Ramsey County Attorney confirms convictions in six cases connected to Dr. McGee
Ramsey County confirms 6 convictions in Dr. McGee cases
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office confirmed six convictions connected to former medical examiner Dr. Michael McGee following a lengthy review after his past work has fallen under scrutiny in recent years. FOX 9's Karen Scullin has the story.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (FOX 9) - The Ramsey County Attorney's Office confirmed six convictions connected to former medical examiner Dr. Michael McGee following a lengthy review after his past work has fallen under scrutiny in recent years.
Conviction reviews
The backstory:
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office announced in September 2024 that it had identified seven cases involving former medical examiner Dr. Michael McGee for review. The seven cases were narrowed down from a caseload of 216.
Ramsey Co. attorney finds no change to 6 McGee cases
The Ramsey County Attorney's Office has found no change is needed for six cases connected to former medical examiner Dr. Michael McGee, whose cases have come into question in recent years.
Ramsey County Attorney John Choi started reviewing McGee's work in 2023 after a federal judge ruled McGee's conclusions and testimony in the death of Dru Sjodin were "unreliable, misleading, and inaccurate." The finding came as part of an appeal by Alfonso Rodriquez, who faced a death sentence for Sjodin's death.
McGee's work called into question
What we know:
FOX 9 Investigators have raised questions about Dr. McGee's work dating back to 2010, beginning with the case of Thomas Rhodes. Rhodes was convicted of murdering his wife Jane after she fell overboard and drowned during a nighttime boat ride in Spicer, Minnesota.
McGee performed the autopsy in the case and his testimony – that Rhodes threw his wife overboard – has been subsequently scrutinized by the courts over the years. Other examinations found that the death was consistent with a fall.
Rhodes' conviction was vacated in 2023.
Dr. McGee cases stay under microscope
An independent panel has concluded a review of several homicide cases worked by former medical examiner Dr. Michael McGee. FOX 9’s Mike Manzoni has the latest.
No change to six cases
Local perspective:
On Tuesday, Ramsey County Attorney John Choi announced the results of the findings for six of the seven cases they reviewed. In those six cases, they determined there is no change, modification, or vacation to the conviction.
The cases include the 2009 conviction of Michael Sontoya which FOX 9 profiled in 2024. FOX 9 spoke with Sontoya's wife as she fought to get his conviction overturned.
Sontoya was sentenced to life in prison without parole for a murder while committing a sexual assault.
During the news conference, Choi quoted a Minnesota Supreme Court opinion that found the "evidence that Sontoya was the perpetrator of the acts that ended [the victim's life] are overwhelming."
What's next:
Choi says officials are still working on the seventh case and plan to release information on that case in the coming weeks or months.
Cases identified
Dig deeper:
Choi outlined the following cases that were investigated by Dr. McGee and reviewed by the Ramsey County Attorney's Office:
State v. Michael Wayne French Jr.
- Dr. McGee found a two-month-old victim had died of a massive skull fracture to the left side of her head. The defendant pleaded guilty mid-trial and admitted that he couldn't get the victim to stop crying, so he hit her on her head.
State v. Said Moussa Gouleed
- Dr. McGee found a six-week-old victim had died from a skull fracture on both sides of her head. A medical examiner panel reviewed McGee's findings and trial testimony and agreed with McGee's findings, writing: "In evaluating the opinions offered by Dr. McGee in trial testimony, we believe that they are generally supported and properly expressed."
State v. Kyle Kelbel
- A child abuse case that ended with the death of a 2.5-year-old child from blood loss. Kelbel said the child was injured when another child fell down a set of stairs and landed on the child. Dr. McGee testified that the victim's injuries were not consistent with Kelbel's explanation and found that the child had died from blunt force injuries and noted ""multiple traumatic injuries associated with battered child." While the medical examiners panel took issue with the use of the terms "battered child" and "child abuse," they ultimately agreed with McGee's cause of death ruling.
State v. American LaVerne Morris
- Morris was convicted of murder while committing a sexual assault. Morris claimed that the sexual conduct was consensual. The medical examiners panel concluded that any errors in Dr. McGee's testimony did not impact the outcome of the trial.
State v. Kou Moua
Moua was convicted in a gang-related drive-by shooting in 2002. Moua attempted a self-defense argument. The Ramsey County concluded that any errors in McGee's testimony did not impact the outcome of the trial.
State v. Michael Carrasco Sontoya
As stated above, the Ramsey County review found that the evidence against Sontoya was "overwhelming."