. >>> judge ralph van pelt presided over alvin ridley's murder trial and immediately had him evaluatedby a psychologist. >> he certainly probably would have qualified for mentally ill under the georgia statute, but that's only if you're found guilty but mentally ill. the report indicated that he was competent to stand trial, could assist his attorney in a defense, and knew right from wrong. >> at the trial, alvin's defense team needed to refute the prosecution's contention that the bruises on virginia ridley's neck were evidence of strangulation. dr. robert goldberg, a forensic pathologist hired by the defense, discovered that an employee in the coroner's office had drawn blood from virginia ridley's neck for a toxicology test, which was a complete break from standard procedure. >> this is highly irregular and is something that procedurally is an error. >> when the autopsy was conducted the next day, dr. goldberg believes the needle marks had developed into bruises, which are known as artifact. a term for any changes in the body caused by postmortem evaluation. >> i think it would be a