Supreme Court Overturns Texas Murder Conviction Over Expert Witness Testimony

The Supreme Court overturned the murder conviction of a Texas man who argued that the prosecution’s use of a medical expert, who had not performed an autopsy on the victim, violated his constitutional rights.

The case of Jared Holton Seavey now returns to the Court of Appeals of Texas for the 14th District, which may order a retrial or take other action.

The Supreme Court granted Seavey’s petition in a brief unsigned order on Oct. 15. The court did not explain its decision. No justices dissented.
The nation’s highest court vacated the ruling of the Court of Appeals of Texas “for further consideration in light of Smith v. Arizona.”

The Supreme Court ruled on June 21 in that prior case that prosecutors infringed on an Arizona defendant’s constitutional right to confront witnesses against him by using the testimony of a substitute expert witness who had not conducted drug tests performed by another expert.


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