In 1990 prosecutors in Cook County, Illinois charged John Willis with several counts of rape in connection with a series of sexual assaults committed in the late 1980s on Chicago's South Side. Willis, a petty thief and illiterate, denied raping the women even though several of the victims had picked him out of a lineup.
The only physical evidence in the Willis case was a scrap of toilet paper containing traces of semen. Police took this evidence to the Chicago Police Lab where it was examined by Dr. Pamela Fish. Dr. Fish came to the lab in 1979 with bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from Loyola University. Ten years later, after taking courses at night, she earned a Ph.D in biology from Illinois Institute of Technology. According to her handwritten lab notes, Dr. Fish determined that the secretor of the semen had type A blood. John Willis had type B blood thereby excluding him as the rapist. Dr. Fish reported, however, in contradiction to her lab notes, that the semen on the tissue possessed type B blood. She testified to this at Willis' 1991 trial. The jury, in addition to believing in Dr. Fish, believed eleven prosecution rape victim/eyewitnesses that identified the defendant as the rapist. The jury found Willis guilty and the judge sentenced him to 100 years in prison.
Eight years later a south Chicago rapist confessed to these sexual assaults after being linked to the crimes through DNA analysis. An appeals judge set aside the Willis conviction and he was set free. On the day of his release Dr. Fish, now the head of biochemistry testing at the state crime lab, spoke at a DNA seminar for judges. (The Chicago Police Lab had been incorporated into the Illinois crime lab system in 1996.)
The Willis reversal led to a 2001 review of Dr. Fish's cases by the renowned DNA expert from Berkeley, California, Dr. Edward Blake. Dr. Blake studied nine cases in which Dr. Fish had testified that her blood-typing tests had produced inconclusive results. Dr. Blake found that Dr. Fish's test results had actually exonerated the defendants involved and that she gave false testimony at those trials. Dr. Blake characterized Dr. Fish's work as "scientific fraud."
In the summer of 2001 a state representative at a legislative hearing on prosecutorial misconduct suggested to the head of the Illinois State Police that Dr. Fish be transferred out of the crime lab into a position where she could do less harm. (In the public sector this is considered harsh employee discipline.) The police administrator ignored the recommendation.
In 2002 three more Illinois men in prison for rape since 1987 were exonerated by DNA. Dr. Fish had testified for the prosecution in all three cases. Two years later, after the state paid John Willis a large settlement for his wrongful prosecution and incarceration, the state refused to renew Dr. Fish's employment contract. Rather than firing Dr. Fish the state simply refused to rehire her.
In 2006 Marlon Pendleton, two years after his release from an Illinois prison where he'd been wrongfully incarcerated thirteen years on a rape conviction, sued the Chicago Police Department and Dr. Fish. The plaintiff accused Chicago detectives Jack Stewart and Steven Barnes, of manufacturing a false line-up identification against him. (These cops were notorious for this kind of behavior.) He accused Dr. Fish of perjury in connection with her DNA testimony at the trial, testimony that convinced the jury he had raped the victim. The Illinois Court of Claims awarded Pendleton $170,000 for his wrongful conviction. (In 2011 Mr. Pendleton was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2008. The judge sentenced him to 17 years in prison.)
In 2017 Dr. Fish was employed as a biology teacher at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, Illinois.
The only physical evidence in the Willis case was a scrap of toilet paper containing traces of semen. Police took this evidence to the Chicago Police Lab where it was examined by Dr. Pamela Fish. Dr. Fish came to the lab in 1979 with bachelor's and master's degrees in biology from Loyola University. Ten years later, after taking courses at night, she earned a Ph.D in biology from Illinois Institute of Technology. According to her handwritten lab notes, Dr. Fish determined that the secretor of the semen had type A blood. John Willis had type B blood thereby excluding him as the rapist. Dr. Fish reported, however, in contradiction to her lab notes, that the semen on the tissue possessed type B blood. She testified to this at Willis' 1991 trial. The jury, in addition to believing in Dr. Fish, believed eleven prosecution rape victim/eyewitnesses that identified the defendant as the rapist. The jury found Willis guilty and the judge sentenced him to 100 years in prison.
Eight years later a south Chicago rapist confessed to these sexual assaults after being linked to the crimes through DNA analysis. An appeals judge set aside the Willis conviction and he was set free. On the day of his release Dr. Fish, now the head of biochemistry testing at the state crime lab, spoke at a DNA seminar for judges. (The Chicago Police Lab had been incorporated into the Illinois crime lab system in 1996.)
The Willis reversal led to a 2001 review of Dr. Fish's cases by the renowned DNA expert from Berkeley, California, Dr. Edward Blake. Dr. Blake studied nine cases in which Dr. Fish had testified that her blood-typing tests had produced inconclusive results. Dr. Blake found that Dr. Fish's test results had actually exonerated the defendants involved and that she gave false testimony at those trials. Dr. Blake characterized Dr. Fish's work as "scientific fraud."
In the summer of 2001 a state representative at a legislative hearing on prosecutorial misconduct suggested to the head of the Illinois State Police that Dr. Fish be transferred out of the crime lab into a position where she could do less harm. (In the public sector this is considered harsh employee discipline.) The police administrator ignored the recommendation.
In 2002 three more Illinois men in prison for rape since 1987 were exonerated by DNA. Dr. Fish had testified for the prosecution in all three cases. Two years later, after the state paid John Willis a large settlement for his wrongful prosecution and incarceration, the state refused to renew Dr. Fish's employment contract. Rather than firing Dr. Fish the state simply refused to rehire her.
In 2006 Marlon Pendleton, two years after his release from an Illinois prison where he'd been wrongfully incarcerated thirteen years on a rape conviction, sued the Chicago Police Department and Dr. Fish. The plaintiff accused Chicago detectives Jack Stewart and Steven Barnes, of manufacturing a false line-up identification against him. (These cops were notorious for this kind of behavior.) He accused Dr. Fish of perjury in connection with her DNA testimony at the trial, testimony that convinced the jury he had raped the victim. The Illinois Court of Claims awarded Pendleton $170,000 for his wrongful conviction. (In 2011 Mr. Pendleton was convicted of murdering his girlfriend in 2008. The judge sentenced him to 17 years in prison.)
In 2017 Dr. Fish was employed as a biology teacher at Notre Dame College Prep in Niles, Illinois.
This woman is a disgrace to the profession. The damage she has done to so many lives is shocking. I also feel many people are to blame for the Dr. Fish's of the world. For example, where was the quality control in the laboratory in which she worked? There should have been( even back in the day )statistics promulgated on her work and a review process in place. She should have been fired a long time before she was able to create the damage that she did. Nôtre Dame, what is wrong with you?
ReplyDeleteHave you ever contributed to anything worth while in society?
DeleteBRUHHHHHH SHES MY BIO TEACHER
ReplyDeleteTell her she's trash and deserves to be in prison - a year for every year she put innocent people away.
DeletePeople saying she’s trash, shut the HELL up. She’s the nicest, most generous teacher at that school. She made a mistake and we don’t even know what kind of materials she used to find the research. Stop jumping to assumptions, you f*cking morons.
ReplyDeleteShe is the reason innocent people went to jail... so yeah she is trash.
DeleteYes, she is trash to send innocent kids to jail. Marcellius Bradford was 17, Calvin Ollins was 14, Larry Ollins was 16, and Omar Saunders was 18. The same age as the students at Notre Dame College Prep.
DeleteIt's too bad she didn't spend her entire career in the classroom where her "mistakes" didn't send innocent people to prison.
ReplyDeleteshe’s my bio teacher
ReplyDelete