Opinion ID: 1591445
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Officer Wilcher

Text: ¶ 25. Gates contends that the trial court erred in allowing Officer Wilcher to testify as to whether the scratches on Gates's car which he observed first hand, in the course of his investigation, were consistent with a Kyzar blade hitting the car. Officer Wilcher testified that during the course of his investigation he interviewed Gates, and Gates claimed that Viverette had attacked his car with a Kyzar blade with him inside the car prompting him to shoot Viverette in self defense. Officer Wilcher testified that Gates showed him his car, and he actually observed the scratches on the car. Officer Wilcher testified that he had used a Kyzar blade in the past and was familiar with the use of a Kyzar blade. ¶ 26. The trial court conducted a hearing outside the jury's presence on Gates's objection. The State argued that Officer Wilcher was not testifying as to what caused the scratches on the car, just that from Officer Wilcher's experience and actual observation, the scratches did not appear to be consistent with the car being hit by a Kyzar blade. After hearing the defense's argument in support of its objection and the State's recount of Officer Wilcher's prior testimony, the trial court questioned Officer Wilcher. The exchange was as follows: Q: Let me hear you on what your testimony would be if I allowed that . . . A: Your Honor, it was my experience with a Kyzar blade, the way I've used it, this just did not seem consistent with what you would expect a Kyzar blade to cause. ¶ 27. After more discussion on the record, the trial court stated that the jury is the arbiter of the facts and concluded that the testimony here was something within the grasp of a lay person to testify subject to full cross-examination by the defense. ¶ 28. Rule 701 of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence provides: If the witness is not testifying as an expert, the witness's testimony in the form of opinions or inferences is limited to those opinions or inferences which are (a) rationally based on the perception of the witness, (b) helpful to the clear understanding of the testimony or the determination of a fact in issue, and (c) not based on scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge within the scope of Rule 702. Further, the comments to M.R.E. 701 provide in pertinent part: Rule 701 is a departure from the traditional rule. It favors the admission of lay opinions when two considerations are met. The first consideration is the familiar requirement of first-hand knowledge or observation. The second consideration is that the witness's opinion must be helpful in resolving the issues. (Emphasis added). ¶ 29. Officer Wilcher was recalled to the witness stand when the jury returned to resume his testimony. Besides testifying as to his personal observation of the scratches in the course of his investigation, Officer Wilcher also reviewed photographs that had been admitted into evidence as an exhibit to the defense's case. Officer Wilcher then recounted Gates stating that Viverette attacked his car with a Kyzar blade with him inside which resulted in him shooting Viverette in self defense. Officer Wilcher's testified as to his personal experience with the use of Kyzar blades and his first-hand observation of the scratches on the car during the course of his investigation. Officer Wilcher testified that the scratches did not appear to be consistent with someone hitting the car with a Kyzar blade, but on cross-examination, he noted that the scratches on the car could only have been made if the person using the Kyzar blade had been very careful not to dent the car. ¶ 30. Based on a review of the record, we find the trial court did not err in admitting Officer Wilcher's testimony. This assignment of error is without merit.