Dr. Cyril H. Wecht

This man lives just down the street from me in Pittsburgh. I see him on the street sometimes. He was dining with friends in the same restaurant as me and my family when I was home over winter break. I’ve talked with him personally several times, I have a picture with him, his autograph, I’ve gone to lectures and book signings. I guess you could say I’m a little obsessed. He’s one of the world’s most famous forensic scientists. His credentials include an M.D. and a J.D. as well as whole lot of other awards and appointments. As I was looking up a couple of things for this blog I found his resume; it’s 23 pages long! The list of forensic cases he has been involved with is overwhelming. A few of which are John F. Kennedy, Robert F. Kennedy, Elvis, Marilyn Monroe, Nicole Brown Simpson and Ron Goldman, Kurt Cobain, Laci Peterson, JonBenet Ramsey, and Daniel and Anna Nicole Smith. He first became famous as a young man when he disputed the Warren Commission’s single bullet theory in the death of John F. Kennedy. He is an extremely influential orator and also a bit of rabble rouser—unafraid to speak his mind even if it means sparking outrage. Essentially, if a high profile person dies, this is the man you call for an expert opinion. Maybe it comes with the job, but he’s certainly not free of controversy himself. He was the Corner of Allegheny County for the past 36 years, until he was accused of fraud and was forced to resign. He’s now works solely performing private autopsies—Anna Nicole Smith requested him for the autopsy of her son Daniel.

The reason I find this man so fascinating is because of how educated he is. In order to be an expert forensic scientist, he has to be an expert chemist, physiologist, doctor, lawyer, and politician. Dr. Wecht and his colleagues use techniques we have discussed in class on a daily basis, fingerprinting, DNA analysis, blood typing, toxicology testing, and other analytical methods. While I don’t always agree with Dr. Wecht’s opinions, I certainly respect them. This CNN article tells more about Dr. Wecht and the case being brought against him: http://www.cnn.com/2006/LAW/09/25/cyril.wecht/index.html. If you ever have the opportunity to hear him speak I highly recommend it.