Consultant pathologist Dr Corinthia Dupuis testified that during her examination of Oluremi Young’s body, she found five wounds, one of which pierced his abdomen and went as deep as his backbone.
Giving evidence in the murder trial of Danny Lamar Husbands in Supreme Court No. 5, the doctor told the 12-member jury that when she conducted the autopsy on Young six days after his death, she found five injuries, including penetrating wounds to his upper chest and his abdomen, along with a cut between the webbing of his
ring and little finger on his left hand and an abrasion above his clavicle.
The pathologist stated that 20 centimetres of the small intestine were protruding from the wound on the abdomen.
“The stab to the abdomen went deep enough that it went all the way to the backbone . . . and transected the artery which lies along the backbone,” she stated.
Questioned by Principal State Counsel Olivia Davis as to how far down the wound was, the witness stated that while it was not possible to give an exact depth, it was “deep”, “at least six inches”. She said that wounds to the chest, abdomen and hand were caused by a sharp-edged instrument such as a knife or sword.
The expert witness determined that Young’s cause of death was due to haemorrhagic shock secondary to a stab wound to the abdomen.
“If there is massive blood loss, meaning that if there isn’t sufficient blood to supply all the organs, the body goes into a state of shock, and if blood isn’t given to replace the loss almost immediately, there is a very high possibility of death,” she explained.
Emergency Medical Technician Kay Craig also gave evidence in the matter, recalling that she and her partner had responded to a call at Oistins Bay Garden, Christ Church, just around a quarter to midnight on September 4, 2020.
She said the police directed them to a man sitting in a chair, and they examined him.
“At that time, we saw that the person showed no signs of life – no pulse, no respiration – and there was a tear in the upper torso of the shirt, and it looked as though the person had been stabbed,” the EMT said.
After they completed their assessment and advised
police that there were no signs of life, the paramedics left the scene.
Husbands of Ferniehurst, Black Rock, St Michael, is charged with the September 4, 2020 killing of Young, of Bagatelle, St Thomas, at Oistins Bay Garden.
Senior Counsel Angella Mitchell-Gittens represents the accused while Davis and State Counsel Eleazar Williams are the prosecutors.
Madam Justice Pamela Beckles is presiding.
