Commonwealth v. Lezynski

After a jury trial, Defendant was convicted of possession with intent to distribute a class B controlled substance in connection with the death of Richard Beaulier. During trial, a toxicologist testifying as an expert witness for the Commonwealth testified about the results of laboratory testing and toxicological analysis of Beaulier's blood, which showed the presence of a high level of fentanyl. The toxicologist, however, had not conducted any of the testing. The appeals court affirmed the conviction, holding that the admission of the toxicology results testing conducted by a nontestifying analyst constituted constitutional error, but the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. The Supreme Court affirmed, holding that the improperly admitted evidence would have had little or no effect on the fact finder, and therefore the error was harmless beyond a reasonable doubt. View "Commonwealth v. Lezynski" on Justia Law