Brad Edwards
(CBS) — Newly discovered X-rays of the skull of little Benjamin Kingan could reportedly be critical in the defense of a woman sitting behind bars for his death.
Melissa Calusinski is now in jail after being convicted of murder for fracturing the toddler’s skull at a Lincolnwood daycare center. The slides that have never before been seen by the public may not only prove her innocence, but that a crime was never committed.
CBS 2’s Brad Edwards spoke with the Lake County coroner Dr. Thomas Rudd.
In 2009, Calusinksi was grilled by Lake County investigators. 79 times Calusinski, with a low verbal IQ, denied harming then 16-month-old Ben Kingan. Then, in the ninth hour of interrogation, she told them, “Okay, so I got angry and went boom.”
She was convicted of murder in 2012 and sentenced to 31 years in prison.
It was said the child suffered a skull fracture tantamount to a two-story fall.
An anonymous tip led to X-ray scans still in the system. Dr. Rudd says they show there was no fracture.
“Her conviction is based on wrong evidence,” Dr. Rudd said.
He says it was clearly a pre-existing head injury, something the parents saw a doctor about weeks before the alleged the incident.
Dr. Rudd says Calusinski shouldn’t be in prison and is considering changing the manner of death.
CBS 2 reached out to the State’s Attorney’s office and they say since the case is already an ongoing post-conviction review, they are unable to comment.
