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Lawsuit renews focus on controversial former medical examiner
Dr. Michael McGee’s testimony landed Thomas Rhodes in prison for 25 years for the murder of his wife. One year after charge vacated, Rhodes is suing for damages.
ST PAUL, Minn — Tom Rhodes walked out of prison one year ago, supporters at his side and a smile on his face. But while he is now free, his attorney says he still needs justice.
“Tom Rhodes was wrongfully convicted and spent nearly 25 years in prison for a crime he did not commit,” said attorney Brad Thompson.
Rhodes, his wife, Jane and their two sons were on vacation at Green Lake in Spicer in August 1996. During a late-night boat ride for the married couple, Jane fell out of the boat and drowned. Tom said it was an accident, but he was charged and eventually convicted of first-degree murder. He was then sentenced to life in prison.
That conviction was vacated last year when the state’s Conviction Review Unit found several problems with the case — now subject of a civil lawsuit in federal court.
“The lawsuit alleges that the medical examiner, the prosecutor and the sheriff’s captain who were involved in his case manufactured fabricated evidence to put him in prison,” said Thompson. “What is particularly egregious is the actions of medical examiner.”
Then-Ramsey County Medical Examiner Michael McGee eventually changed Jane’s cause of death from pending to homicide.
Attorneys from the Great North Innocence Project believe McGee fabricated his testimony to what prosecutors needed it to be — saying Tom struck Jane and then ran over her with the boat — rather than relying on medical evidence.
“In this case, there are 10 different forensic pathologists including one who was hired by the state of Minnesota who disagree with Dr. McGee,” said Thompson.
Dr. McGee’s other cases are under scrutiny as well.
In part because of McGee, an appeal’s court judge vacated the death sentence for Alfonso Rodriguez in the murder of Dru Sjodin in 2003. Judge Ralph Erickson wrote “McGee presented unsupported, misleading, and inaccurate testimony.”
The Ramsey County Attorney’s Office is in the process of reviewing all the cases where they used Dr. McGee — now narrowed down to 71 that they need to take an extra close look at.
Thompson hopes their lawsuit sheds light as well.
“We hope that through the discovery process in this case, that we uncover more evidence about Dr. McGee’s pattern and practice of how he reviews cases. And we do hope this is able to put as much as possible out in the open and transparent as to if he’s been doing this in other cases where people are still in prison,” Thompson said.
Meanwhile, Thompson says Rhodes is making the difficult adjustment to life after prison, happy to spend time with his two sons who have always supported him and believed in his innocence.
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Last week, prosecutors charged John Sawchak with attempted 2nd-degree murder and other felony charges after he allegedly shot his neighbor Davis Moturi.
MINNEAPOLIS — Following the shooting between two neighbors, the Minneapolis City Council voted unanimously to request that the city’s auditor conduct an independent investigation into the incidents and cases between Davis Moturi and John Sawchak.
Moturi was allegedly shot by his neighbor, Sawchak, on Wednesday, Oct. 23 but Minneapolis police did not arrest Sawchak until days later.
Minneapolis Police Chief Brian O’Hara defended not arresting Sawchak sooner, calling it a “high-risk” situation. O’Hara later said the victim, who had complained about harassment from Sawchak for months, was failed by police. Sawchak was arrested this past weekend after an hours-long standoff.
Moturi suffered a fractured spine, two broken ribs, and a concussion in the shooting. “Mr. Moturi’s life matters and I’m sorry that for nearly a year, MPD did not treat it like it did,” said Council Member Robin Wonsley in a news release, “Today’s vote affirms that the City Council is committed to taking meaningful actions towards accountability and restoration, starting with this independent review.”
Meanwhile, a spokesperson for Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey released this statement:
“Mayor Frey fully supports an independent review of this incident. The mayor and City are committed to always doing better, and this means closely examining past actions and finding where there may be ways to improve and grow. The mayor extends his condolences to Davis Moturi, his wife, Caroline, and their family and friends. The safety of our residents is a top priority and any form of violence or hate speech is completely unacceptable and does not align with who we are as a community. Brian O’Hara will continue to be the Minneapolis Police Chief.”
“This Valentine’s Day, 2025, will mark the five-year anniversary of the premiere of ‘Love is Blind,” Vanessa said on the Season 7 finale. “And, it is gonna be the launch of Season 8, which takes place in Minneapolis.”
The episode also revealed three of the new cast members, one of whom, “Alex,” told Lachey Minneapolis is “not like a major city, but it’s also not a small town,” which he said is just one of the obstacles in his way of finding the one.
“I just never found the right person that clicked for me,” he said.
Meantime, you can bone up on Seasons 1-7 streaming now on Netflix.
MINNEAPOLIS — How much do you know about your grandma’s upbringing?
“The Stories From My Grandmother’s Hands” is a book that aims to show young Black children how their grandmas lived through beautiful illustrations and descriptions.
KARE 11 News at Noon shared more on Thursday about the impact that this book will have.
