Opinion ID: 1940967
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: Defense Expert Witnesses

Text: Dr. Mark Howe, after being accepted as an expert in cognitive and developmental psychology, testified that younger children have poorer memories than older children and are more susceptible to suggestion. After viewing several excerpts from videotaped interviews conducted with Aaron, Lakeisha, and Tiffany O'Brien and Antonio Washington, [19] he highlighted examples of (1) interviewer bias when the interviewer suggest[ed] to the child various things that might have happened or that might not have happened; (2) the interviewer's set[ting] a general tone of disbelief or implying that somebody [might be] in trouble or might be hiding something; (3) repetitive suggestions that they don't think that the child has told the truth; and (4) leading and suggestive comments by the interviewer. Dr. Howe stated that when suggestive questioning techniques are used, you don't know whether [an answer] really is accurate from a memory perspective, or whether they are just telling you something because they think you want to hear it. On cross-examination, Dr. Howe conceded that none of the interviewers explicitly suggested that appellant had killed Brianna. He also admitted that a number of good techniques were used during the interviews seen on the videotapes, and that multiple interviews of children are not per se improper. If the interviews are done in an appropriate manner, you can interview as many times as you like. In addition, he agreed with the prosecutor's comment that a distinctive event that is stressful is going to be imprinted more strongly in a child's memory than [other events.] Dr. Howe specifically acknowledged that Tiffany O'Brien had said Mommy slammed Brianna at the very beginning of her first interview, the day after Brianna died, without being prompted by a suggestive question or by any improper remark. When asked if he agreed that if a parent with whom a child lives tells that child, `Don't talk about something,' it is going to carry a lot of weight with the child, he replied, Absolutely. Similarly, he agreed that it would seem to make sense that the more serious trouble the child thinks that a loved one may get into if they tell the truth, the more likely they would be to lie. Dr. John Plunkett, a board-certified pathologist who serves as an assistant coroner for seven counties in Minnesota, was qualified as an expert in forensic pathology. He testified that after reviewing the autopsy report and other medical records, he concluded that Brianna's death was accidental, the result of a fall. In forming his opinion, he placed great reliance on a published study he had done of eighteen deaths of children who fell accidentally from playground equipment. [20] Dr. Plunkett's study concluded that falls of fewer than ten feet ... may cause fatal head injury ... of a type indistinguishable from that commonly associated with what is called abusive head trauma. [21] The injuries to Brianna's brain, he said, were typical for those that are seen especially in a child, when the head is in motion and it stops suddenly against a [surface] such as the floor or ... a carpeted surface. Dr. Plunkett considered it extremely unlikely that Brianna's injuries were caused by her head being slammed to a hard surface because of the absence of injury to her shoulders or upper arms. He also opined that Brianna's facial injuries were the result of resuscitation attempts or were caused by removing the tape that was holding the nasal tracheal catheter in place. On cross-examination, Dr. Plunkett admitted that he was unaware that Aaron O'Brien had testified that the falling down the stairs story was a lie his mom told the kids to tell, and that, in fact, his mom had dropped Brianna on her head on the floor twice. The doctor testified that it was not unusual for someone who had abused a child to lie about her conduct and that [g]etting the truth the first time around is an unusual occurrence. He also agreed that when children fall, they don't usually strike their head, but he said he did now know if that principle applied on the stairs. In addition, he conceded that it would be unlikely for the three impact injuries on Brianna's head to have occurred simultaneously during a short fall down stairs. Dr. Marvin Podd, who had conducted a psychological evaluation of appellant, was qualified as an expert in neuropsychology and clinical psychology. His testimony was admitted for the limited purpose of assisting the jury in deciding what weight to give appellant's videotaped statements and other statements that she made to the police. Dr. Podd testified that appellant's IQ was in the 60s, which would be considered mildly mentally retarded. Appellant also had trouble with her memory, attention span, reading, spelling, doing math in her head, visual perception, and spatial organization. Dr. Podd stated that appellant did not believe there was anything wrong with her and that she does not have a good understanding of what she does not understand. On cross-examination, Dr. Podd acknowledged that appellant made it through the eleventh grade in school, has held several jobs (including one as a security officer), drives a car, and is capable of learning new things. He also conceded that appellant seemed to have the intellectual capacity to care for a child and, for instance, to teach a child what she thought was safe and not safe.