Times Leader reports that for the first time in Pennsylvania, a case has the state Supreme Court trying to decide whether it was wrong for prosecutors to use computer animation in acting out how a man shot his wife, to a jury. An attorney for convicted killer Michael Serge believes it was, as he stated that the animated segment provided by Lackawanna County prosecutors was prejudiced against his client. Though the footage lacked bullets or blood, attorney Robert M. Buttner commented that the animation still had enough detail to pose Serge as a “stone-faced killer towering over a helpless victim”. “There is a huge difference between a drawing of an individual as a stick figure, and having a figure of a woman on her knees wearing powder blue pajamas with cows on them,” remarked Buttner in an interview. Nonetheless, criminal cases around the country have used computer animation for over a decade, with permission being granted by the courts if the illustration is accompanied by a live witness. However, regarding the current case in Pennsylvania, the justices have shown no sign concerning how they may rule.
Computer animation too detailed for courtroom use?