Commonwealth v. Jones, Kewuan Kantrell

Summary

The Pennsylvania Superior Court affirmed Kewuan Kantrell Jones's judgment of sentence for robbery, theft by unlawful taking, and simple assault. The court held that the Commonwealth was not required to present expert testimony to introduce Google Maps GPS timeline data from Jones's devices because the detective merely relayed information automatically calculated and displayed by the application, without offering specialized technical opinions.

Holdings

1. Expert testimony was not required because the detective merely relayed GPS timeline information automatically calculated, stored, and displayed by the Google Maps application and did not offer scientific, technical, or other specialized opinions.
2. The apparent inconsistencies in the Google Maps timeline affected the weight and credibility of the evidence, not its admissibility, where the Commonwealth presented evidence sufficient to show that the screenshots were what it claimed them to be.

Questions Presented

1. Whether the Commonwealth was required to present expert testimony before introducing Google Maps GPS timeline data recovered from Jones's cell phone and tablet.
2. Whether the trial court abused its discretion by admitting screenshots and testimony concerning the Google Maps GPS timeline data through a police detective's lay testimony.

Disposition

affirmed