Opinion ID: 1621727
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 9

Heading: whether the trial court erred in allowing the prosecution to comment on, and introduce evidence pertaining to, defendant's failure to test the dna evidence in this case

Text: ¶ 36. Watts next contends that the circuit court improperly allowed the prosecution to question his DNA expert, Dr. Ronald Acton, about his failure to run tests on the same evidence tested by Gen-Test. As the State notes, at the motion in limine hearing, the defense had questioned Dr. Sinha as to whether any material remained available for re-testing. By letter dated January 17, 1996, Ms. Sones notified Dr. Acton that the District Attorney's Office had been advised that the material was available for re-analysis and invited him to contact her to make arrangements if he wanted to run his own tests. On cross-examination, after Dr. Acton testified that his laboratory had been doing forensic PCR testing since October, 1995, Ms. Sones questioned him about whether he had received her letter offering to let him retest the evidence and that he apparently did not seek to have the genetic material retested. ¶ 37. No objections were raised at trial to the line of questioning, and thus the issue is procedurally barred. Lester v. State, 692 So.2d 755, 773 (Miss.1997); Carr v. State, 655 So.2d 824, 853 (Miss.1995). On re-direct examination, further, the defense did not pursue the issue. Citing no authority, Watts now asserts that the admission of the testimony was improper because the burden was on the State to demonstrate the reliability and general acceptance of the evidence it introduced and that he was not required to offer any evidence or have it tested. This Court is under no obligation to entertain assignments oferror unsupported by authority. Brown v. State, 690 So.2d 276, 297 (Miss. 1996); McClain v. State, 625 So.2d 774, 781 (Miss.1993); Baine v. State, 604 So.2d 249, 255 (Miss.1992). Procedural bar notwithstanding, there is no merit to the issue. It was Dr. Acton who pointed out that consistent with the NRC guidelines, his was not an unbiased laboratory for retesting the evidence, but that there were some very good laboratories that could have been utilized to this and should have been. (emphasis added). The only comment which can be construed as a comment on the defense's failure to have the evidence retested came from the defense's own witness, and not from the State.