Opinion ID: 1133683
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 11

Heading: Whether the trial court properly admitted rebuttal evidence, and whether there was a discovery violation.[16]

Text: ś 144. Rubenstein argues the State violated its discovery obligations by failing to disclose Dr. William Rodriguez as a prosecution witness before trial. Dr. Rodriguez, a forensic anthropologist, testified as a rebuttal witness for the State. ś 145. The record reflects the State listed Dr. Rodriguez as a potential witness on its witness list filed in the circuit clerk's office on December 29, 1999, and indicated he would be called to testify as a M.R.E. 702 expert. Dr. Rodriguez's name and telephone numbers were also provided. Furthermore, at the pre-trial hearing on January 7, 2000, the State informed the trial court that Dr. Rodriguez would be called as an expert to set the approximate date of death at November 16, 1993. On January 14, 2000, the State furnished a letter to the defense setting forth Dr. Rodriguez's findings, in compliance with the trial court's instructions, and stating he would be called as a rebuttal witness. Clearly, Rubenstein's claim that the State did not satisfy its discovery obligation is meritless. ś 146. Rubenstein also argues that rebuttal testimony cannot be used to avoid the obligation to disclose evidence about the State's case-in-chief, and that Dr. Bass and Dr. Rodriguez presented improper rebuttals. However, the record does not support this allegation. [17] ś 147. Dr. Rodriguez testified that decomposition is a complex subject and entomology cannot be looked at alone. He noted the bodies being indoors makes estimating time of death less accurate. While he testified that insects may have been in the cabin for the length of time estimated by Rubenstein's experts, he concluded the bodies had been in the cabin for three to four weeks before they were discovered on December 16. ś 148. Dr. Rodriguez testified that the pictures of Krystal's body showed pupa casings in her hair, on the sheet she was wrapped in, and along her neck. However, he stated the existence of pupa casings was not the dispositive factor in formulating his opinion on the decompositional process, which is a more gross visualization. He testified that he based his time of death estimate on the environmental conditions and corporal evidence that we use in a combined manner to get the estimate that combines all of those aspects. ś 149. The defense never objected to Dr. Rodriguez's testimony regarding pupa casings as improper rebuttal or a discovery violation. See Scott, 878 So.2d at 988 (failure to object waives error). Procedural bar aside, based on the discussion in Issue X, Dr. Rodriguez's and Dr. Bass's testimony were proper rebuttals. ś 150. This Court has encouraged liberal application of the rebuttal evidence rule. . . . The determination of whether evidence is properly admitted as rebuttal evidence is within the trial court's discretion. Powell v. State, 662 So.2d 1095, 1098-99 (Miss.1995) (citations omitted). Likewise, in McGaughy v. State, 742 So.2d 1091, 1095 (Miss.1999), a capital murder case, we reiterated our support for a liberal application of the rebuttal evidence rule, stating, [t]he time and manner of introducing evidence is committed to the sound discretion of the trial judge. Accordingly, we will not reverse unless the exercise of discretion appears arbitrary, capricious or unjust. Id. There is no evidence to support Rubenstein's claim the trial court abused its discretion in allowing the rebuttal testimony. This issue is without merit.