Supreme Court of Connecticut
State v. Raynor
December 4, 2020337 Conn. 527
Summary
The court reversed the judgment because the trial court improperly denied a reliability hearing on the methodology underlying the state's firearm-and-toolmark expert testimony without considering newly presented criticisms, and the error was not harmless. The court upheld the refusal to restrict the expert's opinions to a "more likely than not" formulation because the defendant's request was highly specific and inadequately supported. The court also held that evidence concerning a later shooting was inadmissible because its prejudicial effect substantially outweighed its limited probative value, requiring a new trial.