New testimony contests evidence that led to 1980s murder conviction of State College man
A forensic anthropology expert told a Centre County judge Thursday she believes a .22-caliber bullet killed Thomas Kinser, testimony that runs counter to the theory that led to a murder conviction against a State College man imprisoned more than four decades.
North Carolina State professor Ann H. Ross defended her opinion across more than four hours of questioning from a defense attorney and Centre County prosecutors. She’s expected to retake the stand Friday.
Should her ongoing testimony be found credible by Centre County President Judge Jonathan Grine, it could go a long way toward securing a new trial or the freedom of Subramanyam “Subu” Vedam, who is making his first return to the Centre County Courthouse in more than four decades.
Vedam for decades has said he was convicted of a killing he did not commit. He was awarded in October a new hearing after his defense lawyers unearthed what they said was a concealed ballistics report that could have exonerated him.
His legal team is attempting to convince Grine there would have been a reasonable likelihood of a different outcome at trial.
The hourslong hearing Thursday in front of about six dozen people amounted to somewhat of a crash course in forensic anthropology. Defense lawyer Gopal Balachandran and Centre County First Assistant District Attorney Joshua Andrews bounced between scientific study after scientific study as they peppered Ross with questions.
She testified that the measurements in the recently uncovered FBI report from the 1980s were “crucial.” Prosecutors have alleged a .25-caliber bullet fired by Vedam killed Kinser, not a smaller .22-caliber.
The suppression of the measurements “didn’t allow for a proper examination,” Ross testified. She also cast an FBI agent’s testimony at trial as “misleading.”
Andrews sought to impeach Ross with extensive questioning, arguing the conclusions and opinions she reached went against industry standards and guidelines. The two found little common ground.
At one point, Ross testified she has no confidence the bullet recovered from Kinser’s torso was even the bullet that killed him. The 19-year-old’s decomposing remains were found about nine months after he went missing in a wooded part of Harris Township.
No weapon was ever recovered. Vedam was twice convicted of first-degree murder on the strength of circumstantial evidence. He was sentenced to life in prison without the possibility of parole.
Now 63, Vedam has spent about two-thirds of his life at Huntingdon state prison. He was led into the courthouse shackled and wearing a blue suit and did not speak Thursday.
Dozens gathered outside the courthouse before the hearing, some with signs that read “Subu Vedam is innocent” and “Justice for an innocent man.” Balachandran said Thursday was a “day we’ve been waiting for.”
Saraswathi Vedam said her brother’s conviction compounded “one terrible tragedy with another.”
“Not only did Thomas Kinser lose his life to a killer who remains free, but Subu lost his freedom over the fiction that he was responsible for the crime,” she told reporters before the hearing. “This week, after 42 years, we believe this fiction will finally be debunked.”
She said the family remains hopeful he’ll be exonerated, but also appeared emotional when telling reporters the family is “deeply troubled” it took more than four decades for the evidence to surface.
Vedam said it is “impossible to convey the magnitude of the toll that that injustice has inflicted on Subu, on those who love them, and on the integrity of the justice system that supports this community.
She described Subu as calm, realistic and hopeful as his best chance for freedom approached. He also understands risk, she said.
“He has said that if his life has to be about drawing attention to this kind of injustice then that’s what his life has to be,” Vedam said. “He’s an amazing human and I hope you all get a chance to meet him.”
Testimony is to resume about 8:30 a.m. Friday. It’s not known when Grine expects to issue his ruling.
This story was originally published February 6, 2025 at 6:55 PM.