Opinion ID: 1891504
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: State's Entomology Expert

Text: Simmons next argues that because Dr. Hogsette, the State's expert in the life cycle of flies, was not qualified as a forensic entomologist, the trial court erred in allowing him to testify regarding the approximate time of Tressler's death. A trial judge has the discretion to determine if a witness's qualifications render him or her an expert, and this determination will not be overturned absent clear error. Johnson, 438 So.2d at 777 (noting a trial court's wide discretion regarding evidence admissibility and expert testimony). We conclude that the trial court did not commit error in allowing Dr. Hogsette to utilize his knowledge of the life cycle of flies and relate this knowledge to the estimated time of Tressler's death. During trial, Dr. Hogsette testified concerning his experience in entomology and his involvement in other murder cases, stating that other courts had recognized him as an expert in the field of entomology and the life cycle of flies. He had worked on forensic cases since the 1970s, utilizing his expert knowledge in determining the age of corpses, and he explained that the work he has performed on flies involved the same principles that a forensic entomologist would use. Of course, there was also other evidence presented during trial, such as the eyewitness testimony of the events preceding the murder, that placed Tressler's death during the time period opined by Dr. Hogsette. We find that the trial court did not err in allowing Dr. Hogsette to testify.