#1 Jeb Bush Convinces DA To Look Into Schiavo
Posted: Sat Jun 18, 2005 8:34 am
CBC.CA
Now is this motivated out of the fact that the autopsy report made Jeb and the religious right look like asses? Or is he genuinely convinced that he tried to murder his wife?Florida governor says prosecutor will investigate Schiavo
Last Updated Fri, 17 Jun 2005 18:59:50 EDT
CBC News
Florida Governor Jeb Bush is not letting up on Michael Schiavo after an autopsy concluded that Schiavo's brain-damaged wife, Terri, had no chance of recovery before her feeding tube was removed at his request.
* INDEPTH: Awake but not aware: a persistent vegetative state
Florida Governor Jeb Bush
Bush said Friday that a prosecutor has agreed to take a new look at the cause of the woman's collapse 15 years ago and the possibility that her husband waited more than an hour to call 911, the Associated Press reported.
The autopsy report, released on Wednesday, largely supported Michael Schiavo's view of his wife's condition during his long legal battle to have her taken off life support, but it reached no conclusion about what triggered her collapse. She died of dehydration on March 31, 13 days after the tube was removed.
Bush was a prominent figure in the unsuccessful campaign waged by her parents, religious groups and many Republican politicians, including his brother, President George W. Bush, to have her kept alive.
Bush's office released a copy of a letter he faxed on Friday to State Attorney Bernie McCabe. In it, he outlined suspicions based partly on apparent time gaps in statements Michael Schiavo made 11 years apart.
* The Governor's Letter
The autopsy, he wrote, left unanswered questions.
"Of particular interest are the report's findings as to the cause of Mrs. Schiavo's original injuries. The report indicates that there was little evidence of an eating disorder, previously the lead theory of the cause of her injuries.
"The report also indicates that blood tests conducted on Mrs. Schiavo in 1990 upon her collapse were routine and would not necessarily have detected or ruled out many types of drugs or toxins.
"The report rules out any overt or blunt trauma, but could not rule out or positively identify other causes. As a result, the cause of her injuries is more in doubt than ever."
* INDEPTH: Schiavo Timeline
The governor then turned to the matter of a possible delay in the call for help.
Terry Schiavo
"Also of interest is the gap in time between Mr. Schiavo's discovery of Mrs. Schiavo's collapse and the 911 call he made to request assistance," he wrote.
"According to Mr. Schiavo's testimony in the medical malpractice trial in 1992, he discovered Mrs. Schiavo had collapsed at about 5 a.m. According to his comments in a 2003 television interview, he found her at about 4:30 a.m.
"According to the Chief Medical Examiner's report, Mr. Schiavo placed the 911 call at approximately 5:40 a.m. Between 40 and 70 minutes elapsed before the call was made, and I am aware of no explanation for the delay.
"In light of this new information, I urge you to take a fresh look at this case without any preconceptions as to the outcome."
Michael Schiavo's lawyer, George Felos, said on Wednesday that his client did not wait to call for help and has conceded that he confuses dates and times, AP reported.
"There is no hour gap or other gap to the point Michael heard Terri fall and called 911," Felos said. "We've seen the baseless allegations in this case fall by the wayside one by one. ... That's what I would call it, a baseless claim to perpetuate a controversy that, in fact, doesn't exist."