September 11, 1985
40 years ago
Four months after the May 13th bombing, Philadelphia is still recovering. Sixty-one homes are gone, families remain displaced, and the city is facing questions about how and why this happened. In City Hall, investigations are underway and responsibility is being disputed. Mayor Wilson Goode has appointed an eleven-member MOVE Commission to review the events of May 13th and the circumstances leading up to it.
The Commission is gathering documents, reviewing evidence, and hiring outside experts in preparation for public hearings. One of those experts is Dr. Ali Z. Hameli, chief medical examiner of the state of Delaware and the forensic pathologist who identified the six-year-old remains of Nazi war criminal Josef Mengele in Brazil the previous summer. He is retained as a paid consultant to provide an independent report in addition to the work of the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s office.
On September 11, 1985, Hameli writes a letter to the Commission, updating them on efforts to identify the MOVE remains and requesting records/materials.
This is the transcript with my footnotes in [italics].
Ali Z. Hameli, M.D., P.A.
3005 Silverside Road
Wilmington, DE 19810
September 11, 1985
William B. Lytton, Esq.
Staff Director and Counsel
Philadelphia Special Investigation Commission
P.O. Box No. 59209
Philadelphia, PA 19102-9209
Dear Mr. Lytton:
I have completed, as of this date, about ninety percent of my on-site examination of the remains kept in the secured refrigerator at the Philadelphia Medical Examiner’s Office. The examination of the balance of the remains and a review of the materials in the possession of Dr. Segal still remain to be performed. [Dr. Segal was the City’s Assistant Medical Examiner]
As previously stated, I would like to examine the interred remains of James Conrad Hampton (Body A) and Rhonda Harris (Body I). Written authorization from the next of kin to examine the remains is required. The documents should be witnessed and should name me to conduct the examination. If no progress can be made to obtain the consent of the next of kin, steps should be taken to secure a court order. If necessary, I am prepared to present scientific evidence to the Court to justify the request.
I am pursuing my devised and outlined plans for the identification of each one of the unidentified remains. It is my opinion, at this point, that I will probably be able to identify all of them. I will also review and confirm the identification of the six cases already identified by the Office of the Medical Examiner. I then will determine the number of bodies brought to the Office of the Medical Examiner. To accomplish this aspect of examination I need the following:
Recent photographs (front view and profile) of Case C (Phil). This could be accomplished by securing the surveillance photos in the custody of the Police Department.
Surveillance photos (preferably color) and television videotape of MOVE members during the last days prior to the incidence of May 13.
Page Two
Blood samples from the parents of Phil, Tree Tree [Katricia], and Zenetta Dotson, Delicia, Tomasa, and John Africa. [Parents in order: Janine and William Phillips, Consuewella Dotson, Janet Holloway and Delbert Orr; Sue LeVino - all incarcerated on felony murder and attempted murder charges, with the exception of LeVino]. If the parents of John Africa are not alive, then a blood sample from his brother and sister will be helpful. [“John Africa” was 53 year old Vincent Leaphart. His parents were deceased, but he had six siblings who could provide samples.]
Dental impressions from the parents of Tree Tree and Zenetta Dotson, Delicia, and Phil. [Parents in order: Consuewella Dotson; Janet Holloway and Delbert Orr; Janine and William Phillips - same charges as mentioned above.]
To conduct the various serological, dental, and other comparative studies, I will need the input of a few consultant specialists in their respective fields.
Regarding the determination of cause and manner of death, I need the following information:
The result of all laboratory reports from the Philadelphia Crime Laboratory.
The result of laboratory report received from the New York Police Laboratory.
The result of the FBI Laboratory on all metallic objects that I have recovered from the bodies and may recover from the bodies to be exhumed.
Interviews with neighbors who had observed MOVE members during the last days prior to the May 13th incidence.
An interview with the police officer who described a headless body in the front bunker after the morning explosion.
A possible interview with the surveillance police officers. [Civil Affairs Officers]
All the information requested from Dr. Marvin Aronson in my letter of September 11, 1985.
A review of the investigation conducted by Mr. Charles King and your investigators. [Fire expert hired by Commission]
A review of all materials and investigation with my two consultants.
Page Three
I am anticipating that my report on the number of deaths and the identification of the remains will be ready for submission to your Commission at a date which will probably precede the final report on the cause and manner of death.
Thank you very much for your kind consideration.
Sincerely yours,
Ali Z. Hameli, M.D.
Forensic Pathologist
MOVE members who were parents of the remains believed to be their children — and the family of “John Africa”/Vincent Leaphart, ignored or refused requests for blood samples and dental impressions just as they had done with the Medical Examiner.
Why?
The non-MOVE member families of deceased MOVE members that had been inside 6221, James Conrad Hampton, Rhonda Harris (Ward), and Raymond Foster, cooperated with all requests from Dr. Segal and Dr. Hameli, including exhumations.
Paid Subscribers get access to a bonus post with a PDF of this Hameli letter, a 2nd letter Hameli also wrote on September 11, 1985, to The Medical Examiner.
Thanks for reading.
