Dr. David Fowler’s controversial defense expert testimony at Derek Chauvin’s trial led to the creation of a state-appointed team tasked with reviewing more than 1,300 in-custody death determinations made during Fowler’s tenure as Maryland’s chief medical officer. Now, the review team has recommended a deeper probe of approximately 100 of those decisions by a new panel of forensic pathologists.
In September 2021, in consultation with Gov. Larry Hogan’s Office of Legal Counsel, Maryland Attorney General Brian Frosh announced that seven members—including experts in forensic pathology, behavioral science, and law—had been selected as part of an Audit Design Team (ADT) to review the more than 1,300 deaths-in-custody examined by the OCME during Fowler’s tenure, according to a statement issued Oct. 19 by the Maryland Attorney General’s Office.
