Cyril Wecht

Cyril Wecht
Allegheny County Medical Examiner
In office
December 29, 2005[1] – January 20, 2006[2]
Preceded by Himself as Coroner
Succeeded by Abdulrezak Shakir (Acting)[a]
Allegheny County Coroner
In office
January 1, 1996 – December 29, 2005
Preceded by F. James Gregis (Acting)[b]
Succeeded by Himself as Medical Examiner
In office
January 2, 1970[3] – January 9, 1980
Preceded by Ralph Stalter
Succeeded by Joshua Perper (Acting)[c]
Member of the Allegheny County
Board of Commissioners
In office
January 7, 1980 – January 2, 1984[4]
Preceded by Jim Flaherty
Succeeded by Pete Flaherty
Chairperson of the
Allegheny County Democratic Party
In office
June 1, 1978[5] – May 30, 1984[6]
Preceded by Eugene Coon
Succeeded by Ed Stevens
Personal details
Born Cyril Harrison Wecht
(1931-03-20) March 20, 1931
Dunkard Township, Pennsylvania
Political party Democratic
Alma mater University of Pittsburgh (B.S.), (M.D.), (LLB)
University of Maryland School of Law (J.D.)
Occupation Forensic pathologist
Politician
Attorney
a.^ Shakir held the title of Acting Medical Examiner while a national search was undertaken to find a permanent successor to Wecht.[7] In December of 2006, Karl Williams was formally appointed Medical Examiner.[8]
b.^ Gregis held the title of Acting Coroner from the date of Joshua Perper's resignation in July of 1994, until Wecht was elected to permanently fill the vacancy.[9]
c.^ Perper held the title of Acting Coroner from the date of Wecht's resignation, until the State Supreme Court upheld Dr. Sanford Edberg's appointment to the office on March 2, 1981.

Cyril Harrison Wecht (born March 20, 1931) 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 and Allegheny County Coroner & Medical Examiner serving metro Pittsburgh.

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.[10]

Wecht had musical leanings and was concertmaster of the University of Pittsburgh Orchestra[11] 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 LL.B. from the University of Pittsburgh School of Law in 1962,[12] 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.

Forensics career

Cyril, obviously, is a national figure,
international figure, in many ways
so we’re lucky to have someone of
his stature here in Allegheny County.

“
”

Rich Fitzgerald[13]

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, Brian Jones, 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.[14] 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.[14] Wecht also created controversy by disputing the findings of Dr. Samuel Gerber, the coroner who autopsied Olympic athlete Stella Walsh after her murder in 1981 and and refused to identify her as male or female; Gerber stated her genitalia were ambiguous while Wecht claimed Walsh was genetically a male.[15]

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:

JFK assassination

In 1965 Wecht presented a paper critiquing the Warren Commission to the meeting of the American Academy of Forensic Sciences.[17] In 1972 Wecht was the first civilian ever given permission to examine the Kennedy assassination evidence. It was Wecht who first discovered that Kennedy’s brain, and all related data in the killing, had gone missing.[18] 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, 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.[19][20][21]

Investigation into the death of Daniel Smith

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.[22] Wecht attested that Daniel Smith died as a result of the interaction of methadone, sertraline (Zoloft) and escitalopram (Lexapro).[23]

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:

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. His initial departure from the office of Coroner was not met without controversy. Wecht did not resign as Coroner until January 9, two days after his swearing-in as an Allegheny County Commissioner, as the law did not prohibit him from holding both the offices of Coroner and Commissioner.[24] He resigned under pressure from a variety of sources, including his predecessor as Coroner, Dr. Ralph Stalter, a Republican, and the administration of Governor Dick Thornburgh, also a Republican.[25] He initially recommended that Dr. Joshua Perper succeed him, and indeed Perper held the title of Acting Coroner until Thornburgh appointed Dr. Sanford Edburg to succeed Wecht. While Perper initially rejected the appointment as unconstitutional, the State Supreme Court upheld Thornburgh's right to appoint Edberg, who duly took over the office of Coroner on March 2, 1981.[26]

In 1978, he was elected chairman of the Allegheny County Democratic Party. One year later, Wecht was elected to the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners. In 1982, he was the Democratic party's nominee to oppose freshman Senator John Heinz in bid for a second term; Heinz won the election with 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 Pete 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.

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 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.[14] 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 squabble with DA Zappala, often over deaths that took place during encounters with police.[14]

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.[14]

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.[14]

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.[14]

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.”[14]

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's bank account. Wecht responded that the funds in question had been used solely to upgrade the office and staff.[27]

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.[14][27] 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.[14][27]

The original judge at trial was censured by a judge's panel and some findings vacated due to judicial misconduct.[28] Wecht's attorneys alleged that he was a victim of a political conspiracy.[29]

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 Wecht reached a settlement resulting in Wecht having to repay the county $200,000.[14][27]

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; judge Arthur J. Schwab dismissed those charges with prejudice.[30] 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 Wecht.[31]

Public concerns were raised about the motivation and conduct of the prosecution before and after the trial.[32][33] Speculation arose that the prosecution of Wecht was politically motivated. Former 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.[34][35]

Congressmen Mike Doyle (whose district includes Pittsburgh) and John Conyers questioned the prosecution's tactics in the aftermath of the first trial and instituted Congressional hearings on the matter.[36] Op-eds in The Pittsburgh Post Gazette and the Pittsburgh Tribune Review called for dismissal of the proposed re-trial.[37] 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 Wecht.[38] Former jurors stated to the press that they believed that the prosecution had been politically motivated.[39]

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".[40]

On May 14, 2009, a new trial judge in the retrial excluded most of the evidence against Wecht because it was seized under an illegal and improperly executed search warrant.[41] On June 2, 2009, Buchanan announced that her office would file a motion to dismiss all charges against Wecht.[42]

Wecht was portrayed by Albert Brooks in the 2015 film Concussion. In the film, Wecht was a staunch supporter of Bennet Omalu's efforts to expose the link between concussions and football. It implies that Wecht's prosecution was launched at the behest of the National Football League (NFL) in an effort to put pressure on Omalu to back down; while Omalu's first paper on CTE was not published until months after Wecht's indictment, it was under review and widely discussed for months preceding Wecht's indictment, thus the NFL's participation in Wecht's indictment can be inferred from the timeline.[43]

References

  1. ↑ Lovering, Daniel (December 30, 2005). "Famous coroner Wecht to be county's first medical examiner". Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  2. ↑ Cato, Jason (January 21, 2006). "Wecht resigns, proclaims innocence". The Pittsburgh Tribune. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  3. ↑ "Wecht Sworn In As Coroner". The Pittsburgh Press. January 2, 1970. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  4. ↑ "New Allegheny commissioners promise new era of cooperation". The Gettysburg Times. January 3, 1984. Retrieved December 29, 2011.
  5. ↑ Uhl, Sherley (June 1, 1978). "Wecht At Dem Helm, Rips Party Dissidents". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  6. ↑ Uhl, Sherley (May 30, 1984). "Democrats pick chairman tonight". The Pittsburgh Press. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  7. ↑ "Wecht indicted, relinquishes medical examiner duties". The Pittsburgh Business Times. January 20, 2006. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  8. ↑ Belser, Ann (December 23, 2006). "Allegheny County names new medical examiner". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  9. ↑ "Perper named to Fla. post". The Observer-Reporter. April 10, 1994. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  10. ↑ "PCNC NightTalk 4th Anniversary Party 8-7-00 - Look Back". YouTube. 2008-07-20. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  11. ↑ Music Man (letter) Pitt Magazine, Spring 2007, p. 3
  12. ↑ "Class Notes". Pitt Magazine. University of Pittsburgh. Winter 2010. Retrieved February 23, 2013.
  13. ↑ "Cyril Wecht Will Not Become Allegheny County Medical Examiner". CBS Pittsburgh. 2012-02-27. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  14. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 Charlie Dietrich (2007-12-20). "The Wecht Files". Pittsburgh City Paper.
  15. ↑ https://blog.longreads.com/2016/08/18/the-life-and-murder-of-stella-walsh-intersex-olympic-champion/
  16. ↑ Eligon, John (2011-03-02). "Pathologist Testifies in Case of L.I. Speaker's Death". New York Times. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  17. ↑ Brown, Greg (February 12, 1989). "Cyril Wecht continues to probe JFK murder". Sunday Times. Beaver County Times. Beaver, Pennsylvania. p. 6. Retrieved March 29, 2015.
  18. ↑ Graham, Fred (August 27, 1972). "Mystery Cloaks Fate of Brain of Kennedy" (PDF). New York Times. New York City, New York. Retrieved April 10, 2016.
  19. ↑ "Report of the Select Committee on Assassinations of the U.S. House of Representatives". The National Archives. The JFK Assassination Records. Retrieved 2007-02-22.
  20. ↑ Vincent Bugliosi, Reclaiming History, p. 863
  21. ↑ "TESTIMONY OF DR. CYRIL H. WECHT, CORONER, ALLEGHENY COUNTY, PA.". 1978-09-07. Archived from the original on March 25, 2016.
  22. ↑ Quincy Parker (2007-01-23). "Anna Nicole May Not Pay Callenders". The Bahama Journal. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  23. ↑ Nicole Weisensee Egan (2006-09-28). "Pathologist: Meds Killed Daniel Smith". People. people.com. Archived from the original on February 17, 2007. Retrieved 2007-02-17.
  24. ↑ "Wecht Resigns As County Coroner". The Pittsburgh Press. January 9, 1980. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  25. ↑ "Wecht Reported Ready to Quit Coroner Post". The Pittsburgh Press. January 8, 1980. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  26. ↑ O'Toole, James (March 3, 1981). "Edberg wins coroner title in court". The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. Retrieved December 30, 2011.
  27. 1 2 3 4 O'Toole, James; Charlie Dietrich (2006-01-21). "Wecht no stranger to controversy". Pittsburgh Post Gazette.
  28. ↑ Paul Maryniak (Feb 7, 1981). "Judge's Conduct Issue in Wecht Case". The Pittsburgh Press. p. 1. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  29. ↑ James O'Toole (Feb 6, 1981). "Attorneys attempt to prove anti-Wecht conspiract". Pittsburgh Post-Gazette. p. 1. Retrieved 2014-03-22.
  30. ↑ Jason Cato (2008-01-04). "Judge approves dismissal of some Wecht charges". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  31. ↑ Jason Cato (2008-04-08). "Wecht trial over; feds to try again". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  32. ↑ Carl Prine (2008-04-11). "FBI's calls upset jurors in Wecht trial". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  33. ↑ Jason Cato (2008-04-15). "Sources of Wecht jury names sought". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  34. ↑ Prine, Carl; Jason Cato (11 April 2008). "FBI's calls upset jurors in Wecht trial". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  35. ↑ Philip Shenon (2007-10-24). "Democrats Were Targets in Inquiries, Panel Is Told". NY Times.
  36. ↑ Jason Cato (2008-04-12). "Prosecution's conduct in Wecht case labeled 'troubling'". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  37. ↑ Jason Cato (2008-04-16). "Prosecution says Wecht retrial needs 'outsiders'". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  38. ↑ Paul Kiel (2008-04-16). "Open Letter Calling for Reconsideration of Wecht Retrial". Talking Points Memo.
  39. ↑ Jason Cato (2008-04-29). "Ex-coroner Wecht not a criminal, jurors say". Pittsburgh Tribune Review.
  40. ↑ 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. Retrieved 2008-06-14.
  41. ↑ Jason Cato (2009-05-14). "Judge tosses evidence in remaining Wecht corruption charges". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  42. ↑ Jason Cato (2009-06-02). "Remaining counts against ex-coroner Wecht are dropped". Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.
  43. ↑ Engber, Daniel. "Concussion Lies". slate.com. The Slate Group. Retrieved 26 December 2015.

Further reading

Political offices
Preceded by
Himself
As County Coroner		 Allegheny County Medical Examiner
2005–2006 		Succeeded by
Abdulrezak Shakir1
Acting
Preceded by
F. James Gregis2
Acting		 Allegheny County Coroner
1996–2005 		Succeeded by
Office Eliminated
Preceded by
Jim Flaherty		 Member of the Allegheny County Board of Commissioners
1980–1984 		Succeeded by
Pete Flaherty
Preceded by
Ralph Stalter		 Allegheny County Coroner
1970–1980 		Succeeded by
Joshua Perper3
Acting
Party political offices
Preceded by
Bill Green		 Democratic nominee for U.S. Senator from Pennsylvania
(Class 1)
1982 		Succeeded by
Joe Vignola
Preceded by
Eugene Coon		 Chairperson of the Allegheny County Democratic Party
1978–1984 		Succeeded by
Ed Stevens
Notes and references
1. Shakir held the title of Acting Medical Examiner while a national search was undertaken to find a permanent successor to Wecht. In December of 2006, Karl Williams was formally appointed Medical Examiner.
2. Gregis held the title of Acting Coroner from the date of Joshua Perper's resignation in July of 1994, until Wecht was elected to permanently fill the vancancy.
3. Perper held the title of Acting Coroner from the date of Wecht's resignation, until the State Supreme Court upheld Dr. Sanford Edberg's appointment to the office on March 2, 1981
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