TARRANT COUNTY (WBAP/KLIF)- The Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association (TCCDLA) is asking for an independent investigation into the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office in light of autopsy mistakes in dozens of homicide cases and “false, inaccurate, or misleading testimony” in a death
penalty case.
Benson Varghese, President of TCCDLA, presented a resolution to the Tarrant County Commissioners Court on Tuesday during its weekly meeting. The resolution, which has been passed by the Board of TCCDLA, calls for an “independent investigation into the Tarrant County Medical Examiner’s Office and an external audit of the work performed by Tarrant County Medical Examiner Nizam Peerwani and Deputy Medical Examiner Marc
Krouse.” It also calls upon the Court to consider whether Dr. Peerwani should continue as the Tarrant County Medical Examiner.
The resolution lays out the numerous issues that have defense lawyers in Tarrant County concerned including:
• In March 2021, a Tarrant County District Court judge
found that Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Peerwani provided
false, inaccurate, and misleading testimony in a death penalty
case in 2006 in at least 10 matters material to the outcome.
• Dr. Peerwani’s Deputy Chief Medical Examiner, Dr. Marc Krouse, was suspended in
2021 from performing autopsies in homicide cases due to serious professional
deficiencies.
• In November 2020, the body of a citizen of Tarrant County had to be exhumed by
court order, as a result of Dr. Krouse missing a second bullet.
• Dr. Peerwani recently issued a 105-page Audit Report Executive Summary which
found that Dr. Krouse made at least 59 errors in homicide autopsies over a 10-
month period.
During the Commissioner’s Court meeting, Varghese outlined the concerns and provided a binder of materials to the County Judge, Commissioners Court, and District Attorney. The Medical Examiner is appointed by the Tarrant County Commissioners Court and taxpayers pay nearly $11 million annually for its services.
“We are asking for the Court to conduct an investigation into Dr. Peerwani’s administration as the Medical Examiner,” said Varghese, who is managing partner of Varghese Summersett. “We are calling for the Court to consider whether or not he should remain the Medical Examiner. A retirement/resignation is not sufficient. An investigation must go on based on the nature of the violations.”
The Tarrant County Criminal Defense Lawyer’s Association is a non-profit association of lawyers who practice criminal defense in Tarrant County.
