No Error in Massachusetts Court’s Expert Witness Rulings Regarding Insanity Defense

Massachusetts Law

Christopher Piantedosi was found guilty of first degree murder after stabbing his girlfriend to death. Piantedosi admitted killing the victim. He rested his defense on the contention that antidepressants caused involuntary intoxication that negated criminal responsibility for the crime. Piantedosi challenged his conviction on appeal, arguing that the trial court erred by excluding the testimony […]

Ballistics Expert Testifies in Trial About Teen’s Shooting

Bullets

A ballistics expert has offered testimony in the federal lawsuit over the fatal shooting of 17-year-old Justus Howell that happened in 2015. The Shooting In April 2015, Zion police officer Eric Hill responded to reports of a fight between two men and gunshots. According to authorities, Justus Howell had been trying to steal a semi-automatic […]

Monsanto Judge Rules Expert Opinions Are “Shaky”

Monsanto

The federal judge presiding over the high-profile Monsanto Roundup lawsuit has determined that the experts testifying against it have “shaky” opinions. The Lawsuit Monsanto is being sued by multiple parties who claim that the active ingredient in its herbicide Roundup, glyphosate, has caused non-Hodgkins lymphoma. The lawsuits were consolidated into a multidistrict case in San […]

DNA Expert Plays Key Role in Exoneration Hearing

Montana

A DNA expert has offered critical testimony in the exoneration hearing of Freddie Joe Lawrence and Paul Kenneth Jenkins. The Crime Freddie Joe Lawrence and Paul Kenneth Jenkins are serving life sentences after being convicted of killing Donna Meagher in 1994. Meagher was killed when she was closing up a family-owned bar and casino in […]

Experts Debate Rap Lyrics as Evidence of Criminality

Gang

Should rap lyrics be taken as evidence of criminality? Expert witnesses faced off over that question in the trial of three young men who were charged with felony murder in Knox County, Tennessee. Zaevion Dobson Murder Brandon Perry, 23, fired a number of shots in in Northwest Knoxville. The shooting related to a dispute between […]

Expert Accused of “Side Switching” Is Allowed to Testify

Expert Witness

Thousands of patients sued C. R. Bard, Inc. and Bard Peripheral Vascular, Inc. after they sustained injuries from the implant of a Bard IVC filter. The inferior vena cava (IVC) is a vein in the lower half of the body. Surgeons implant IVC filters in patients who are at risk of developing blood clots in […]

Virginia Supreme Court Considers Changes to Discovery Rules

Virginia State Insignia

The Virginia Supreme Court will consider proposed changes to its discovery rules that dictate what evidence must be shared by the defense and prosecution before a criminal trial. It is now seeking comments to the proposed changes. Virginia State Bar Criminal Discovery Reform Task Force Virginia State Bar created a task force to propose changes […]

Child Welfare Expert Testifies in Trial Against Mormon Church

Bible, Female Hands

A child welfare expert has testified in the civil trial against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints for the alleged cover-up of sexual abuse of minors. The Lawsuit Six families filed a civil suit against The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints alleging that the church covered up the sexual abuse of […]

Neuropsychologist Testifies That Killer is a Psychopath

Brain scan, CT Scan

A neuropsychologist has testified that the man who was convicted of abducting, raping and murdering an 8-year-old girl from Florida is a psychopath. The Crime In June 2013, Donald James Smith met Rayne Perrywinkle and her three daughters in a Dollar General store. He told Perrywinkle that his wife had an extra $100 Walmart gift […]

Experts Battle Over Validity of DUI Blood Tests

Lab Analysts May Be Required to Testify in Person in Criminal Trials

Experts contest the validity of retrograde extrapolation in the DUI trial of Cody Austin Shirah. The Crash In September 2016, a group of Ohio softball players were in Bay County, Florida for the World Sports League World Softball Championships. As they were on their way back to their hotel from their tournament, Cody Austin Shirah […]