Forensic pathologist questions attorney’s statement in legal filing
Dr. Cyril Wecht said he once called the single bullet theory used by the Warren Commission to explain the assassination of President Kennedy “a pseudo-scientific, asinine sham.” So he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry upon reading a news account of a legal filing by Uniontown attorney Samuel J. Davis.
Davis, in trying to discredit Wecht’s theory of the homicide case against his client Debra Payne wrote, “Therefore, Dr. Wecht’s conclusions are suspect despite his celebrity and reputation, the court must remember he is the author of the ‘one bullet theory’ that has been much maligned ever since he offered it in the death of President Kennedy.”
While Wecht said he understands that some people don’t care about the assassination, “Who doesn’t know that I’m a critic of the Warren Commission report?” he questioned.
The internationally-recognized forensic pathologist contacted the Herald-Standard Friday afternoon to point out Davis’ error, and asked if the attorney “lives in a cave.”
But Davis, laughing heartily at what he called a “misstatement,” took the opportunity to strike back.
“I’m glad that Dr. Wecht is carefully reviewing his news reports. He obviously is basing his opinion here on fact, unlike his opinion in the Payne suicide case. That is based on no facts whatsoever,” Davis said.
In the Payne case, Wecht testified that he believed her husband, Harold Eugene Payne, was shot in the head from six to 12 inches away. Police arrested Debra Payne after they found gunpowder residue on her sweatshirt. Davis has contended that Harold Payne shot himself.
The brief in which Davis erroneously credited Wecht with supporting the single bullet theory was to bolster his contention that there was not enough evidence to sustain the homicide charge against Payne.
In addition to questioning Wecht’s opinion in the Payne case, Davis questioned if Wecht was right in calling the single bullet theory bunk because the official opinion of the Warren Commission “has never been modified or challenged,” he said.
“I’m glad for Dr. Wecht,” Davis said. “He’s making a lot of money speaking on TV, and I’m glad he’s reading the newspaper.”