Experts Question Reliability of Forensic Video Evidence

The need for criminal defense attorneys to hire independent expert witnesses has never been more clear, as the reliability of testimony given by expert witnesses who work for the police has increasingly been called into question. Unfortunately, the importance of an independent expert witness to a fair trial isn’t always apparent to defense attorneys or […]

Expert Witness Questions the Nature of Memories

An expert witness has challenged the nature of memory in the trial of Brent Hawkes, a longtime leader of Toronto’s gay community who is facing one charge of indecent assault and one charge of gross indecency for allegedly having oral sex with a 16-year-old more than 40 years ago. The Incident Hawkes has been accused […]

Gun Expert Challenged in Kleopa Murder Trial

Prosecutors have challenged a defense firearms safety expert in the trial of George Kleopa, who has been charged with the 2012 shooting of his live-in girlfriend, Michele Peters. The Shooting On March 6, 2012, a 30-year-old Michele Peters was found dead after being fatally shot in the face. At the time, Kleopa and Peters had […]

Expert Testimony Allowed in Vehicular Homicide Trial

Testimony from an expert witness with a contrary view of Ohio’s drugged driving laws was admitted in an aggravated vehicular homicide trial against Curtis Hull. The Incident On November 8, 2015, Chelsie Alaimo was crossing the street in Mount Vernon when she was struck and killed by a 2005 Chevy Trailblazer driven by Hull. Hull […]

Lawsuit Failed To Show That Purina’s Beneful Sickened Thousands Of Dogs

After ruling that he could not accept the testimony of an expert witness, a federal court judge ruled in favor of Nestle Purina PetCare in a class action lawsuit that claimed the company’s Beneful brand dog food made thousands of dogs ill. The Lawsuit On February 5, 2016, Frank Lucido filed a lawsuit in California […]

Failure to Present Expert Evidence Leads to New Trial

The controversial conviction of Kristen Blaise Lobato for killing a homeless man in Las Vegas may eventually be overturned, thanks to expert evidence that strongly suggests her innocence. The Nevada Supreme Court recently ordered the trial court to decide whether Lobato’s lawyer failed to represent Lobato effectively by neglecting to offer expert evidence that could […]

Struggle to Prove Expert Witness is Qualified in Walter Scott Shooting Trial

The prosecution was met with strong resistance as they tried to prove the qualifications of their forensic scene analysis and recreation expert in the trial of former North Charleston officer Michael Slager for the shooting of Walter Scott. Expert Testimony Bill Williams, owner of a forensic consulting business, was called to testify as an expert […]

N.C. Supreme Court Adopts Daubert, Excludes Use of Force Expert

Charles McGrady was convicted in North Carolina of murdering his cousin, James Shore Jr. McGrady admitted that he shot Shore but claimed that he acted in self-defense. The trial court denied his request to call a “use of force” expert in his defense. On appeal, the state’s highest court decided that the federal Daubert standard […]

Expert Witness Says Former Guard’s Actions Against Inmate Unlawful

An expert for the state has testified that a Bexar County detention officer did not follow proper training techniques when he punched an inmate during a fight inside the jail’s annex in 2014. The Incident On July 13, 2014, Avery Lawrence was working as a detention officer at the Bexar County Detention Center Annex. Lawrence […]

Cellphone Experts Debate Validity of Location Evidence

In criminal cases across the country, FBI agents and local police detectives have testified as expert witnesses concerning the location of a suspect’s cellphone (and presumably the suspect) at the time a crime was committed. Whether law enforcement officers are qualified to give that testimony is a hotly contested question. The Connecticut Supreme Court is […]

ExpertPages Blog