Opinion ID: 2586281
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Asserted Error in Admission of Testimony of Prosecution's Blood Spatter Expert Witness

Text: Defendant contends that prosecution blood spatter expert witness, Deputy Sheriff Brian Kennedy, was biased and lacked proper qualification as an expert. He claims Kennedy's testimony (on crime reconstruction using blood spatter analysis) violated defendant's constitutional rights to a fair trial, due process of law, and a reliable penalty determination. The testimony described the blood spatter patterns the killings caused, other transfers of blood (including castoffs, wipes, and drip trails), and blood pooling in Daniel Magoon's body. Defendant further contends the court violated Evidence Code section 402 and his federal due process rights when it deferred, until midtrial, any rulings on the admissibility of Kennedy's testimony. For the reasons discussed below, we conclude no error occurred. The parties discussed the admissibility of Kennedy's testimony during in limine motions. Defense counsel made an oral objection to the testimony under People v. Kelly (1976) 17 Cal.3d 24, 130 Cal.Rptr. 144, 549 P.2d 1240 and Frye v. United States (D.C.Cir.1923) 293 F. 1013, raising the issue of whether Kennedy had used correct procedures. [20] The court ruled that Kelly was inapplicable to Kennedy's testimony. After reviewing Kennedy's resume, the trial court stated that there was no need to have an Evidence Code section 402 hearing on Kennedy's qualifications, because Kennedy appeared qualified. The trial court noted that the defense would have the opportunity to voir dire Kennedy at trial to confirm his qualifications. At trial, defense counsel did not object to Kennedy's testimony, As a preliminary matter, the People assert that defendant forfeited his claims because he failed to object to Kennedy's testimony either on the ground that he was biased or that he lacked proper qualifications as an expert. Defendant replies that trial counsel's objection on Kelly and Frye grounds to the scientific validity of the procedures followed by Kennedy is sufficient to preserve the issue on appeal. [21] But because the objection below neither explicitly nor implicitly raised the issues of Kennedy's bias or lack of qualification, we conclude that defendant did forfeit the claims. ( People v. Jenkins (2000) 22 Cal.4th 900, 1000, 95 Cal.Rptr.2d 377, 997 P.2d 1044.) Even assuming that defendant's claims were not forfeited, we find them without merit. A claim that expert opinion evidence has been improperly admitted is reviewed under the deferential abuse of discretion standard. ( People v. Panah (2005) 35 Cal.4th 395, 478, 25 Cal. Rptr.3d 672, 107 P.3d 790.) Error regarding a witness's qualifications as an expert will be found only if the evidence shows the witness ` 'clearly lacks qualification as an expert.'' [Citation.] ( People v. Farnam, supra, 28 Cal.4th at p. 162, 121 Cal.Rptr.2d 106, 47 P.3d 988.) The record does not show that Kennedy lacked expert qualifications. Kennedy received a bachelor's degree in Police Science and Management and after becoming a police officer took supplemental courses in crime scene reconstruction and bloodstain patterns. He lectured on blood spatter evidence at an in-service school for criminal investigators and prosecutors at San Jose State University. He had testified regarding blood spatter evidence in superior courts throughout the state on numerous occasions. He conducted blood spatter analysis for the Sacramento Sheriffs Department and went to homicide scenes. Kennedy's educational background and work experience fully qualified him to testify as an expert on blood spatter evidence. (See People v. Combs (2004) 34 Cal.4th 821, 849, 22 Cal.Rptr.3d 61, 101 P.3d 1007.) Defendant contends that Kennedy was biased because his report included a section called The Bludgeoning, in which he opined that the eight cast-off bloodstains in the hallway were likely caused by repeated blows to Mary Magoon's head by an instrument consistent with a nine-millimeter handgun. The serology reports, however, showed that the blood at issue was not Mary Magoon's; it was D.'s. [22] Defendant implies this discrepancy shows Kennedy's bias against the defendant in the face of scientific evidence to the contrary. But the explanation for the apparent conflict, as Kennedy testified at trial, was that his deadline for submitting the findings to the district attorney's office required him to write his report before the serology tests had been completed, and he was asked to outline as many possibilities as he could, including the possibility that the blood in the hallway was Mary Magoon's. After the serology tests were returned, and prior to trial, Kennedy sought to redact the pages of the report that dealt with the bludgeoning in the hallway, but the trial court ruled that Kennedy's entire report was the fair subject of defense examination. Nothing in this record suggests Kennedy was biased in any regard. In addition, we find no merit in defendant's contention that the trial court violated Evidence Code section 402 and defendant's due process rights when it deferred until midtrial any rulings on the admissibility of Kennedy's testimony. The trial court did not defer its Evidence Code section 402 rulings until midtrial; it made pretrial rulings on the two preliminary facts raised, which were the scientific reliability of blood spatter testing (the Kelly rule objection), and Kennedy's qualifications to testify as an expert witness. [23] Defendant contends the court should have held an evidentiary hearing before Kennedy was allowed to testify. The claim has no merit. Kennedy's resume sufficiently established his qualifications. In addition, the court correctly concluded that blood spatter testing does not require Kelly scrutiny. ( People v. Clark, supra, 5 Cal.4th at p. 1018, 22 Cal.Rptr.2d 689, 857 P.2d 1099.) We therefore conclude no error occurred when the court admitted Kennedy's expert testimony.