Forensic Psychologist Plays Critical Role in Slender Man Hearing

Every state has a juvenile justice system that handles crimes committed by children. In recent decades, however, most states have decided that some juveniles deserve to be prosecuted in adult criminal courts and to face the punishments for which adults are eligible. How the decision is made to prosecute children in juvenile or adult court […]

Quality of Expert Testimony Questioned in Death Penalty Appeal

The importance of expert witnesses in constitutional challenges to execution by lethal injection was highlighted by an ExpertPages blog post last year about an anesthesiologist who decided he would no longer testify for states in defense of their death penalty procedures. The anesthesiologist was concerned that his expert testimony would run afoul of the American […]

Philadelphia Lawyer Held Accountable for Expert’s Violation of Court Order

The importance of good communication between an expert witness and the attorney who hires the expert is illustrated by a sanction of nearly $1 million dollars that a judge in Philadelphia imposed upon an attorney after an expert violated a court order. The controversial ruling has unsettled Philadelphia lawyers who say they should not be […]

How an Expert Explains the Psychology of Killers

Psychologists can play important roles in criminal cases for both the defense and prosecution. During trials, they may focus on issues of eyewitness identification, diminished capacity, or the susceptibility of child witnesses to outside influence. Before trial, they establish or refute a defendant’s competency to stand trial. At sentencing, they educate the judge about the […]

Footwear Expert Witness Testifies in Chicago Area Murder Trial

Prosecutors in a Chicago area murder trial have called upon a footwear expert witness in an effort to place the defendant at the scene of the crime. An employee with Nike took the stand this week to identify shoes treads from footwear the defendant was seen wearing, aiding prosecutors in their effort to convict the […]

Convicted Boston Marathon Bomber Turns to Neuroscience Expert Witness in Sentencing Trial

As the sentencing trial for convicted Boston Marathon bomber Dzhokhar Tsarnaev continues, defense attorneys for Tsarnaev called respected neuroscience expert witness in an effort to avoid a death penalty judgment.  Consistent with the defense’s position during the early part of the trial, the expert has been called to provide testimony that minimizes Dzhokhar’s role in planning and […]

Review finds Widespread Flaws in FBI Forensic Expert Witness Testimony

The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Justice Department (DOJ) admitted to decades of flawed forensic expert witness testimony, potentially affecting 1,500 convictions administered between the 1970’s and 2000. The massive post-conviction review of the FBI’s hair and fiber laboratory began in July, 2012 was designed to test the accuracy of forensic expert analysis […]

Medical Experts Debate ALS Caused Mental Illness in Murder Trial

The murder trial of a former sheriff deputy in Dane County, Wisconsin featured testimony from two medical experts this week who debated whether the defendant’s claim that he suffers from a mental illness due to his ALS diagnosis is legitimate.  Andrew Steele, 40, has pled guilty to the murder of his wife and sister-in-law, but […]

Federal Court Dismisses Expert Witness for Providing Legal Testimony

Earlier this month, a federal court in Texas dismissed proposed insurance expert witness testimony for focusing too strongly on legal issues rather than factual disputes.  During a claim dispute, the insurer submitted an attorney familiar with insurance issues as an expert witness to explain the process of reviewing claims and interpreting policy documents, however the […]