http://www.buffalonews.com/topics/dr-james-corasanti-trial/article881178.ece
Nixon said he had doubts about the testimony of Mark Rowland, the Getzville motorist who testified about what he saw moments before Corasanti's car struck Rice.
Prosecutors called his testimony very damaging to Corasanti.
Rowland testified, for example, that Rice was highly visible as she skated along the side of the road. Rowland said he saw Corasanti's approaching car partly in the bike lane where she was riding her longboard.
Prosecutor James F. Bargnesi called Rowland a "phenomenal" witness.
Nixon was not so impressed.
Rowland had previously testified in front of a grand jury, which indicted Corasanti on the five felony charges.
"His grand jury testimony didn't quite jibe with what he said on the stand to us," Nixon said.
How did trial jurors react to that?
"It did make a difference," Nixon said.
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What's more, the defense's accident-reconstruction expert raised reasonable doubt about where Rice was on Heim Road when Corasanti's BMW struck her. More of her longboard was on the road than the prosecution contended, that expert testified.
David Liske, a principal associate at Liske Forensic Professionals of Fonthill, Ont., testified Amherst police were "absolutely wrong" in how they reconstructed the fatal incident.
Liske testified that Corasanti was traveling 39.9 mph on Heim Road in Amherst when his BMW struck Rice. His testimony cast doubt on the Amherst Police Department's calculation that Corasanti was driving 46 to 52 mph in a 35 mph zone when he fatally struck Rice.
"I thought he was more professional," Nixon said of Liske.