Opinion ID: 1744864
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 10

Heading: assignment number twenty-one

Text: By this assignment defendants argue that the trial court erred in allowing the State to require one of the defendants, Sheral Kahey to express an opinion. During cross-examination the prosecutor showed Sheral Kahey photographs of the victim, Arthur, and inquired whether she believed that punishment which would leave scars like those displayed in the photographs would be proper punishment for a child who had committed an infraction. Defendants' attorney objected that the question would call for an answer which would also relate to other people who had punished the child. The trial court narrowed the inquiry to allow a response only on the defendant's opinion regarding the particular scars. The defense attorney objected to the relevancy of this questioning, and his objection was overruled. The defendant witness responded that if the infraction were serious enough the punishment which would result in such scarring would be proper. On appeal the defendants argue that the questioning called for an impermissible opinion and also that the testimony was irrelevant. We find no error in the trial court's allowing the question and answer. As a general rule lay witnesses should not give opinion testimony. La.R.S. 15:463. However, lay witnesses may testify as to their inferences drawn from their personal experiences. See State v. Vanderhoff, 415 So.2d 190 (La.1982); See also the discussion of assignments numbers eleven and twelve, supra. Nevertheless, we need not delve deeply into the issue of whether the evidence was impermissible opinion, for defendant's attorney did not raise this objection at trial. La.C.Cr.P. art. 841. Defense counsel did raise a relevancy objection to the questioning. However, we believe that the trial court properly narrowed the inquiry and allowed Sheral to testify regarding her view of the scars inflicted upon Arthur. Her testimony regarding the reasonableness of her punishment was relevant because it tended to prove the existence of her specific intent to kill or to inflict great bodily harm upon Arthur and it tended to impeach her testimony that she only intended to discipline him. Therefore, the assignment of error lacks merit.