advantage is that the reader will find everything on the subject.
The fact is proven with final and irrefutable evidence that joseph smith wrote the fictitious tale in the early 19th century and founded the lds church what he falsely claimed was revelation from god. A recently published book claims that dna evidence proves the book of mormon, one of the books of scripture used by the mormon church, incorrect. Jennifer thompson is not the only person to have been fooled by her memory of events. He underwent three trials and two appeals, the last one of which acquitted him. According to the book, two of these groups originated from ancient israel. Dna evidence and the book of mormon conclusive proof. Nov 06, 2006 now the same dna evidence used in courts of law can credibly speak to the validity of the book of mormon, which serves as the foundation of the mormon religion. Dna tests offer evidence that jefferson fathered a child. Murphy born circa 1967 is an american anthropologist and writer. Dna evidence and the book of mormon conclusive proof that. The book of mormon makes several scientific claims that can be tested. In 1998, winnipeg police service undertook a reinvestigation of the stoppel murder. Ces letter links to a poorly written wikipedia article as the basis of their sweeping claim.
California commission on the fair administration of justice. Dna tests offer evidence that jefferson fathered a child with. The notorious cases of david milgaard, thomas sophonow, guy paul morin, donald marshalljr. Retired police officer writing new book about thomas sophonows wrongful conviction. Identifying ancient dna related to book of mormon people summary. Stoppel was working alone at the ideal donut shop when around 8. Written by leaders in the fields of biology and statistics, the book emphasizes the interpretation of test results and provides the necessary formulae in an easily accessible manner. Case western reserve university school of law scholarly. December 23, 1981, thomas sophonow, murder of 16yearold barbara.
Forensic dna evidence interpretation is the most comprehensive resource for dna casework available today. The witness said he hadnt identified sophonow in the cell because he was bearded, and had been cleanshaven during the lineup. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints need to realize that god does not seek to confuse us and lead us away from him through the use of our intellect. Joseph smith said in the introduction to the book i told the brethren that the book of mormon was the most correct of any book on earth, and the keystone to our religion yet, the evidence shows the book of mormon is not revelation from god, but a fictitious story written by joseph smith. Dna evidence of the book of mormon in north america, linking. However, this attack ignores several key points, among which is the fact that the book of mormon states that lehi and his family are clearly not jews.
Thomas sophonow stands alone among the ranks of the wrongly convicted in canada for having been tried three times for the same crime, before finally being exonerated barbara stoppel murder. Retired police officer writing new book about thomas sophonows wrongful conviction canadas wrongful convictions but the mystery about the evidence that cleared him has remained. In 2002, anthropologist thomas murphy published an essay in which he argued that dna evidence points to native americans being related to asians, and therefore this disproves the book of mormon. New scientific support for the truthfulness of the book of mormon. In 2000, a winnipeg police service reinvestigation identified another suspect and announced that sophonow was not responsible for the murder. The criticism of the mormon church is the following. Thomas sophonow stands alone among the ranks of the wrongly convicted in canada for having been tried three times for the same crime, before finally being exonerated. Officers have spent hundreds of hours going over 600. Dna evidence proves that thomas jefferson fathered at least one child by sally hemings confirming the results of research published by sam sloan years ago, dna evidence has just proven that thomas jefferson was the father of at least one of the five children of sally hemings. An inquiry was held, with a report released on november 5, 2001. Case studies in the use of dna evidence to establish innocence after trial. Thomas sophonow speaks about his wrongful conviction.
The conclusion states, much as critics and defenders of the book of mormon would like to use dna studies to support their views, the evidence is simply inconclusive. In early 2008 rodney meldrum published a dvd titled dna evidence for book of mormon geography. In summary, dna evidence and the book of mormon is long overdue. Does dna evidence prove the book of mormon to be false. Dna analysis has concluded that native american indians do not originate from the middle east or from israelites but rather from asia.
It is extremely difficult to determine the number of wrongful convictions in canada. Well, i finally got the results of my dna testing, but. Criminal law resources from dan simon, author of in doubt. In 2004, plant biologist simon southerton published a book that made a similar argument. They made several mistakes in the prosecution of tom sophonow and in his arrest, mikolajewski said from his home on vancouver island in british columbia. Na tests performed on the descendants of thomas jeffersons family and of jeffersons young slave, sally hemings, offer compelling new evidence that the third president of the united states fathered at least one of her children as has long been speculated, according to an article in the next issue of the scientific journal nature.
A very good book for those who wishto learn in more depth the fascinating issue of the dna topology. In more than 15% of wrongful conviction cases overturned through dna testing. Murrin sophonow case comparison the rcmp were claiming many of the same reasons for the downfall of the case against shannon murrin as was found in the thomas sophonow case. The witness was led to sophonows cell to meet him against all protocol.
Several eyewitnesses testified against sophonow but there were problems with each one. Thomas sophonow was charged with the december 1981 murder in winnipeg of barbara stoppel. Guilty till proven innocent the thomas sophonow story. Resources in doubt the psychology of the criminal justice. Rather, he calls us to prove all things 1 thessalonians 5. The book traces 36 cases of wrongful conviction, and. Repository citation dufraimont, lisa, regulating unreliable evidence. Retired police officer writing new book about thomas sophonow s wrongful conviction.
The book of mormon, the founding document of the latter day saint movement and one of the four books of scripture of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints lds church, is an account of three groups of people. George thatchers book revisits a great unresolved miscarriage of justice. Dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence youtube. Those who denied the possibility that thomas jefferson was the father of any of sallys children hoped that dna evidence would settle the question.
Case western reserve university school of law scholarly commons. Instead, the evidence has resulted in renewed controversy and has demonstrated that even in cases where the scientific evidence is clear, its interpretation remains ambiguous. Thomas sophonow innocents database of exonerations. Thomas murphy, anthropologist, mormon scholar, and dna researcher, acknowledges the problem that the dna evidence presents for the historical accuracy of the book of mormon. Dna evidence proves that thomas jefferson fathered at. New evidence came to light that was not available at the time.
Dna tests on the descendants of thomas jeffersons family and of jeffersons young slave, sally hemings, offer compelling evidence that the nations third president fathered at least one of her. In responding to letters to nature, the authors make it clear that the data establish only that thomas jefferson was one of several candidates for the paternity of eston hemings, sally hemings 5th child. The dvd is based upon a popular presentation given in a number of. Retired police officer writing new book about thomas sophonows. The investigation, prosecution and consideration of. In march of 1982, sophonow was arrested for the killing of 16yearold barbara gayle stoppel, who was strangled in a st. Members of the church of jesus christ of latterday saints need to realize that. In addition to three jailhouse informants who testified for the prosecution, nine others volunteered. Dalton said faulty science, tunnel vision by investigators who only look at evidence that relates to. The thomas jefferson memorial foundation issued a report in january 2000 concluding that there is a strong likelihood that thomas jefferson was the father of at least one and perhaps all the children of sally hemings. The strongest evidence yet against the book of mormon. Thomas sophonow inquiry report recommendations province of. The investigation has determined that thomas sophonow was not responsible for this crime and the sevenperson investigating team has. Its records of slave births, deaths, purchases and sales, and other information has provided researchers with considerable data about the lives of slaves at monticello, including the births of all sally hemings known children.
The rcmp are claiming the same reasons for the downfall of. This video is an eyeopening look for mormons to see the deception laid before them by clearly proving that there is no evidence to support the book of mormon and, in fact, provides contrary evidence. Joseph smith claimed that the book of mormon is the. Reviews of dna evidence for book of mormon geography fairmormon. Devout mormon, daniel peterson, a professor of asian and near eastern languages at brigham young university, said. However, the book of mormon has been scientifically proven to be false which means joseph smith was a gross liar and received no revelation from god. No, the dna testing is inconclusive and, at best, proves only that any of thomas jeffersons male relatives could have fathered a child with sally hemings. One of the major aspects of wrongful convictions is the tunnel vision. July marks the 25th anniversary of the first use of dna. Thomas author see all 2 formats and editions hide other formats and editions. The wrongful conviction of innocent people has gradually been recognized over the last quarter of a century as a problem for the canadian criminal justice system. Retired police officer writing new book about thomas sophonow. The book explores details of the botched investigation, including many details that werent included in the inquiry following the exoneration of thomas sophonow. Genetic attacks on the book of mormon focus on the fact that amerindian dna seems closest to asian dna, and not dna from the middle east or jewish dna.
This must mean that amerindians are not descended from book of mormon peoples, and the book of mormon is false. In this article, we will provide some background on this issue focusing on the scientific issues, followed by a point by point response to various statements made in the essay about the book of mormon. The book traces 36 cases of wrongful conviction, and points to several systemic causes. Jan, 2016 dna vs book of mormon incredible new evidence that proves the book of mormon. Wrongfully convicted sophonow ready to forgive the globe. Government to look into the case of thomas sophonow. The book of mormon claims that the native american peoples are descended from the house of israel, but the dna evidence, according to this book, points to an asiatic origin for the american continents native people. Dna test finds evidence of jefferson child by slave the. The dvd is based upon a popular presentation given in a number of fireside. Ive heard this so many times from my genealogy friends. Guilty till proven innocent the thomas sophonow story paperback jan 15 1987. The authors of the original dna report in nature say the evidence for thomas jeffersons paternity is less than conclusive. Since the only available dna evidence comes from direct male lineal descendants of persons who have descended from a common male line with thomas jefferson father, grandfather, etc. In 1953, thomas jeffersons farm book was published in an edited version, after having been rediscovered.
Reviews of dna evidence for book of mormon geography. Now, hes writing a book about the case in an effort to reveal insight into. Over the past 10 years, almost 400 people have been released from prison when dna evidence confirmed that they could not have committed the crime for which they had been convicted. On january 31, 2014, the lds church published an essay entitled book of mormon and dna studies in the gospel topics series on its official website. Has dna testing proved that thomasjefferson fathered at. Jun 09, 2000 new evidence came to light that was not available at the time. The chief claim, and the premise of the entire book, is that hebrews carried the message of the coming messiah on a voyage across the atlantic. View a video showing what went wrong with gary leitermans case.