Opinion ID: 1182120
Heading Depth: 1
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: did the district court abuse its discretion in allowing dr. koenen to testify regarding the positions of the victims' bodies at the time they were shot?

Text: At trial, the State called Dr. Carl Koenen for the purpose of testifying as an expert witness. During Dr. Koenen's testimony, the State asked if he had an opinion as to the position of each of the decedents at the time they were shot. Counsel for appellant objected to these questions. At trial, and on appeal, appellant contends that these questions were designed to elicit from Dr. Koenen testimony regarding how the deaths occurred rather than an expert medical opinion. Further, appellant argues that this testimony did not require special skills or knowledge beyond that possessed by ordinary citizens such as those comprising the jury. This Court has stated that I.R.E. 702 provides the appropriate test for determining whether an adequate foundation had been laid to admit the testimony of the expert witness regarding scientifically derived evidence. State v. Rodgers, 119 Idaho 1047, 1049, 812 P.2d 1208, 1210 (1991). Idaho Rule of Evidence 702 reads: Rule 702. Testimony by experts.If scientific, technical, or other specialized knowledge will assist the trier of fact to understand the evidence or to determine a fact in issue, a witness qualified as an expert by knowledge, skill, experience, training, or education, may testify thereto in the form of an opinion or otherwise. An expert witness has been defined by this Court `as someone possessing a certain skill or knowledge which is beyond the competence of the average layman or juror.' Rodgers, 119 Idaho at 1051, 812 P.2d at 1212 (citing Potter v. Mulberry, 100 Idaho 429, 599 P.2d 1000 (1979); Stoddard v. Nelson, 99 Idaho 293, 581 P.2d 339 (1978); Bean v. Diamond Alkali Co., 93 Idaho 32, 454 P.2d 69 (1969)). It is within the discretion of the district court to determine whether a person is qualified to testify as an expert witness. Rodgers, 119 Idaho at 1051, 812 P.2d at 1212; Jones v. Jones, 117 Idaho 621, 627, 790 P.2d 914, 920 (1990). Dr. Koenen testified that he was currently a physician specializing in pathology, that he had attended college at Kalamazoo College in Michigan and medical school at Marquette School of Medicine in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, and explained the difference between forensic and clinical pathology. He further stated that he was currently a licensed medical physician in Idaho, that he was certified by the American Board of Pathology, that he had devoted a substantial part of his practice to the area of forensic pathology over the past years, that he had been called upon a number of times in the past to testify as a forensic pathologist, that performing autopsies and determining locations of wounds were duties he had performed as a forensic pathologist, that he had performed the autopsies on decedents Ray E. Thomasson and Judith A. Thomasson, and that he had followed standard procedures in performing both of these autopsies. Given Dr. Koenen's qualifications, experience, and the foundation laid for his testimony, this Court cannot say that the district court abused its discretion in allowing Dr. Koenen to testify as to the location of the victims' bodies when they were shot. See Rodgers, 119 Idaho at 1051-52, 812 P.2d at 1212-13. The testimony of Dr. Koenen, including the testimony regarding the position of the decedents' bodies at the time they were shot, is helpful, or of assistance, to the jury, as the finder of fact, in understanding the evidence at trial.