Cyril Wecht

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.

Background

Wecht was born to Jewish immigrant parents in a tiny mining village in Dunkard Township, 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.[1]

Wecht had musical leanings and was concertmaster of the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra^[1] 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.^{[citation needed]}

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.^{[citation needed]}

Personal life

He is married and has four children.

Forensics career

Wecht became famous appearing on television and consulting on deaths with a high media profile. Some of the cases include; Robert F. Kennedy, 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.^[2] 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.^[2]

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. Kennedy 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 assassination (in 1976) and the death of Elvis Presley
• U.S. House of Representatives Select Committee on Assassinations, Forensic Pathology Panel
• for the 1991 film JFK

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 Commission 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.^[3][4][5]

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 Smith, the son of Anna Nicole Smith who died while visiting his mother in the Bahamas.^[6] Wecht attested that Daniel Smith died as a result of the interaction of methadone, sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro).^[7]

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.^{[citation needed]}

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 University'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?^{[citation needed]}

Political career

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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^{[citation needed]}

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 Roddey 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.^[2] 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.^[2]

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.^[2]

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.^[2]

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.^[2]

Court Cases

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.”^[2]

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.^[8]

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.^[2][8] 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.^[2][8]

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.^[2][8]

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.^[9] 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.^[10]

Public concerns were raised about the motivation and conduct of the prosecution before and after the trial.^[11][12] 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.^[13][14]

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.^[15] Op-eds in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review called for dismissal of the proposed re-trial.^[16] 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.^[17] Former jurors stated to the press that they believed that the prosecution had been politically motivated.^[18]

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".^[19]

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.^[20] On June 2, 2009, U.S. Attorney Mary Beth Buchanan announced that her office would file a motion to dismiss all charges against Wecht.^[21]

See also

	Pittsburgh portal
	Biography portal
	Law enforcement/Law enforcement topics portal

• Coroner
• Allegheny County

Notes

1. ^ Music Man (letter) Pitt Magazine, Spring 2007, p. 3
2. ^ ^{a b c d e f g h i j k} "The Wecht Files". Pittsburgh City Paper. 2007-12-20. http://www.pittsburghcitypaper.ws/gyrobase/Content?oid=oid%3A39852. 
3. ^ "Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives". The National Archives The JFK Assassination Records. http://www.archives.gov/research/jfk/select-committee-report/part-1a.html#reliance. Retrieved 2007-02-22. 
4. ^ Vincent Bugliosi, Reclaiming History, p. 863
5. ^ "Testimony of Dr. Cyril H. Wecht". 1978-09-07. http://mcadams.posc.mu.edu/russ/m_j_russ/hscawech.htm. 
6. ^ "Anna Nicole May Not Pay Callenders". The Bahama Journal. 2007-01-23. http://www.webcitation.org/5MjMMmVSP. Retrieved 2007-02-17. 
7. ^ "Pathologist: Meds Killed Daniel Smith". People (people.com). 2006-09-28. http://www.webcitation.org/5MjPUfbny. Retrieved 2007-02-17. 
8. ^ ^{a b c d} O'Toole, James; Charlie Dietrich (2006-01-21). "Wecht no stranger to controversy". Pittsburgh Post Gazette. http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06021/641949.stm. 
9. ^ "Judge approves dismissal of some Wecht charges". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2008-01-04. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/wecht/trial/s_545883.html. 
10. ^ "Wecht trial over; feds to try again". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2008-04-08. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_561264.html. 
11. ^ "FBI's calls upset jurors in Wecht trial". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2008-04-11. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_561792.html. 
12. ^ "Sources of Wecht jury names sought". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2008-04-15. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_562381.html. 
13. ^ Prine, Carl; Jason Cato (11 April 2008). "FBI's calls upset jurors in Wecht trial". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_561792.html. Retrieved 2008-06-14. 
14. ^ "Democrats Were Targets in Inquiries, Panel Is Told". NY Times. 2007-10-24. http://www.nytimes.com/2007/10/24/washington/24prosecute.html?_r=2&oref=slogin&ref=washington&pagewanted=all&oref=slogin. 
15. ^ "Prosecution's conduct in Wecht case labeled 'troubling'". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2008-04-12. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/s_562027.html. 
16. ^ "Prosecution says Wecht retrial needs 'outsiders'". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2008-04-16. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/cityregion/s_562599.html. 
17. ^ "Open Letter Calling for Reconsideration of Wecht Retrial". Talking Points Memo. 2008-04-16. http://www.talkingpointsmemo.com/docs/wecht-retrial-letter. 
18. ^ "Ex-coroner Wecht not a criminal, jurors say". Pittsburgh Tribune Review. 2008-04-29. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/s_564787.html. 
19. ^ Marting, Bob (2008-06-12). "U.S. Attorney Offices in Northern, Middle Districts are being probed by the Justice Department for possible political prosecution in the Siegelman cases". The Montgomery Independent. http://www.al.com/news/independent/index.ssf?/base/news/121330890913880.xml&coll=4. Retrieved 2008-06-14. 
20. ^ "Judge tosses evidence in remaining Wecht corruption charges". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2009-05-14. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/specialreports/wecht/trial/s_625211.html. 
21. ^ "Remaining counts against ex-coroner Wecht are dropped". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. 2009-06-02. http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_627811.html. 

External links

• Cyril Wecht's website
• Pittsburgh Tribune-Review Wecht Trial Coverage
• Pittsburgh Channel Wecht Trial Coverage
• [2]

Persondata
Name	Wecht, Cyril
Alternative names	Wecht, Cyril Harrison
Short description	American forensic pathologist
Date of birth	March 20, 1931
Place of birth	Bobtown, Dunkard Township, Greene County, Pennsylvania, U.S.
Date of death
Place of death