Opinion ID: 2157125
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Omnibus Pretrial Motion

Text: In his first claim of error, Appellant challenges several rulings of the trial court, which were made in response to his omnibus pretrial motion. Pursuant to Pa. R.Crim.P. Rule 306, Appellant filed a twenty-five count omnibus pretrial motion dealing with issues such as suppression, change of venue, expert witnesses, sequestration and pretrial discovery. After holding hearings on the motions, the trial court granted some of Appellant's motions, denied some motions, and deferred ruling on other motions. On appeal, Appellant challenges the denial by the trial court of his request for court funds to pay for a statistician and a ballistics expert to help him prepare his defense. We first note that the decision of whether or not to appoint an expert witness is within the sound discretion of the trial court and will not be disturbed absent an abuse of that discretion. Commonwealth v. Carter, 537 Pa. 233, 643 A.2d 61, 72 (1994), cert. denied, 514 U.S. 1005, 115 S.Ct. 1317, 131 L.Ed.2d 198 (1995). While an accused in a capital case is entitled to the assistance of experts necessary to prepare his defense, there is no obligation on the part of the Commonwealth to pay for the services of an expert. Id. at 73. Additionally, a defendant is not entitled to unlimited court appointed experts until he finds one that renders the opinion he desires. Commonwealth v. Faulkner, 528 Pa. 57, 595 A.2d 28, 37 (1991), cert. denied, 503 U.S. 989, 112 S.Ct. 1680, 118 L.Ed.2d 397 (1992). Finally, we note that the trial court did grant Appellant's request for the appointment of both a psychologist and a private investigator. We turn now to Appellant's claim that the trial court erred in denying his request for a statistician. Appellant requested the expert to assist him in determining the representativeness of various classes in past and present jury arrays. Omnibus Pretrial Motion, para. 28. We find no error on the part of the trial court in denying this motion. The trial court stated when it denied Appellant's request, This Court is aware that in this County we use voter registration lists and the motor vehicle license lists from which the jury is summoned. N.T. 9/19/97 p. 5. As this Court has stated, a criminal defendant may not attack the racial composition of jury panels drawn from voter registration lists on the theory that blacks are underrepresented in voter lists because such computer generated lists are compiled without regard to race. Commonwealth v. Henry, 524 Pa. 135, 569 A.2d 929, 933 (1990), cert. denied, 499 U.S. 931, 111 S.Ct. 1338, 113 L.Ed.2d 269 (1991). This Court has repeatedly rejected the argument that a jury pool chosen from voter registration does not represent a fair cross section of the community. Commonwealth v. Abu-Jamal, 553 Pa. 485, 720 A.2d 79, 114 (1998), cert. denied, ___ U.S. ___, 120 S.Ct. 41, 145 L.Ed.2d 38 (1999). For that reason, the trial court did not err in denying this request. We also find that the trial court did not err in denying Appellant's request for a ballistics expert. Appellant claims that, because testimony at trial indicated that four separate weapons were involved in the murders, the appointment of a ballistics expert would have helped the jury better understand his statement to the police and refute the prosecutor's argument concerning inferences to be drawn from the evidence. Appellant's Brief at 4. Beyond this bald statement, Appellant has not articulated how a ballistics expert would have helped him at trial, how the lack of a ballistics expert prejudiced him, or how the trial court abused its discretion in denying his request. Consequently, this claim fails. Also included in Appellant's omnibus pretrial motion was a Motion to Quash Information, which the trial court denied and which Appellant now claims as error. In this appeal, Appellant asserts that the criminal complaint as originally filed did not charge him with conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, but that he was charged with this crime later in the information filed against him. We note however, that the transcript attached as Exhibit B in support of his motion to quash does list in its Description of Charges four counts of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault. This claim, therefore, fails.