Court cases challenge 'Shaken Baby' diagnosis
Source: Associated Press
Court cases challenge 'Shaken Baby' diagnosis
Sudhin Thanawala, Associated Press
Updated 1:54 pm, Saturday, February 13, 2016
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) A California jury convicted Alan Gimenez of killing his infant daughter Priscilla after medical testimony revealed what some doctors say is a tell-tale sign she had been shaken: brain swelling and bleeding inside her skull and behind her eyes.
More than 20 years later, Gimenez still maintains his innocence, and is now contesting his conviction in court on the grounds that the three symptoms his daughter showed are no longer considered a clear indication of abuse.
"I never shook my daughter. I never abused her," said Gimenez, who was paroled in June after nearly 24 years in prison.
The case before the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals is among a spate of recent challenges to "shaken baby syndrome" diagnoses that, like Gimenez's case, include a similar trio of symptoms without evidence of neck injuries.
Read more: http://www.chron.com/news/medical/article/Court-cases-challenge-Shaken-Baby-diagnosis-6828553.php