Opinion ID: 1325644
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 3

Heading: Admissibility of Dr. Fierro's Testimony.

Text: Mueller contends that portions of the testimony of Dr. Marcella Fierro, who conducted the autopsy of the victim's body, should not have been admitted because they included opinion evidence which was not stated to a reasonable degree of medical certainty. However, Mueller does not identify the portions of Dr. Fierro's testimony which he claims were admitted improperly. Further, the record shows that, during Dr. Fierro's testimony in the guilt phase of the trial, Mueller made no objection to the fact that her opinions were not stated to a reasonable degree of medical certainty. [8] Accordingly, he may not complain on appeal regarding the admission of this opinion evidence. Spruill v. Commonwealth, 221 Va. 475, 478-79, 271 S.E.2d 419, 421 (1980); Rule 5:25. During the penalty phase of the trial, the prosecutor questioned Dr. Fierro regarding certain photographs which depicted the condition of the victim's body. At this point, Mueller did object to Dr. Fierro's testimony. He argued that any opinion on her part regarding the cause of the injuries, as well as the cause of death, would not be admissible since it could not be stated to a reasonable degree of medical certainty. This objection, however, was wholly inapposite to the testimony which Dr. Fierro gave at the penalty phase of the trial. Here, Dr. Fierro's testimony dealt only with descriptions of the photographs which the prosecution sought to introduce. Dr. Fierro gave no further testimony during the penalty phase of the trial. Since her testimony at this stage of the trial involved only a description of the condition of the body, as depicted in the photographs, it did not constitute opinion evidence and was properly admitted.