Court Opinion

ID: 9597576
Source: CourtListenerOpinion
Date Created: 2023-08-22 01:00:31.886088+00
Date Added: 2024-06-11T18:01:38.621733
License: Public Domain

CARTER, J., Concurring and Dissenting.
In view of the record before us in this case, I am of the opinion that it was error to permit Dr. Paxton to express an opinion that the wound inflicted upon the victim of the homicide “would be a very unusual pattern for a self-inflicted wound.” I think it is clear that, even conceding that the subject matter of the inquiry might be within the realm of expert testimony, sufficient foundation was not laid for the opinion of an expert on this subject. Ordinarily, expert testimony is based upon a full and fair statement of all of the pertinent facts relating to the problem on which the expert is called upon to give his opinion. Here, vital and material facts were omitted from the statement and were not within the knowledge of the expert. These facts relate to the length of the victim’s arms and the character and quality of the clothing, if any, worn by the victim at the time the shot was fired.
A basic objection to expert opinion evidence in a case such as this is, that the expert is called upon to answer the exact question which is to be determined by the trier of fact, and therefore invades its province. Obviously, if the wound here was self-inflicted, the defendant did not fire the shot, and would therefore not be guilty of the offense charged. If the wound were not self-inflicted, its infliction could be traced directly to defendant.
In my opinion the proper procedure in a case such as this would be for the prosecution to develop all of the facts with respect to the location of the point of entry of the bullet, its course through the body of the victim and the probable distance from the body of the muzzle of the gun at the time it was discharged together with physical facts relative to the size of the victim, clothing worn, length of her arms and ability to move her muscles, and leave the question as to who inflicted the wound for the determination of the trier of fact. It seems to me that upon the presentation of such a factual situation, anyone familiar with the use of firearms is as capable of arriving at an opinion as to whether or not the wound was self-inflicted as a so-called expert in this field.
*112Notwithstanding my. opinion that it was- error to admit the testimony of Dr. Paxton on this subject, I am satisfied, after a review of the record, that defendant suffered no infringement of any of his substantial rights, and was not prejudiced thereby, and that such error has not resulted in a miscarriage of justice. It is therefore my duty, by virtue of the provisions of section 4% of article VI of the Constitution of California, to concur in the affirmance of the judgment, and that is my conclusion.
Appellant’s petition for a rehearing was denied October 31, 1956.