The trial for the man accused of gunning-down two Palm Springs Police Officers continues on its 12 day, although the focus was less on the victims or the accused and instead on the expert witnesses brought by the defense.
The Chief Deputy District Attorney Michelle Paradise continued to call for the impeachment of the defense’s expert witness, Dr. Marjorie Graham-Howard a clinical psychologist as well as faculty and chair of the clinical psychology department at Azusa Pacific University.
The prosecution questioned the witness’s credibility and expertise on human behavior under the influence of drugs, more specifically the influence of Methamphetamine a substance for which Felix tested positive.
Tensions in the courtroom rose when Paradise asked the doctor point-blank, “Are you trying to build your resume in Riverside County?”.
The prosecution inferred bias in the doctor’s statements as Dr. Graham-Howard testified in previous cases on behalf of the defense lawyer. The doctor did disclose she was getting paid $150 an hour for her expertise on this case.
During the cross-examination, the doctor did rule-out any possibility of amnesia or black-out when a person is under the influence of meth.
But the doctor did not medically evaluate Felix and could not verify this was accurate in this case.
The opposition by the prosecution continued with the defense’s second expert witness.
The Chief Deputy D.A. claimed Dr. Michael Gilewski’s testimony was not relevant to the case as an expert on human behavior and intellectual impairment.
The defense attorney told the judge the testimony is routine and foundational to the trial.
