Six previous convictions are upheld after a review of a former Ramsey County medical examiner

County prosecutors announced that an outside panel of experts found no reasons to overturn six past criminal convictions that relied on the work of retired medical examiner Dr. Michael McGee.

While the independent review noted that Dr. McGee used outdated or legally confusing phrasing in court, and is even facing a civil case for one of his previous decisions, officials concluded that the overall evidence upheld the original convictions.

"I believe that back in the day, the medical examiner, Dr. McGee, his North Star was more about maybe helping the state's interest," explained Ramsey County Attorney John Choi.

County leaders revealed that the massive, county-funded investigation was launched into decades of cases handled by McGee after his methods were called into question.

Choi says the total budget for the audit was $380,000.

"And that included the cost of hiring an independent prosecutor center for excellence group," Choi says. "The $308,000 also paid for the committee of three medical experts that we hired where we needed to have help on that final phase."

Defense attorneys will now review a seventh case to determine next steps after investigators flagged potential flaws.

The Ramsey County Attorney's office provided specific information on six of the seven cases as permitted by law, including summaries and recommendations. You can read those here.