Opinion ID: 157631
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Failure to Qualify “Expert” Witness

Text: Finally, petitioner contends that his trial counsel’s decision to call Robert Romero as a witness was prejudicial because Romero was not qualified to give 6 Petitioner attempted to raise an additional issue in supplemental authority and at oral argument regarding the failure of his trial counsel to fulfill his opening statement promise to the jury regarding character evidence. Trial counsel stated to the jury that he would produce evidence that petitioner acted in self-defense in part because he was aware of Cleon Richards history of violent acts when intoxicated. Petitioner argues that the failure to fulfill this promise to the jury amounts to prejudice per se. However, we find petitioner did not properly raise this issue on appeal. In his opening brief, petitioner mentions the fact that his attorney told the jury to expect certain evidence, but petitioner did not argue that the failure to carry out this promise, by itself, constituted prejudice. In other words, petitioner never asserted in his briefs that counsel’s statement was itself prejudicial, nor did he cite any authority to support such a proposition. An issue raised for the first time at oral argument “comes too late.” Thomas v. Denny’s, Inc., 111 F.3d 1506, 1510 n.5 (10th Cir.) cert. denied, 118 S. Ct. 626 (1997); see also, e.g., Gross v. Burggraf Constr. Co., 53 F.3d 1531, 1547 (10th Cir. 1995) (stating that an issue not adequately briefed will not be considered even though party attempts to assert the claim at oral argument). - 16 - expert testimony regarding the Harrison primer residue test and crime scene reconstruction that would have assisted petitioner’s case. We find no prejudice. The prosecution admitted no evidence regarding the results of the Harrison primer residue test, making it unnecessary for the defense to call a witness to rebut the results. In any event, the residue primer test results were inconclusive, probably because soot, smoke, and water stemming from the fire that had been set at the crime scene contaminated the residue collected from the decedent’s hands. It is hard to imagine that any expert testimony regarding the primer residue test results, under these circumstances, would have assisted petitioner’s case. In fact, such testimony would likely have constituted pure speculation, making it inadmissable. See N.M. R. Evid. 702 (stating that admissible expert testimony must “assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue”); see also, e.g., Mitchell v. Gencorp Inc., -- F.3d --, 1999 WL 5105, at  (10th Cir. Jan. 7, 1999) (noting that under Federal Rule of Evidence 702, admissible expert testimony must be based on “actual knowledge and not ‘subjective belief or unsupported speculation’” (quoting Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharmaceuticals, Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 590 (1993))). Similarly, any expert testimony regarding crime scene reconstruction would also be dubious, given that the crime scene had been destroyed by fire and rebuilt while petitioner was a fugitive from justice. Consequently, we fail to see how petitioner’s trial - 17 - counsel’s error in calling a witness who was not qualified to testify regarding the primer residue test results and crime scene reconstruction prejudiced his defense. Moreover, the mere fact that the jury saw defense counsel fail to get his proposed expert qualified is not enough to impact the outcome in this case. In sum, based on our careful review of the record, including the tape recordings of the state court proceedings and the transcript of the evidentiary hearing, we find that plaintiff has failed to show that his trial counsel’s unprofessional errors individually or cumulatively affected the outcome of his trial. His claim of ineffective assistance of counsel has no merit. Although we grant petitioner’s request for a certificate of probable cause, for the reasons discussed above, we AFFIRM the order of the district court denying his petition for a writ of habeas corpus. ENTERED FOR THE COURT, Deanell Reece Tacha