Considering the Expert Evidence from Detective Mark Lounsbury in the State of Connecticut v. Julie Amero case

Overview

Julie Amero was convicted for FOUR charges, including Risk of Injury to a Child that could have resulted in a 40-year sentence. Testimony from experts was admitted as evidence that contributed to the case against Julie Amero.

Materials

Task 0: Preparation

Learners are to form pairs and exchange summaries of the case.

Task 1: Consideration of digital evidence to establish intent.

An important aspect of the case was establishing intent on the part of Julie Amero to access indecent material in the given context. The expectation is that learners should:

  1. Spend no more than 20 minutes considering what expert evidence was used, if any, to establish intent on the part of Julie Amero to access indecent material in the given context.

  2. Spend no more than 10 minutes to formulate a position whether there could be grounds for appeal on this expert evidence.

  3. Spend no more than 10 minutes to expand consideration of grounds formulated in Step 2 by considering alternative explanations or positions that would undermine the expert evidence.

  4. Generate a supporting summary of no more than 100 words that confirms the adopted position and areas for further scrutiny.

Learners in considering the case should consider the following specific factors raised when considering expert evidence: