RANDALL J. CRAIG LAW PLLC

FINALLY A VICTORY TO BRAG ABOUT

    At The Law Offices of Randall J. Craig, PLLC we handle all sorts of homicide cases and all types of felony cases whereby there is ballistic or firearm evidence.  So many times, the identification of the shooter is at issue. In numerous felony cases, firearms are a key component of the case. Recently, in a murder case here in Arizona evidence alleged to tie the defendant to the murder included six shell casings recovered from the crime scene. In typical fashion, the state’s police firearms expert concluded the casings were fired from the defendant’s firearm.  In a correct ruling by the Supreme Court, it was held that the trial court erred by precluding the defense from offering expert testimony that the firearms examiners used “subjective” rather than scientifically rigorous methods in drawing conclusions from indentions on the shell casings. The Court further found that such methods that are generally used in conventional toolmark analysis fall short of scientific standards for experimental design, because Rule 702 of the Arizona Rules of Criminal Procedure allows an expert witness to testify if, among other things the witness is qualified and the expert’s “scientific, technical or other specialized knowledge will help the trier of fact to understand or give appropriate weight to the evidence. State v. Romero, CR15-0039-PR, 1/20/16. If you have been accused of a crime, you may reach us via the web at www.randalljcraig.com or by calling The Law Offices of Randall J. Craig at 480 767-0400