Opinion ID: 460324
Heading Depth: 2
Heading Rank: 2

Heading: Exclusion of Expert Testimony as to the Reliability of Eyewitness Identification

Text: 24 Five days before trial, Sebetich moved for permission to retain Dr. Robert Buckhout, a psychologist experienced in the subject of eyewitness identification, to testify as an expert witness concerning the anticipated identification testimony by Officer Filoni. 6 At argument on the motion, counsel for Sebetich emphasized the stressful conditions under which Filoni raced with the pickup truck and the 18-month lapse of time between the chase and Filoni's first identification of Sebetich, as circumstances about which Dr. Buckhout would testify. Although the identification testimony by Filoni was the crucial evidence in the government's case against Sebetich, the district court denied the motion, stating that it did not believe that this is such scientific, technical or specialized knowledge as would require the opinion of an expert. Fed.R.Evid. 702. 7 25 At the time of its decision, the district court did not have available our opinion in United States v. Downing, 753 F.2d 1224 (3d Cir.1985). In Downing, we held that Fed.R.Evid. 702 may permit a defendant to adduce testimony from an expert in the field of human perception and memory concerning the reliability of eyewitness identifications. We held further that the admission of this kind of expert testimony is not automatic, but must survive preliminary scrutiny by the district court. The test fashioned in Downing centers on two factors: (1) the reliability of the scientific principles upon which the expert testimony rests and hence the potential of the testimony to aid the jury in reaching an accurate resolution of the disputed issue; and (2) the likelihood that introduction of the testimony may overwhelm or mislead the jury. In addition, admission depends upon the fit, i.e., a specific proffer that the testimony will focus on particular characteristics of the eyewitness identification at issue and discuss how those characteristics call into question the reliability of the identification. Finally, we held that the district court retains discretionary authority under Fed.R.Evid. 403 to exclude evidence which, though relevant, would unduly waste time or confuse the issues at trial. 8 26 The facts of this case illustrate the potential utility of testimony such as that proposed to be given by Dr. Buckhout. Filoni testified that he saw the passenger in the pickup truck during a number of brief intervals amounting to only forty-nine seconds. These sightings occurred while Filoni was pursuing the truck at speeds of up to seventy-five miles an hour and while his life was threatened by gun fire. Indeed, the first shot from the truck entered Filoni's car and lodged in his headrest. After the third shot, Filoni allowed a distance of approximately 40 yards to open between the fleeing truck and his car. 27 Filoni thus saw his assailant under highly stressful circumstances. There is evidence that stress decreases the reliability of eyewitness identifications, contrary to common understanding. Downing, 753 F.2d at 1230. See also United States v. Smith, 736 F.2d 1103, 1105-06 (6th Cir.1984); People v. McDonald, 37 Cal.3d 351, 361-62, 690 P.2d 709, 716, 208 Cal.Rptr. 236, 245 (1984); State v. Chapple, 135 Ariz. 281, 294, 660 P.2d 1208, 1221 (1983). According to the proffer, Dr. Buckhout would also have given evidence regarding the vagaries of identifications made long after an event. A similar proffer was part of the basis for our decision in Downing. 9 28 Because the government's case against Sebetich rested exclusively on Filoni's identification, and the identification was subject to the challenges described, at the very least a preliminary Downing hearing should have been held. We will therefore vacate the judgment of conviction and remand the case for a hearing to determine the admissibility of the expert testimony according to standards set forth in Downing. 10 If the district court determines, in light of Downing, that the testimony is not admissible, it will reinstate the judgment of conviction. If the court determines that the proferred testimony is admissible, it must order a new trial as to Sebetich. See Downing, at 1243; Waller v. Georgia, 467 U.S. 39, 104 S.Ct. 2210, 2217, 81 L.Ed.2d 31 (1984). 29