People v. Lauro

Defendant Eugene Lauro stands charged with the crime of manslaughter in the first degree for allegedly having intentionally caused the death of his wife, Angie Lauro, with a shotgun, while acting under an extreme emotional disturbance. During trial, two novel questions of law arose; in the first, the court was asked to rule, and did rule, on the admissibility of certain evidence obtained by means of a procedure known as the "trace metal detection test;” the second, and equally unusual issue, which the court will treat first, involves the so-called "Hillmon doctrine” enunciated in Mutual Life…