Opinion ID: 2746353
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Other BCI Analysts

Text: {¶ 134} Thompson also argues that the trial court plainly erred by allowing four other BCI analysts to testify as experts. Specifically, he objects that the state failed to formally tender these witnesses as experts and that the trial court failed to make a threshold determination of their qualifications. {¶ 135} As an initial matter, the record supports the trial court’s decision to treat these witnesses as experts in their respective fields. {¶ 136} • Dale Laux is a forensic scientist who testified about his formal education, his specialized training, and his 30 years of experience at BCI. He has testified as a serology expert in more than 300 Ohio cases. In this case, Laux testified primarily about his findings regarding the presence of blood on the items in evidence. {¶ 137} • Martin Lewis is a forensic scientist who testified about his training, his prior employment, and his nine years of experience in BCI’s trace- 36 January Term, 2014 evidence section. Lewis testified that he found gunshot residue in the sample taken from Thompson’s hands. {¶ 138} • Stacy Violi testified about her formal education, her BCI training in serology and DNA, and her ten years of experience with BCI’s serology and DNA section. Violi has testified as a DNA expert on more than 90 occasions. In this case, she testified about the results of the DNA tests she performed on the items in evidence. {¶ 139} • Andrew Chappell testified about his formal education, his training, and his eight years of experience in BCI’s firearms section. Chappell has testified as a firearms expert in 56 Ohio cases, and he testified about firearms and gunshot residue in this case. {¶ 140} We conclude that no plain error occurred when the trial court failed to qualify these four witnesses formally as experts at the outset of their testimony. See State v. Powell, 132 Ohio St.2d 233, 2012-Ohio-2577, 971 N.E.2d 865, ¶ 145; Hartman, 93 Ohio St.3d at 285-288, 754 N.E.2d 1150; Baston, 85 Ohio St.3d at 422-423, 709 N.E.2d 128. {¶ 141} Thompson also argues that the trial court should have excluded this testimony because it does not pass the Evid.R. 403 balancing test. He generally asserts that a risk of unfair prejudice arose because the prosecutor and the trial court held these four witnesses out as experts; however, he makes no specific claims of prejudice. Further, he makes no effort to weigh the risk of prejudice against the probative value of this testimony. As a result, Thompson has not established any error in this regard. {¶ 142} In sum, we discern no error in the admission of the challenged expert testimony. We also reject Thompson’s argument that testimony from these five witnesses violated his due-process rights because it did not pass scientific muster under Evid.R. 702. Proposition of law No. IX fails. 37 SUPREME COURT OF OHIO