Devices and Desires by Dick Davis

Devices and Desires by Dick Davis

In 1991, nineteen-year-old Tammy Marquardt gave birth to a baby boy, Kenneth. Two years later he was dead. Tammy was convicted of his murder and sent to prison for life. Her conviction hinged largely on the evidence given by Dr. Charles Smith, the pediatric forensic pathologist at Toronto's famed Hospital for Sick Children. At the time, Dr. Smith was considered top in his field and his findings were never questioned.

Tammy had two other sons taken away from her by the Children's Aid Society and her sons were adopted out to a new family. She spent fourteen years in prison for a murder she did not commit. Her fortunes turned when an inquiry into the cases of Dr. Charles Smith found that he was unqualified for his position and he had made serious errors in dozens of cases, which led to a series of wrongful convictions of innocent people, including Tammy. Tammy was released on bail in 2009 and eventually acquitted of all charges in 2011.

This book tells how an innocent mother's life was nearly destroyed by an unethical and incompetent doctor and how she fought for and finally received some justice.