Articles Posted in Expert Witness Testimony

Fire expert witness John J. Lentini testified last week in defense of Joseph Awe who is in prison for arson. Lentini, CFEI, F-ABC, of Scientific Fire Analysis, LLC, says the fire that burned down the Marquette County, WI, JJ’s Pub was an accident started in an electrical box and not arson. The expert authored the book Scientific Protocols for Fire Investigation.

Criminalistics expert witness expert witness Paul Kish testified in the case against Christopher Vaughn who says his wife gunned down their three children before taking her own life. The bloodstain expert said the evidence does not support Vaughn’s defense.

Accident reconstruction expert witness Charles Ruble testified in the San Antonio, TX, homicide trial of Gilbert John Sullaway Jr. Sullaway killed two bicyclists in 2009 when he was speeding and drove onto the shoulder of the San Antonio highway.

Child sexual assault expert witness Tara Healy testified in the case against four 12 and 13 year old New York defendants. Healy is the sexual assault forensic examiner for Good Samaritan Hospital, Ramapo, NY, and examined the 14 year old girl. Rockland County Court Judge Sherri Eisenpress is presiding.

Forensic pathology expert witness Dr. Mary Case testified in the murder case against Drew Peterson. Dr. Case is a professor in the Saint Louis University School of Medicine Department of Pathology specializing in adult head trauma as well as the Chief Medical Examiner of St. Louis County, Mo. She testified that the injuries Kathleen Savio, Peterson’s third wife, suffered were not consistent with falling in her bathtub.

Former Police Chief Dale Stevenson may serve as a law enforcement expert witness for Flushing Township, MI, in lawsuits that former police officers have filed. Laid off police officers claim that the former police chief, city supervisor, treasurer, and three trustees dissolved the Flushing police force in response to supporting recall efforts of the elected officials. The township then contracted with the county government for police service.

Electrical engineering expert witness Dr. Woodward Yang testified for Samsung in the patent case filed by Apple in US District Court, N.D. Cal., C 11-1846 & C 12-0630. Dr. Yang is a Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science in the School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS) at Harvard University and said that Apple uses Samsung features in their mobile devices.

Judge Alan Mann has allowed psychiatry expert witness Dr. James Merikangas, his assistant Adrienne Taylor, and Dr. John Matthew Fabian access to Amy Bishop-Anderson. Bishop-Anderson is charged in the 2010 shooting at The University of Alabama in Huntsville that killed three and injured six. The three witnesses will work to develop an insanity defense for the September trial.

Pediatrics expert witness Dr. Blaine Tolby testified in the Washington state child mistreatment case against Jeffery and Rebecca Trebilcock. The Treblicocks were charged with criminal mistreatment of their four adopted children and found guilty of of first-degree criminal mistreatment of their teenage son and third-degree criminal mistreatment of his sister. Tolby testified that the oldest boy suffered from psychosocial dwarfism brought on by a traumatic home situation.

Real estate appraisal expert witness Ron Zitzow testified for Aurora County regarding the value of the South Dakota Thompson Farms dairy. Thompson Farms is seeking $2.6 million in damages saying that a county ordinance forced their business to close. Zitzow testified their were no damages as a result of the county ordinance.