ing the trial, the defense sought exclusion of the anonymous note and other evidence. The defense wanted to throw out the contents of the note as inadmissible hearsay, and that its admission violated the Confrontation Clause of the Sixth Amendment. The court was able to overrule the objections and the note was admitted. Bryon Mitchell was found guilty and sentenced to 24 years imprisonment, 3 years supervised release, assessment of $150.00 and restitution of $19,100.00. The other two men involved in the robbery were never tried; they died before, the trial in other incidences. On appeal, the decision was reversed holding that admission on the anonymous note was erroneous, and disclosure of the note to the jury had been improper. In determining whether the error was harmless or reversible, the appeals court addressed the latent fingerprint identification in the context of the jury as struggling with testimony about fingerprints.Mitchells conviction reversed and remanded for a new trial by the Ninth District of Appeals. In preparing for a new trial (1998), the defense presented a last minute one-page letter, which offers expert witness James A. Starrs, professor of law and Forensic Science at George Washington University Law School. The letter states: Professor Starrs is an expert in the field of fingerprint analysis and will testify to his opinion that there is no scientific basis ~ a claim of individuality in the matching of fingerprint, and that, as such, the identification made in this case is scientifically invalid, Mitchells attorney filed a motion requesting that a Daubert Hearing be conducted on the fingerprint evidence. The judge decided to hold Daubert Hearing to establish the scientific basis for fingerprint identifications.Potential experts met at the Hoover Building in Washington fl DC, on March 1999 for a strategy session and hearing preparations. These included the following David R. Ashbaugh, David L. Grieve, Robert J. Haz...
