NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WSMV) - A Davidson County judge must decide whether to keep a man he put in jail 25 years ago or let him go.
Russell Maze was found guilty of killing his infant son, Alex Maze, who died in 2000. Doctors at the time said Alex Maze died of shaken baby syndrome, and Russell Maze was initially charged with aggravated assault in 1999.
Attorneys with the Tennessee Innocence Project and the District Attorney’s Conviction Review Unit said thanks to modern science, Russell Maze was wrongly convicted.
Wednesday, doctor after doctor took the stand to prove his innocence. Dr. Lawrence Hutchins, a neuroradiologist, said the images of Alex Maze’s brain from 25 years ago show there is no proof of abuse or trauma.
“He did not suffer inflicted trauma or accidental trauma,” he pointed out to the judge.
“The imaging in this case does not have any evidence of severe trauma,” said Dr. Julie Mack, a radiologist at Penn State Health.
Court cases often have the defense arguing against the State and vice versa. But on Wednesday, both sides came together — a rare occurrence inside a courtroom.
“I would ask the court to grant these petitions and overturn these convictions,” said Jason Gichner, with the Tennessee Innocence Project.
“One by one they told us that Russell and Kaye Maze did not abuse their son and they did not cause his death,” said Sunny Eaton, Director of the Conviction Review Unit.
But even with the evidence, Judge Steve Dozier had a lot of questions. The DA’s office said he is the same judge that put Russell Maze in jail not once for aggravated assault, but a second time for murder after Alex Maze died.
“What if this was an adversarial process?” asked Judge Dozier. “Do you think someone on the other side would have brought in other people?”
“No,” said Gichner. “And that’s why this is not an adversarial process.”
That’s why all the attorneys in the courtroom are on the same page.
“And as the District Attorney’s Office, our job is to not just seek convictions, it’s to seek justice for victims and we fail to do that when we get it wrong,” Eaton said. “And the state got this wrong, and the state gave the court the outdated information.”
They hope with their experts and teamwork, Judge Dozier will rule to throw out Russell Maze’s conviction.
Judge Dozier has not made a ruling on his decision, but when he does WSMV4 will have an update.
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