jumpstreet
Member
- Joined
- Jul 27, 2008
- Messages
- 703
- Reaction score
- 0
All these witnesses, at RC said, are foundation witnesses. You can't just put on an expert and have them give the results of a test on evidence if you don't establish that the item was seen, then collected, then packaged, then sent somewhere, prelim tests run (if applicable), and then sent to final testing where an expert can testify if they found a result. Rules of evidence require this foundation.
Good info, and makes sense. Does it mean that the state will need to also call each and every person who may have come in contact with the evidence from the collector, to the packager, to the preliminary tester, and then finally to the expert tester? (ie, anyone involved in transport, processing, etc)? If so, that might help explain/contribute to the (iirc upwards of 200 names...) witness list.
I'm just wondering how many intermediate testimonies are needed before we can hear from the folks who actually tested the collected stuff.. . to tell us what (if anything) they found. BTW (just curious) are the 'rules of evidence' (or a summary version) written down somewhere?