Opinion ID: 2502058
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: cross examination of dr. schandl

Text: Next, Dickerson argues the circuit court erred in preventing him from asking Dr. Schandl about the urine screen test she performed on Roper in conjunction with the autopsy. We disagree. Although relevant, evidence may be excluded if its probative value is substantially outweighed by the danger of unfair prejudice, confusion of the issues, or misleading the jury, or by consideration of undue delay, waste of time, or needless presentation of cumulative evidence. Rule 403, SCRE. The admission of evidence is within the circuit court's discretion and will not be reversed on appeal absent an abuse of that discretion. State v. Gaster, 349 S.C. 545, 557, 564 S.E.2d 87, 93 (2002). On direct examination, Dr. Schandl testified that Roper's blood toxicology report was negative, meaning there were no drugs in his system when he died. On cross examination, Dickerson attempted to elicit the results of a preliminary urinalysis test that would show whether Roper used cocaine within two days prior to his death. In her proffer in response to the State's objection under Rule 403, SCRE, Dr. Schandl stated that while the urine screen test performed was presumptively positive, that test alone is unreliable and no confirmatory testing was done. The circuit court refused to admit this evidence, agreeing this form of testing was inherently unreliable and therefore would be misleading, would confuse the jury, and actually did not challenge any of Dr. Schandl's conclusions. We agree. The relevance of whether the victim had used cocaine within the two days prior to his death is dubious, at best, under the facts of this case. Dickerson calls this presumptive test an inconvenient truth for the [S]tate, but we fail to see in what way it is inconvenient; it does not challenge any of Dr. Schandl's findings regarding Roper's cause of death and would only have injected irrelevant considerations into the trial. Therefore, there is little, if any, probative value to this evidence, and it would only serve to confuse the jury and distract it from the case at hand. Dickerson turns to Rule 608(c), SCRE, to supply the requisite relevance and probative value, arguing this testimony demonstrates Dr. Schandl's bias, prejudice, or motive to lie. [A]nything having a legitimate tendency to throw light on the accuracy, truthfulness, and sincerity of a witness may be shown and considered in determining the credit to be accorded his testimony. On cross-examination, any fact may be elicited which tends to show interest, bias, or partiality of the witness. State v. Saltz, 346 S.C. 114, 131-32, 551 S.E.2d 240, 250 (2001) (quotations omitted). However, the proffered cross examination did not elicit a single fact that might shed any light on a potential motive or bias for Dr. Schandl to misrepresent. Although Dickerson is correct that Dr. Schandl was the key witness for the State regarding cause of death and torture, that fact alone certainly does not establish a reason for her to lie, and the proffered testimony does not complete the circle. Similarly, we reject Dickerson's argument that the evidence must be available to rebut the false impression created by the State when Dr. Schandl testified that Roper's blood toxicology report was negative. A defendant generally is entitled to rebut false impressions created by the State's evidence. See State v. Northcutt, 372 S.C. 207, 221, 641 S.E.2d 873, 880 (2007). Dickerson argues the false impression he is entitled to rebut is that Roper did not use cocaine. Even assuming Dr. Schandl's testimony did create this impression, Roper's drug use is irrelevant in this case. Therefore, this plainly is not a situation where the false impression created is at all prejudicial to the defendant. Permitting Dickerson to respond would only take her testimony further down that rabbit hole. Accordingly, we hold the circuit court did not abuse its discretion in excluding this evidence. [4]