State v. Barnes

STEELMAN, Judge.

Defendant’s right of confrontation under the Sixth Amendment of the Constitution was not violated when an expert medical examiner testified that in his opinion the cause of death was methadone toxicity. The trial court did not err in admitting the testimony of the expert toxicologist where the State did not provide defendant with prior notice of its intent to call the witness. The trial court did not err in instructing the jury on the lesser charge of involuntary manslaughter.

I. Factual and Procedural History

On 16 August 2006, Shane Cardwell (Cardwell) was found dead at his…