Opinion ID: 1386729
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 1

Heading: Demonstration By State's Witness

Text: The Appellant contends that the demonstration of the combustible qualities of gasoline should have been excluded under Rule 702 of the West Virginia Rules of Evidence as not helpful and prejudicial. Rule 702 provides: 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. In Short v. Appalachian OH-9, Inc., 203 W.Va. 246, 507 S.E.2d 124 (1998), this Court explained that the essence of Rule 702 is that of assisting the fact finder's comprehension through expert testimony. 203 W.Va. at 253, 507 S.E.2d at 131; see also Tanner v. Rite Aid of West Virginia, Inc., 194 W.Va. 643, 654 n. 17, 461 S.E.2d 149, 160 n. 17 (1995) (Helpfulness to the jury . . . is the touchstone of Rule 702.). Moreover, in Gentry v. Mangum, 195 W.Va. 512, 466 S.E.2d 171 (1995), this Court recognized that the Rules of Evidence are liberal and that a trial court should err on the side of admissibility. 195 W.Va. at 525, 466 S.E.2d at 184. In addressing the admissibility of expert testimony under Rule 702, the following explanation was provided in syllabus point two of Wilt v. Buracker, 191 W.Va. 39, 443 S.E.2d 196 (1993), cert. denied, 511 U.S. 1129, 114 S.Ct. 2137, 128 L.Ed.2d 867 (1994): In analyzing the admissibility of expert testimony under Rule 702 of the West Virginia Rules of Evidence, the trial court's initial inquiry must consider whether the testimony is based on an assertion or inference derived from the scientific methodology. Moreover, the testimony must be relevant to a fact at issue. Further assessment should then be made in regard to the expert testimony's reliability by considering its underlying scientific methodology and reasoning. This includes an assessment of (a) whether the scientific theory and its conclusion can be and have been tested; (b) whether the scientific theory has been subjected to peer review and publication; (c) whether the scientific theory's actual or potential rate of error is known; and (d) whether the scientific theory is generally accepted within the scientific community. See also Syl. Pt. 3, Mayhorn v. Logan Med. Found., 193 W.Va. 42, 454 S.E.2d 87 (1994). The discretion of the lower court was recognized in syllabus point six of Helmick v. Potomac Edison Co., 185 W.Va. 269, 406 S.E.2d 700 (1991), cert. denied, 502 U.S. 908, 112 S.Ct. 301, 116 L.Ed.2d 244 (1991), as follows: The admissibility of testimony by an expert witness is a matter within the sound discretion of the trial court, and the trial court's decision will not be reversed unless it is clearly wrong. With regard to the demonstration of the combustibility of gasoline by Mr. Campbell in the present case, application of the standards of review applicable to this issue leads this Court to conclude that the discretion of the trial court was exercised reasonably and that court's decision was not clearly wrong. The record reveals that Mr. Campbell has been a firefighter for over forty years and is a retired lead fire investigator from the North Carolina State Bureau of Investigation. He also serves as a consultant in fire and arson investigations. His testimony and concomitant demonstration were of assistance to the jury in determining whether the Appellant's representations concerning the origins of the fire were truthful. Further, the lower court provided a limiting instruction in which the jury was informed that the demonstration was intended to show the combustible qualities of gasoline rather than to reconstruct the conditions present on the date of the fire. The defense was provided with ample opportunity to cross-examine the witness regarding any issues raised. We therefore conclude that the lower court did not abuse its discretion in admitting the expert testimony and demonstration conducted by Mr. Campbell.