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After serving nearly 11 years in prison, Crystal Weimer, a Pennsylvania mother-of-three once convicted in the 2001 shooting and beating death of Curtis Haith outside his Connellsville residence, was released from prison when a judge vacated her third-degree murder conviction.
Weimer was found guilty in 2006 based on false testimony made by Joseph Stenger, who pleaded guilty in the same case and is currently serving time. Dr. Constantine Karazulas had also testified that a bitemark found on the victim's hand matched that of Weimer's, but later called the evidence "junk science." Stenger also recanted his statement, claiming that he falsely implicated her in the crime.
This Monday, June 19, an upcoming episode of Oxygen's Snapped, titled Crystal Weimer, will further delve into her wrongful conviction. The synopsis states:
"A young man is brutally murdered, and a woman is found covered in blood just hours later; she is adamant that she is innocent, and later, a twist in the case shocks everyone involved."
The upcoming episode airs on the channel at 7 pm ET.
Prior testimony had alleged that Crystal Weimer was at the crime scene where two black men killed Curtis Haith
Crystal Weimer's third-degree murder conviction and 15 to 30-year prison term were vacated during an October 2015 re-trial after Dr. Constantine Karazulas, whose previous findings had led to her conviction in 2006, recanted his testimony.
According to reports, Dr. Karazulas had previously claimed that bite marks found on 21-year-old Curtis Haith's hand matched that of Weimer's. At the re-trial, he testified on Weimer's behalf, stating that "there is no science in bite mark evidence."
Haith was found shot in the face and beaten to death outside his Connellsville, Pennsylvania home in the early morning hours of January 27, 2001. Weimer was arrested and charged in connection with the killing in 2004, more than three years after the crime first occurred.
Another man named Joseph Stenger was also charged in connection with the crime and implicated Crystal Weimer in the case, alleging that she lured the victim to the crime scene, where two black men beat the 21-year-old before one of them shot him. He died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Reports state that Stenger pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit homicide in 2004 and also agreed to testify against Weimer at her trial in exchange for a lesser sentence of nine to 18 years in prison.
Crystal Weimer's conviction was vacated after the bite mark evidence was discredited and other testimony recanted
Crystal Weimer stood trial in April 2006 and was found guilty of one count each of third-degree murder and conspiracy to commit murder, receiving a 15 to 30-year prison sentence, largely based on the testimony of Dr. Constantine Karazulas and Joseph Stenger.
Only after the National Academy of Science discredited Dr. Karazulas' bite mark evidence - which was the sole alleged physical evidence that connected Weimer to the crime - was the doctor made to re-examine it. He then stated that the bitemarks were never measured before being produced as evidence.
Calling it "junk science," Dr. Karazulas further claimed that in such cases, bitemarks are used to eliminate a suspect and not link them to a crime. He called his methods "garbage." Weimer's lawyers also revealed that he falsely participated as an oral surgeon while only having a general practice.
Furthermore, in December 2014, Joseph Stenger, who testified against Crystal Weimer at her trial and even placed her at the crime scene, recanted his statement, claiming that he falsely testified at her 2006 trial. Stenger claimed that he never saw her that night and the police made him walk through the narrative.
Following this, on October 1, 2015, Weimer was granted a re-trial and released on bond that same day. The following June, all charges brought against her were dismissed.
The case against Crystal Weimer is set to feature on Snapped on Oxygen this Monday at 7 pm ET.
