Opinion ID: 220347
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: The Coroner's Testimony

Text: Henness also argues that the trial court improperly admitted the testimony of the coroner concerning the use of a sound-muffling tool in the murder. The coroner noted that some of the bullets did not penetrate the victim's skull as deeply as would be expected, and he speculated that something was placed between the gun and the victim to quiet the sound of the gun. The Ohio Court of Appeals determined that this opinion may have been outside the coroner's area of expertise, but any error was harmless. The coroner characterized his opinion as theoretical and stated that he did not know if he [could] answer that per se. Henness responds that the coroner's testimony was not harmless, because it supported the conclusion that Henness premeditated intent to murder Myers. The admission of the coroner's testimony did not render Henness's trial so fundamentally unfair as to result in a due process violation. While the coroner's testimony supported a finding of premeditation, there was other evidence that Henness intended to murder Myers. Specifically, Henness stole Myers's car, credit card, and other possessions to fund his drug addiction.