Ramsey County will review seven homicide cases involving the county's medical examiner after misleading testimony

The Ramsey County Attorney's Office announced Wednesday that they have hired an independent panel to review seven cases involving former county medical examiner Dr. Michael McGee.

The work began in 2021 when a judge overturned the death sentence of Alfonso Rodriquez, convicted of murdering Dru Sjodin in 2003, accusing McGee of "guessing" on the witness stand, and determining his testimony was unreliable, misleading, and inaccurate.

"The judge characterized the testimony as false and misleading," said Choi.

That prompted an extensive review of McGee.

"We, at that time, recognized that we needed to do a really comprehensive review and I wanted to make sure that it was independent," Choi explained.

Prosecutors Center for Excellence, an independent organization, will conduct the review.

"Whenever a judge makes that determination, it really calls into question, not only what happened in that case, but we also have to call into question everything that the medical examiner has been involved with," Choi said Wednesday.

Once those cases are reviewed, they will determine if McGee's testimony and opinions were accurate and appropriate. Choi said there is no timeline to finish reviewing these cases, all of which are all homicides.