Does a prosecution have the right to cross-examine the testimony of a forensic pathologist who did not prepare the autopsy report or take the photographs he testified about?

California, United States of America


The following excerpt is from People v. Guzman, G045627 (Cal. App. 2013):

The prosecution proved its murder case with the testimony of a forensic pathologist, who did not prepare the autopsy report or take the photographs he testified about, in People v. Dungo (2012) 55 Cal.4th 608 at page 612. The court concluded the witness's testifying about objective facts concerning the condition of the victim's body, which facts he derived from the autopsy report prepared by another pathologist, did not give the defendant the right to confront and cross-examine the pathologist who prepared the report and took the photographs. (Id. at p. 621.)

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