Norfleet v. State

Appellant, John Norfleet, was convicted of first-degree murder and aggravated child abuse after his four-year-old daughter died following a brutal “whooping” that he gave her with a board. We find no merit in the two issues raised by Norfleet and write only to address his contention that it was fundamental error for the trial court to declare certain state witnesses to be “experts” in front of the jury.

Among the witnesses presented by the state were Ms. Haynes (DNA analyst), Dr. Pena (pediatrician), Dr. Buchsbaum (medical examiner), and Dr. Meadows (psychologist). For each of these witnesses,…