Scientist who committed suicide over shoddy work testified at trial

UTICA —

The defense attorney for a man convicted in the death of New Hartford police Officer Joseph Corr is considering whether sloppy lab work of a former state police forensic scientist, who killed himself last month, could be grounds to overturn the verdict.

State police forensic scientist Garry Veeder testified during Toussaint Davis’ January 2007 trial in Oneida County Court that a black glove recovered after Corr’s 2006 death might have linked Davis to the jewelry store robbery that preceded the patrolman’s slaying.

During the trial, Davis’ defense attorney, Rebecca Wittman, raised questions about the glove in hopes of raising suspicion toward other evidence. Davis ultimately was convicted of murder and sentenced to prison for 300 years.

But earlier this year, a state police internal audit later uncovered signs Veeder had been cutting corners in his lab work. Shortly after Veeder, 59, was confronted with questions, he committed suicide May 23 inside his Voorheesville home near Albany, police said.

Now, prosecutors find themselves seeking reassurance that Veeder’s testimony did not taint Davis’ trial, while the convicted man’s attorney wonders what this may mean for her client.

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