In July , Italian judge-prosecutor Paolo Borsellino and five police escorts died in a car bombing in Palermo, Sicily. Whitehurst examined various items from the explosion scene and reported residues consistent with RDX explosive.
Heckman later testified in Sicily at the trial of several individuals charged with the bombing. Based on that conversation, Whitehurst claims that Heckman may have testified outside of his area of expertise and improperly rendered an opinion concerning the explosives residue analysis.
According to Whitehurst, Heckman responded that he lacked the expertise to testify about that subject; however, the prosecutor reportedly requested that Heckman testify about the subject anyway. Thus, Whitehurst said that Heckman testified that the presence of RDX residues would be consistent with the use of Semtex because different energetic components in the same explosive material could deposit themselves in a nonhomogeneous manner throughout the crime scene.
Whitehurst charges that this testimony, in addition to being outside of Heckman ' s area of expertise, was unreliable because of the potential for contamination at the scene.
We obtained from Italian authorities a videotape of Heckman ' s testimony at the trial in Italy. We further reviewed the Laboratory reports and dictation and pertinent work papers in the case.
