Examples of Demonstrative Evidence in Litigation
Demonstrative evidence, such as scene reconstruction and 3D animations are fundamental pieces to be used during legal presentations where determining a verdict can be a very difficult task, and where demonstrative evidence can become a powerful persuasion tool — after all, people almost always trust what they see.
Demonstrative evidence is utilized in many modern cases, providing clarity, supporting oral testimony, or to recreate an occurrence. Below, we’ll go over some of those cases and what type of demonstrative evidence was used and how it affected the findings in the cases.
Champagne Smith was arrested and charged with the shooting death of 19-year-old Nazon Powell. Smith was charged with murder in the second degree in 2004. On October 31st of 2025, Smith had a hearing where new evidence and witnesses were introduced. Scott Roder was a witness called forward by the defense, and the Evidence Room team provided a recreation of the scene.
The recreation suggested that the eyewitness of the scene misidentified Smith. There were a few factors that contributed to this, such as Smith’s height and the location of blood in regards to the eyewitness statement.
Evidence Room covered this case in detail at this link!
Roginski v. Shelly Trucking Company
This personal injury case involved a roadway fatality in which inadequate lighting and confusing traffic flow, implemented by a subcontractor, contributed to a driver failing to see a worker crossing the road. The resulting collision caused the workerʼs death.
The demonstrative exhibit was presented in court and authenticated through testimony. The jury initially awarded $30 million in damages, which was later reduced to $16 million on appeal.
This demonstrative exhibit depicts a commercial driver navigating through a congested roadway approaching a construction zone in Strongsville, Ohio. Distracted by the complex configuration and illumination of the OSHA-approved traffic control plan, the driver lost situational awareness and subsequently struck a roadway worker, resulting in a fatal injury.
Presented in court, the animation was authenticated through testimony by the plaintiff to confirm its accuracy and reliability. Attorney Christian Patel notably referred to this exhibit as demonstrating a degree of animation certainty.
Donald Workman v. West Virginia based welding company
This case was a civil matter and involved a catastrophic gas explosion that occurred during a welding operation, resulting in severe injuries and fatalities. The demonstrative was created to illustrate the cause and liability of the explosion.
Our team was retained by the family of the deceased and injured parties to develop a visual presentation for a settlement mediation conference. The demonstrative was used to support arguments regarding negligence and liability during the mediation process, contributing to the caseʼs resolution prior to trial.
This demonstration illustrates a catastrophic gas explosion occurring during a welding operation. The site supervisor, engaged in standard procedures, encountered an unexpected gas buildup that ignited, causing a massive explosion and severe, life-altering injuries.
Valley’s v. Sony
This civil products liability case involved a spontaneous explosion of a Sony laptop battery that caused a catastrophic fire, resulting in severe burns and the death of a family member. Our team was retained by the family of the deceased to develop a demonstrative presentation illustrating product liability and the conscious pain and suffering experienced before death. The case was resolved through settlement mediation, with the family reaching an undisclosed agreement with the manufacturer.
This case reconstruction centers on a spontaneous explosion involving a Sony laptop and its lithium-ion battery. The resulting fire caused catastrophic burns and extensive property damage to family members in the residence.
Emmanuel Bracy v. City of Los Angeles
This was a civil case involving an officer shooting. Our team was retained by The Cochran Firm to develop a demonstrative presentation illustrating the sequence of events and the alleged excessive use of force. The exhibit was presented at trial as part of the plaintiffʼs case. Although the case was ultimately unsuccessful, the presentation was instrumental in clearly conveying the plaintiffʼs claims to the jury.
This case involves the plaintiff, Mr. Bracy, who had recently committed an armed robbery at a financial services location. When law enforcement initiated a traffic stop, the defense asserted that the firearm was concealed within a compartment inside the vehicleʼs air-conditioning unit rather than in Bracyʼs possession. Despite this, officers discharged multiple rounds from various angles.
The plaintiff alleged that this constituted an excessive use of force and a violation of his civil rights.
This internationally recognized case involved Olympic athlete Oscar Pistorius, who was charged with the murder of his girlfriend, Reeva Steenkamp, in 2015. The prosecution alleged the shooting stemmed from jealousy and anger, while the defense contended that Pistorius believed an intruder was in his home and fired in self-defense.
The case received global attention for its forensic reconstruction of the shooting sequence and the evidentiary role of animation in understanding the event. The reconstruction showed the events as Oscar described them, focusing on the height of bullet holes in the door that corroborated Oscar’s telling of events.
State of Ohio v. Colleen McKernan
This criminal case involved Colleen McKernan, who was charged with second-degree premeditated murder in the shooting death of her husband. The defense argued that McKernan acted in self-defense during a domestic altercation. Our team was retained by attorney Ian Friedman to create a forensic reconstruction and demonstrative presentation illustrating the sequence of events and supporting the defenseʼs self-defense theory. The case was presented at trial, resulting in two separate hung juries, after which the matter was resolved through a plea agreement to a lesser, non-murder charge.
In this case, the defendant, Colleen McKernan, was charged with the fatal shooting of her husband. The defense maintained that she acted in self-defense during a violent domestic altercation.
The forensic reconstruction was utilized to examine the sequence of events, firearm positioning, and timing to support the defenseʼs self-defense claim.
State of Ohio v. Officer Ray Tensing
This criminal case involved Officer Ray Tensing, who was charged with the murder of a civilian during a traffic stop. The defense maintained that Officer Tensing acted in self-defense when the motorist attempted to flee and grabbed the officerʼs arm through the vehicle window. Our team created a forensic animation reconstructing the traffic stop and shooting sequence to support the defenseʼs account of the event. The demonstrative was presented at trial, and expert testimony was provided to explain the reconstruction and analysis.
This case involved Officer Ray Tensing, who fatally shot a motorist during a traffic stop. The defense argued that the suspect attempted to flee and forcibly grabbed the officerʼs arm, prompting Tensing to discharge his weapon in self-defense.
The demonstrative animation reconstructed the motion dynamics of the incident, aiding in the evaluation of use-of-force justification and officer perception during the event.
For more, please visit the rest of our website to become familiar with demonstrative evidence, how Evidence Room utilizes it, and for more information, video exhibits, recreations, as well as photographs of the cases that we have worked on.
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