Expert Witness Blog
A polygraph test was admitted into evidence at a criminal trial in Ohio last week for the first time in more than thirty years. As a result, Sahil Sharma was found not guilty of sexual battery. The main witness for the defense was Dr. Louis Rovner of Los Angeles, California, a renowned scientist and polygraph expert witness. After a polygraph test that lasted more than 2 ½ hours, Rovner concluded that Mr. Sharma was telling the truth when he said that the woman was wide awake and that the sexual encounter was consensual.
The case of Ohio vs Sahil Sharma had been hotly contested for more than a year. Rovner returned to Ohio for the trial and testified in open court, examined first by the defense, and cross-examined aggressively by the prosecutor. During the reading of the verdict, Dr. Rovner’s expert witness testimony was cited as one of the primary pieces of evidence that led to the finding of not guilty.