Wrongly convicted Minnesota man, Thomas Rhodes, has filed a lawsuit against the former Ramsey County medical examiner whose testimonies helped to ultimately put him behind bars for nearly 25 years. According to CBS News Minnesota, Rhodes was convicted of first- and second-degree murder following the death of his wife, Jane, in 1996, but has maintained his innocence, arguing her drowning was a tragic accident.
The lawsuit, filed just days after Rhodes was released from the Minnesota Correctional Facility in Moose Lake, claims that Dr. Michael McGee, the medical examiner at the time, and other officials, "manufactured fabricated evidence to put him in prison." The credibility of McGee has been seriously questioned, leading to an independent re-examination of the case which suggests that the medical evidence used to originally convict Rhodes was flawed.
Rhodes' attorney, Brad Thompson, detailed to KARE 11, "In this case, there are 10 different forensic pathologists including one who was hired by the state of Minnesota who disagrees with Dr. McGee." This discrepancy has shed new light on Rhodes' conviction and bolstered his claim of innocence.
The legal skirmish does not seem to be an isolated case, as McGee's testimonies have prompted reviews of hundreds of cases where his expertise was pivotal. His involvement led to the overturning of a death sentence for Alfonso Rodriguez in the murder of Dru Sjodin after a judge deemed his testimony "unsupported, misleading, and inaccurate." Rhodes's lawyer hopes that the lawsuit is going to force a rigorous examination of McGee's career, revealing, as Thompson stated, "a pattern and practice of how he reviews cases."
Currently adjusting to freedom, Rhodes takes solace in reconnecting with his two sons who never wavered in their support. The outcome of his lawsuit and the review of McGee's testimonies could potentially affect other convictions, as the Ramsey County Attorney's Office intensely scrutinizes 71 cases linked to the questionable medical examiner. It remains to be seen how Rhodes' pursuit of justice will echo through the legal corridors, redefining the fate of others who are possibly wrongfully convicted.
