Opinion ID: 526146
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Issue Concerning the Position of the Decedent at the Time of the Shooting

Text: 29 The Appellate Division affirmed the superior court's admission of Park's testimony concerning the position of the decedent when she was shot. In so affirming, the Appellate Division cited State v. Sparks, 297 N.C. 314, 325, 255 S.E.2d 373, 380-81 (1979). In Sparks, the defendant was charged with murdering a police officer. At trial the prosecution sought to introduce the testimony of a forensic pathologist who was qualified as an expert. The testimony sought to be introduced concerned the position of the victim's body at the time he was shot based on the path of the bullet through the victim's body. The trial court allowed the testimony over the objection of the defendant. The Supreme Court of North Carolina, affirming the trial court, held that the testimony was properly admitted. The North Carolina Supreme Court stated the test to be:  'whether the witness because of his expertise is in a better position to have an opinion on the subject than is the trier of fact.'  Sparks, 255 N.E.2d at 381 (citations omitted). 30 The Appellate Division found that, based on the Sparks test, Dr. Park's testimony was admissible: 31 We agree with the Supreme Court of North Carolina. A pathologist is in a better position than an ordinary person to account for the effect of the internal organs, tissues, and bones on the path of a bullet through a body. Accordingly, it was not an abuse of discretion or manifest error for the Superior Court to allow the introduction of Dr. Park's testimony about his opinion of the position of the victim's body at the time she was shot. 32 We agree with the Appellate Division. Dr. Park, a qualified forensic pathologist, testified based on his experience, expertise, and personal examination of the body. Dr. Park was able to determine the position of the decedent when she was shot based on the path of the bullet through her body. This testimony required scientific and specialized knowledge and an analysis of the location of the entry and exit wounds on her body, the location of the bullet hole in the wall, and the distances involved. Dr. Park's testimony did not invade the province of the jury, but was well within the range of his experience and expertise and was of substantial assistance to the jury in understanding the evidence. Under these circumstances it was not an abuse of discretion or manifest error for the Superior Court to have allowed the testimony of Dr. Park as to the position of the decedent at the time she was shot. 11