Opinion ID: 1110827
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Cross-Examination of State's Pathologist and Failure to Secure an Independent Expert.

Text: ¶ 7. Hughes argues that trial counsel was deficient for failing to cross-examine adequately the State's pathologist and for failing to secure an independent expert to dispute the State's evidence concerning the time of death. We will review denial of expert assistance issues on a case-by-case basis and will grant relief only where the accused demonstrates that the trial court's abuse of discretion is so egregious as to deny him due process and where his trial was thereby rendered fundamentally unfair. Weatherspoon v. State, 732 So.2d 158, 160 (Miss.1999). ¶ 8. In determining whether a defendant was denied a fair trial because of failure to appoint or allow funds for an expert, we consider whether and to what degree the defendant had access to the State's experts, whether the defendant had the opportunity to cross-examine those experts, and lack of prejudice or incompetence of the State's experts. Fisher v. City of Eupora, 587 So.2d 878, 883 (Miss.1991). Another factor to consider is to what extent the State's case depends upon the State's expert. Tubbs v. State, 402 So.2d 830, 836 (Miss.1981). ¶ 9. In the present case, the State's case did not rise and fall on the evidence establishing the time of death. Although the State's case was based entirely on circumstantial evidence, the pathologist's testimony was not paramount. The State's expert opined that Ashley was killed within 24 hours of her disappearance. However, the jury also heard considerable evidence which established that Hughes was seen with the victim on the day of her disappearance and that his DNA sample was consistent with that found on the victim. There was more than sufficient evidence in the record from which a reasonable juror could infer that Hughes had killed Ashley. ¶ 10. Defense counsel was not professionally negligent in failing to seek an independent expert in pathology. Even if we were to assume professional error by trial counsel, it does not follow that the presence of a defense expert would have changed the outcome of the trial. ¶ 11. Furthermore, Hughes' trial counsel conducted an adequate cross-examination of the State's expert witness on his estimation of the time of the victim's death so to allow the possibility that the victim could have died much as 72 hours after her disappearance. This issue is without merit.