Opinion ID: 2247367
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 6

Heading: Expert Witness Testimony on Blood Spatters

Text: The evidence most favorable to the verdict showed that Grinstead was covered with small spatters of blood on his face and arms after the murder. One of the police officers who investigated Cross's death, Alan McElroy, testified as a rebuttal witness for the State on the issue of blood spatters. The State introduced McElroy's testimony to rebut Grinstead's assertions that he was not near Cross when the assault with the tire iron took place. McElroy testified that the small specks of blood on Grinstead were consistent with a medium impact spattering, such as that caused by a beating with a blunt object. This testimony presumably enabled the jury to infer that Grinstead was much closer to Cross (perhaps close enough to do the beating himself) than he acknowledged in his own testimony. Expert testimony may be admitted if scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact in understanding the evidence. Ind. Evidence Rule 702(a). In addition, the witness must be shown to have knowledge, skill, experience, training or education on the subject. Id. Grinstead argues that McElroy failed to satisfy the latter requirement because he lacked sufficient skill, knowledge and experience to give expert evidence on blood spatters. We review the admissibility of expert testimony for an abuse of discretion. Byrd v. State, 593 N.E.2d 1183, 1185 (Ind.1992). Blood spatter analysis is an area of forensic science generally beyond the ken of the ordinary layperson and thus is a proper topic for expert testimony. James v. State, 613 N.E.2d 15, 21-22 (Ind.1993), appeal after remand, 643 N.E.2d 321 (Ind. 1994); Hampton v. State, 588 N.E.2d 555, 557-58 (Ind.Ct.App.1992). As the State contends, we have held expert testimony on blood spatters to be admissible in prior cases. See, e.g., Stidham v. State, 637 N.E.2d 140, 143 (Ind.1994); King v. State, 531 N.E.2d 1154, 1157 (Ind.1988); Fox v. State, 506 N.E.2d 1090, 1094-96 (Ind.1987). These decisions, however, did not create particular criteria for establishing blood-spatter expertise and no such litmus test of qualifications exists. James, 613 N.E.2d at 22. Here Officer McElroy's only training on the subject was a two-week police academy course that included a specific section on blood spatters. In this regard this case is not unlike Fox, where we upheld expert testimony by a police officer who had also attended a brief course training him to analyze blood spatters. Fox, 506 N.E.2d at 1095. Although McElroy's knowledge of the topic did not rise to the level of a forensic serologist, cf. King, 531 N.E.2d at 1157, he demonstrated sufficient expertise to testify about the possible causes of the blood spatters on Grinstead's face and arms. McElroy described to the jury the differences between three major types of blood spatters and which injuries or physical impacts cause each type of spatter. That McElroy did not personally view the blood spatters on Grinstead or subject them to chemical analysis impacts the weight of his testimony but not its admissibility. Stidham, 637 N.E.2d at 143. To the extent McElroy lacked detailed knowledge or training, Grinstead's lawyer was able to bring this out in an untrammeled cross-examination. See Fox, 506 N.E.2d at 1095 (no prejudice resulted from admitting expert testimony on blood spatters where defendant failed to cross-examine expert on his qualifications). Under these circumstances, we see no abuse of discretion.