Anthony Lynn Culifer
14 months old
Suffocated
For nearly nine years Anthony's
father, Norman Ballard held firm in his belief that his son did not die
of pneumonia as a medical examiner had ruled. New witnesses went to police
with tips that the baby had been slain and the case was turned over to
police who were skeptical, until they saw the signature at the bottom of
the autopsy report: Ralph Erdmann.
Erdmann had been involved
in dozens of falsified autopsies, seemingly botched at random; the murder
mysteries solved years later because Erdmann initially dismissed the cases
as natural deaths and his inability or unwillingness to explain why he
did it. During an investigation it was found that about 100 of 300 cases
he handled had serious omissions.
Among the more gruesome
errors later discovered were a misplaced head and parts from two different
bodies placed in the same container. A woman he ruled had died of choking
on her own vomit later was found to have been slain by her former lover.
The man received a life sentence for the slaying and Erdmann was ordered
to pay the victim's family $250,000. He pleaded no contest to six felonies
tied to falsified evidence and botched autopsies in three counties. He
surrended his medical license and was sentenced to 10 years' probation,
200 hours of community service and repayment of $17,000 in autopsy fees.
Anthony's body was exhumed
and a second autopsy revealed Ballard's
worst fear: His baby was
killed. Investigators say they now believe a bone
fracture may have been the
cause of the baby's death. Even almost a decade later, there were clear
signs of physical injury and facial injury that are consistent with smothering
and the baby did not die from pneumonia. This finding was conclusive of
a team of six pathologists and an anthropologist who were brought in to
look at Anthony's body.
Charged with the murder
is David Earl Johnson, Jr., 36, a former live-in boyfriend of Anthony's
mother who was not present at the time of the killing when Johnson allegedly
placed a pillow over Anthony's face because he couldn't stop him from crying.
|
