Erotic asphyxiation expert should have testified in murder case, Michigan court rules
Robert Propp allegedly killed the mother of his child, Melissa Thornton, in 2016 but says it was an unintentional result of their kinky sex.
The Michigan Supreme Court ruled on Monday that the government should have allowed an expert in erotic asphyxiation to testify on his behalf when the case was tried in lower courts, sending it back to the appellate court to be reviewed again.
"We're very happy with the outcome of the case," said Steven Helton, Propp's lawyer. "And we are happy that the Supreme Court vindicated indigent defendants' right to access to experts, and we will continue to pursue this in the Court of Appeals until Mr. Propp is granted a re-trial."
Emergency responders found Propp's ex-girlfriend, Melissa Thornton, dead in her bed on July 6, 2016. Authorities attributed the cause of death to neck compression.
The relationship between Propp and Thornton was described as "tumultuous" and friends and family of Thornton alleged Propp was abusive toward her. Propp initially gave conflicting accounts of what happened, according to MLive, but later admitted responsibility for Thornton's death, though maintaining it was unintentional. He said he didn't want his and Thornton's sex life scrutinized, MLive reported.
During his initial trial, Propp asked for an expert in erotic asphyxiation and said it was necessary to support his claim that Thornton's death was accidental. The motion was denied, and Propp was convicted of first-degree murder, and the ruling was affirmed in the appellate court.
