Blood loss, respiratory failure led to Joseph’s death

Consultant pathologist Dr Corinthia Dupuis said on Wednesday that Kadeem Joseph died from blood loss and respiratory failure after being shot seven years ago.

The doctor who is attached to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital gave that evidence as the trial of Dwayne Omar Chase continued in the No. 2 Supreme Court.

Chase is accused of murdering Joseph on June 10, 2016, at Valarie, Brittons Hill, St Michael.

Dr Dupuis told Justice Randall Worrell and the 12-member jury hearing the case that she conducted a postmortem on Joseph’s body six days after his death.

She found several injuries to his right mid back, the back of his knee, his right arm, on the right side of his chest just below the collar bone, and in the upper abdomen.

“In my opinion, death was caused by respiratory failure and haemorrhage from multiple gunshot wounds. It would be the one that entered the back that caused the most injury and caused haemorrhage around the lungs, causing the right lung to collapse. So, it’s a combination of the blood loss and the respiratory failure,” Dr Dupuis testified.

There was no cross-examination of the witness by Chase’s attorney Safiya Moore.

Acting Director of Public Prosecutions Alliston Seale, State

Counsel Paul Prescod and State Counsel Anastasia McMeo are the prosecutors in the case.

Also giving evidence was Dr Andrew Murray who pronounced Joseph dead when he visited the scene.

He said he saw the body of a young male lying supine in the road next to a curb.

The trial continues on Monday, May 15. ]]>