Expert Witness Blog

Luzerne County, PA First Assistant District Attorney Jackie Musto Carroll is using animation as evidence in the murder trial of Jeff Dennis. "We bring to life their testimony,” said Andre Stuart, forensic evidence expert witness and head of the company handling the prosecution’s animation. Determination on whether animation can be used in a trial depends on the evidence discovered. The prosecution will argue that the animation supports expert witness analysis of the evidence. TimesLeader.com also writes:

“You can’t just have someone tell a story. It’s gotta have a basis to it,” Musto Carroll said. “It’s a very technical process that they go through … to make sure the experts can say, ‘Yes, this is in compliance with the expert report.’” Lackawanna County District Attorney Andy Jarbola said the animation isn’t “like a motion picture.” It’s more of an animation of still photos and sketches to show where the suspect was standing, the position of the victim, the distance between the two, and the angle in which the bullet struck the victim.