S07 E05: Beyond a Reasonable Doubt
4/23/20261 hr 17 min
John Stewart is arrested shortly after Knowellan’s death, but despite what appears to be strong evidence of abuse, the case against John is never taken to court. Andrea traces how we ended up here, ten years later, with no one held accountable for taking the life of a child. Featuring Experts: Dr. Sally Smith, Child Abuse Pediatrician Mike Weber, Former Crimes Against Children Detective Dr. Cathy Ayoub, Nurse Practitioner and Professor of Psychology at Harvard Matthew Torbenson, Assistant District Attorney
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First 90 secondsAndrea Dunlop· Host0:02
[intro music] True Story Media. Please note that this show discusses child abuse, which may be difficult for some listeners. For resources about abusive head trauma, go to shakenbaby.org. [instrumental music] On January 12th, 2016, one month after Nolan Kelly died from inflicted injuries, a warrant was issued for John Stewart's arrest. Detective Steven Luke's affidavit lays out the information you've heard over the last several episodes, the accounts from Danica, Larry, and John of the 24 hours that preceded Nolan's hospitalization, the messages from John telling Danica that Nolan had had a seizure, the injuries to Nolan's brain, neck, and ribs that both Dr. Smith and Dr. Vega confirmed in their reports. The warrant notes Dr. Vega's comments that seizure symptoms would have occurred shortly after the brain and spinal cord injuries he observed during the autopsy, and mentions that Dr. Smith also stated that the initial seizure, the one that John told Danica about, would have occurred around the time of the original injury to the brain, and that the other symptoms he was reported to be experiencing, lethargy, inability to eat or keep fluids down, were consistent with the progression of cerebral edema, or swelling of the brain. The detectives laid out their evidence, which is undergirded by the two medical experts in the case. So what happened? How did we end