Lester Holt

It certainly raises a real issue of its credibility.

And gives the defense something to work with.

Absolutely gave the defense a lot to work with.

Far more reliable, argued Ferrante's attorneys, was another test done in the weeks after Autumn's death.

It, too, found cyanide in her blood, but at very low levels, nowhere near lethal.

And in this case, that alone, as Cyril Weck eloquently articulated, was more than reasonable doubt for this jury to acquit my client.

The reports are highly conflicting.

Dr. Cyril Wecht, the defense had introduced into the legal mix a renowned Pittsburgh and internationally recognized pathologist of many years.

Dr. Wecht had weighed in on cases from the JFK assassination to the deaths of Elvis Presley and John Benet Ramsey.

He told the court the conflicting tests demanded a tiebreaker.

What you do is you've got to send it then again for laboratory testing, preferably to a third highly respected toxicology lab.

That was not done.

More compelling, he said, was evidence of scarring around Autumn's heart, which could have triggered an electrical malfunction stopping the organ cold.

Only on the spot CPR could have saved her.

And in the absence of somebody hitting you in the chest, somebody knowing what they're doing with training in cardiopulmonary resuscitation, you probably will die.

In other words, the defense said Autumn could have died of natural causes.

They added that crime scene techs processed the house and never did find so much as a trace of the poison.

And their client's cyanide Google searches?

Done for research purposes, not murder.

I mean, here he is in January asking questions of Google about the nature of cyanide.