Opinion ID: 1595336
Heading Depth: 3
Heading Rank: 5

Heading: Exclusion of Expert Testimony of Herbert Wells.

Text: ¶ 55. Ross contends that the trial court erred in excluding the testimony and accompanying investigative report of his expert in investigatory techniques, Herbert Wells. Wells' proffered testimony purported to show the inadequacy of the police investigation, the impossibility of burning a wallet until only ashes remained, and the contradictions between Jones' statement to him and her testimony at trial. The State argued that the proffer was untimely, and that the testimony should be excluded as a violation of the discovery rule. The trial court heard the proposed testimony outside the presence of the jury and ruled it inadmissible. Though not entirely clear, the trial court appears to have ruled the testimony inadmissible as a substantive matter and not because it was untimely. ¶ 56. A trial judge enjoys a great deal of discretion as to the relevancy and admissibility of evidence. Walker v. State, 878 So.2d 913, 915 (Miss.2004). However, this discretion must be exercised within the confines of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence. Cox v. State, 849 So.2d 1257, 1268 (Miss.2003); M.R.E. 103(a). Reversal is proper only where such discretion has been abused and a substantial right of a party has been affected. Id. The trial court's discretion must also insure the constitutional right of the accused to present a full defense in his or her case. United States v. Stewart, 323 U.S.App.D.C. 29, 104 F.3d 1377, 1384 (D.C.Cir.1997). ¶ 57. The admissibility of expert testimony is evaluated in light of M.R.E. 702, which holds that such testimony may be introduced when it is found to be relevant and reliable. See Miss. Transp. Comm'n v. McLemore, 863 So.2d 31, 38 (Miss.2003); see also M.R.E. 702. Testimony is relevant if it will assist the trier of fact in understanding or determining a fact at issue. Id. To meet the requirement of reliability, an expert's testimony must be based on the methods and procedures of science, and not merely on subjective beliefs or unsupported speculation. Id., at 36 (citing Daubert v. Merrell Dow Pharms., Inc., 509 U.S. 579, 587, 113 S.Ct. 2786, 125 L.Ed.2d 469 (1993)). Rule 702 expressly allows expert testimony regarding non-scientific matters, so long as the witness's knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education qualify him as an expert in a given field, and (1) the testimony is based upon sufficient facts or data; (2) the testimony is the product of reliable principles and methods; and (3) the witness has applied the principles and methods reliably to the facts of the case. ¶ 58. In his proffered testimony, Wells questioned Jones' account of Ross destroying Yancey's wallet by burning it. Wells stated that he had attempted to destroy a wallet by setting it on fire with a great deal of paper underneath. After the attempt proved unsuccessful, he gave the wallet time to cool off and saturated it with lighter fluid. That attempt also proved unsuccessful, and he brought the remains of the wallet with him as part of his proffered testimony. The State objected that Wells had not been proffered as an expert in incineration. The trial court excluded this testimony upon finding that, without any evidence offered as to the type of wallet Yancey owned, the accuracy of the demonstration could not be substantiated. ¶ 59. Rule 401 of the Mississippi Rules of Evidence defines relevant evidence as evidence having any tendency to make the existence of any fact that is of consequence to the determination of the action more probable or less probable than it would be without the evidence. Wells' experiment was inadmissible under Rule 401 since he could not verify that the wallet he burned was similar in composition to Yancey's or that he had attempted to destroy it under similar circumstances. The trial court did not abuse its discretion in excluding Wells' testimony regarding the experiment. ¶ 60. Wells also offered testimony in which he highlighted the statements Margaret Jones made to him in a personal interview, which were inconsistent with her initial statement to police as well as her testimony at trial. In particular, he discussed the fact that she told him Ross arrived at Hale's residence between 8:30 and 9;00 p.m., while she testified at trial that he arrived around 11:30 p.m. However, introduction of any such statements would have been mere commentary on the veracity of a witness, which is not appropriate expert testimony under Rule 702. Smith v. State, 925 So.2d 825, 833 (Miss. 2006). The trial court therefore did not err in refusing to allow Wells to comment on Jones' testimony at trial. ¶ 61. Finally, Wells was proffered as an expert on police investigatory techniques. He testified to his experience in securing crime scenes and collecting evidence, and opined that in those areas the investigation into Yancey's murder was deficient. However, his proffer failed to establish the reliability of his testimony under Daubert and McLemore. Consequently, the trial court did not err in excluding it.