Latest news with #forensicpathology
RNZ News
10-06-2025
- Health
- RNZ News
LynnMall attack inquest: Police set to give evidence
Photo: Supplied Warning: This story contains graphic details that may upset some readers. The coronial inquest into the death of LynnMall attacker Ahamed Samsudeen continues on Wednesday, after a forensic pathologist explained why he had zero chance of surviving as many as a dozen gunshot wounds . Samsudeen stabbed four women and one man with a kitchen knife at a Countdown supermarket in Auckland's New Lynn in 2021, before being shot and killed by police. Two others were injured trying to stop him from harming others. Forensic pathologist Dr Kilak Kesha conducted the post-mortem on Samsudeen after his death. He told the inquest the attacker died quickly from the gunshot wounds, describing four of them as rapidly fatal because they pierced vital organs. Kesha described a bullet that passed through the left side of Samsudeen's chest, while being questioned by police counsel Alysha McClintock. "That's one of the wounds that you considered may have been among those the most rapidly fatal?" McClintock asked. 'Yes, because it passed through the spleen, and the intestines," Kesha said. Kesha described some of the other gunshot wounds and the impact these had on Samsudeen's body. "It passed through the heart, the lungs, causing significant bleeding. This one passed through the aorta, the liver, the stomach, and small bowel, causing blood to accumulate in the abdomen." Ross Tomlinson. Photo: RNZ/Marika Khabazi Earlier in the inquest, survivor Ross Tomlinson described how he used nappies from the supermarket shelves to help with Samsudeen's wounds after he was shot . A former paramedic with a decade's experience, he said he believed Samsudeen could not have been saved. McClintock asked Kesha what impact as many as a dozen gunshot wounds would have. "Is there anything else that you would add about the overall impact on the human body of receiving a total of potentially up to 12 gunshot wounds?" she said. "After the autopsy, looking at all the injuries, survivability is zero," Kesha replied. Coroner Marcus Elliott asked about Samsudeen's movements in the moments after he was shot. "Death is not instantaneous - it takes time to bleed, your heart's got to pump and that blood's got to be lost through the broken vessels," Kesha said. "People can walk, they can stumble, they can take a few steps, it depends how rapidly the blood is lost." "So if he had formed the intention at that point to charge, to use that word, it would have been possible for him to do so?" Elliott asked, with Kesha responding that was correct. The inquest continues on Wednesday with evidence from police officers. Sign up for Ngā Pitopito Kōrero, a daily newsletter curated by our editors and delivered straight to your inbox every weekday.
Fox News
10-06-2025
- Fox News
Karen Read's defense links John O'Keefe head wound to fall, not vehicle impact
Karen Read's defense called forensic pathologist Dr. Elizabeth Laposata to the stand in her murder trial Monday, a forensic pathologist who testified that victim John O'Keefe's brain injuries appeared to have stemmed from a fall backward onto a ridged surface. Read is on trial for the second time in connection with the alleged murder of her former boyfriend, who was a Boston police officer. Prosecutors accuse her of striking him with her Lexus after a night out drinking, then leaving him to die on the ground during a blizzard in Canton, Massachusetts, about 20 miles south of the city where he worked. In a hearing without jurors present, Judge Beverly Cannone ruled that Laposata's credentials did not qualify her to testify about potential dog bites as a source of injuries to O'Keefe's arm, and the judge limited what she could say about the impacts of motor vehicles on pedestrians in collisions. Before Cannone sent jurors home around 4 p.m., Laposata testified that O'Keefe's skull fracture was consistent with a "coup-contrecoup" type injury, meaning that it appeared as though he struck the back of his head first and then suffered internal brain injuries as the result of internal momentum. "When the brain slaps forcefully against the base of the skull, the delicate bones above the eye break, and that's again the coup contra coup," she said. "The brain slaps forward, and when those delicate bones are broken, there's bleeding, and that bleeding then goes right down into the upper eyelids. So it kind of looks like you have black eyes, not been any punch to the face." She said that the injury pattern also indicated that he fell on a ridged surface, not something flat. That also caused the "raccoon eyes" swelling and bruising in the front of his face. However, she testified, the cut over O'Keefe's right eye was caused by something else – an application of force involving a small object. "Is it also consistent with a fist?" asked defense attorney Alan Jackson. "Sure," she replied. "A fist is an object." Dr. Aizik Wolf, a brain surgeon who testified earlier on behalf of the prosecution, also said that O'Keefe's skull fracture was consistent with a backward fall onto the frozen ground. But he conceded that cuts to the front of O'Keefe's face, on his eyelid and nose, were caused by something else. Laposata will return to the stand Tuesday for additional testimony. Read's defense called two other witnesses Monday, including a private investigator hired just last week named John Tedeman. He said he took measurements outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts – the Boston suburb where her O'Keefe was found dead on Jan. 29, 2022. Read is accused of clipping him with a 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV and leaving him to die during a blizzard. She denies striking him at all, and her defense is attempting to illustrate how O'Keefe could have walked into the home before his death contrary to prosecution claims. Tedeman said Read's team hired him on June 3, after their previous investigator suffered a health issue and could not testify. Prosecution witnesses have testified that O'Keefe never made it inside and that she allegedly backed into him before she went to his house and left him a series of angry voicemails as he died on the ground from blunt trauma to the head and hypothermia. While the medical examiner could not rule O'Keefe's death a homicide, Wolf testified that his skull fractures were consistent with falling backward and striking his head on the ground. Another witness for the commonwealth, Dr. Judson Welcher, testified that scratches on O'Keefe's arm were consistent with an impact from Read's taillight, which was broken when police seized it. But a defense dog bite expert, Dr. Marie Russell, testified that the injuries were consistent with dog bites and scratches, not a vehicular strike, and a crash reconstructionist testified that the damage to her taillight could have come from someone throwing a bar glass like the one found shattered near O'Keefe's remains. The defense believes O'Keefe suffered his mortal injuries somewhere else and was "placed" on the lawn where Read and two other women found him about 5 and a half hours after she left the scene. Earlier in the day, Read defense attorney Robert Alessi moved for a mistrial again over special prosecutor Hank Brennan's handling of O'Keefe's hoodie during cross-examination of a defense expert witness. "Your honor, the defense moves for a mistrial with prejudice based upon intentional misconduct that just occurred before the court and before the jury," Alessi said. He said the motion came in response to representations Brennan made while questioning Dr. Daniel Wolfe, a crash reconstructionist from a firm called ARCCA. Brennan, while cross-examining Wolfe about damage to O'Keefe's hoodie, showed him the actual piece of clothing, which had a series of holes in the back. Alessi contended that the holes were created by a criminologist during lab testing and that they did not exist when police took the sweatshirt. Read is accused of killing her boyfriend O'Keefe, a Boston police officer, by clipping him with her 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die on the ground in a record-setting blizzard. Brennan told the court that he was not disputing that a criminologist made the holes and asked the judge to give a jury instruction rather than declare a mistrial. "It appears that I made a mistake," Brennan said. Cannone denied the motion but said she is going to put photos illustrating the mix-up into evidence and that she is would instruct jurors that they are not permitted to draw any inference that the holes happened on Jan. 29, 2022. At the start of the day, Cannone heard motions regarding rebuttal testimony and to preclude or limit expert witnesses. She said she would hold an additional evidentiary hearing to determine what Laposata, a Rhode Island forensic pathologist and professor at Brown University, can testify in front of jurors. David Yannetti, one of Read's defense lawyers, told the court that her legal team believes O'Keefe was "placed" on the ground near a flagpole outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts. The home is about 20 miles south of Boston. Read, O'Keefe and others went there for an after-party on Jan. 28, 2022. Wolfe, the reconstructionist from a firm called ARCCA, testified last week that damage to Read's SUV is inconsistent with the type of impact that prosecutors allege left O'Keefe dead early the following morning. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB But on cross-examination, he conceded that flying fragments of a taillight could have been the source of injuries to O'Keefe's face and nose before he suffered a fractured skull from what prosecution experts testified was a backward fall. Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, drunken driving manslaughter and leaving the scene. Her defense maintains that her vehicle never struck O'Keefe and that his injuries were caused in some other manner after she left. Read could face life in prison if convicted of the top charge. Jurors deadlocked at her first trial last year on the same charges.
Fox News
09-06-2025
- Fox News
Defense expert delivers devastating blow to prosecution theory in Karen Read murder trial as case nears end
A crash reconstructionist returned to the stand in Karen Read's murder trial Monday, the proceeding's 29th day, as her defense prepares to rest its case this week. She is accused of killing her boyfriend, Boston Police Officer John O'Keefe, by clipping him with her 2021 Lexus LX 570 SUV on Jan. 29, 2022, and leaving him to die on the ground in a record-setting blizzard. Before jurors arrived, Judge Beverly Cannone heard motions regarding rebuttal testimony and to preclude or limit expert witnesses. She said she would hold an additional evidentiary hearing to determine what Dr. Elizabeth Laposata, a Rhode Island forensic pathologist and professor at Brown University, can testify in front of jurors. David Yannetti, one of Read's defense lawyers, told the court that her legal team believes O'Keefe was "placed" on the ground near a flagpole outside 34 Fairview Road in Canton, Massachusetts. Laposata is expected to discuss O'Keefe's injuries and how and where he could have suffered them. The home is about 20 miles south of Boston. Read, O'Keefe and others went there for an after-party on Jan. 28, 2022. Dr. Daniel Wolfe, the reconstrucitonist from a firm called ARCCA, testified last week that damage to Read's SUV is inconsistent with the type of impact that prosecutors allege left O'Keefe dead early the following morning. GET REAL-TIME UPDATES DIRECTLY ON THE TRUE CRIME HUB But on cross-examination, he conceded that flying fragments of a taillight could have been the source of injuries to O'Keefe's face and nose before he suffered a fractured skull from what prosecution experts testified was a backward fall. Read has pleaded not guilty to charges of second-degree murder, drunken driving manslaughter and leaving the scene. Her defense maintains that her vehicle never struck O'Keefe and that his injuries were caused in some other manner after she left. Read could face life in prison if convicted of the top charge. Jurors deadlocked at her first trial last year on the same charges.
ABC News
29-05-2025
- Health
- ABC News
Forensic pathologist shortage delays justice in NSW
A shortage of forensic pathologists in New South Wales is delaying some court cases by up to 18 months, with concerns the situation has the potential to impact witness evidence and further stress the families of victims. It is difficult to confirm the extent of the issue, but the ABC is aware of at least three murder trials delayed by the slow delivery of forensic pathology reports. Law Society of NSW president Jennifer Ball said any delay in criminal proceedings was stressful for all involved, particularly when the alleged offence involved homicide. "Delays in these cases bring additional stress to victims' families and friends, and can potentially affect the quality of witnesses' evidence," she said. Lismore solicitor Jim Fuggle said the "blowout" increased the cost of justice. He said it also hindered the process of certifying charges in the legislated six-month timeframe and potentially extended the time an accused person remained in custody on remand. "You can imagine, from all sides of proceedings, it affects people," Mr Fuggle said. "Sometimes there is conflict within a community over incidents and [delays] don't help resolve that in any way, shape or form. In Lismore Local Court, Magistrate Michael Dakin recently noted the "significant delays" in the matter of Dwayne John Creighton, accused of killing Sarah Miles at Casino in June 2024. Mr Creighton's case has been mentioned at least eight times since he was first arrested in the days after her death, and he remains in custody with a murder charge only certified this week. The court recently heard the pathologist had completed the toxicology report, but further testing related to the cause of death was required. The case against Alexander Repin, accused of murdering an elderly home owner at Lismore in 2023, also came to a standstill last year. In October, the prosecutor said the matter was ready to proceed but could go no further as a forensic pathology report remained outstanding, despite two formal requests from police and the prosecution. Mr Repin is yet to enter a plea to murder and being armed with intent to commit an indictable offence. The same issue plagued the preliminary stages of the case against Robert Karl Huber, who is set to stand trial in June before the Supreme Court in Coffs Harbour. Mr Huber is accused of killing Lindy Lucena in a laneway in Ballina in January 2023. Without a forensic pathology report, the charges against Mr Huber were unable to be certified and Ballina Local Court Magistrate Karen Stafford was forced to adjourn the matter on at least two separate occasions. After the second adjournment, Ms Lucena's sister Julie Viney, who has since died, said delays in the court process had left the family in limbo. "I don't know what information they want from this but I can't believe there isn't a pathologist that can do this specific test," Ms Vine told the ABC at the time. Mr Huber eventually pleaded not guilty to murder, more than 21 months after Ms Lucena's death. In another case, mother of two Jamikka Binge-Olive died in 2023, five weeks after she was assaulted in the bathrooms of a licensed venue at Casino in northern NSW. In the months after her death, her family told the ABC they had been advised to expect a 12-month wait for an autopsy report. A coronial inquest into her death is now set to be held in November. New South Wales Courts and Tribunals said it did not gather data on how many cases were adjourned awaiting a pathology report, and it was not aware of any other agency gathering the information. New South Wales Health Pathology said there was a national and international shortage of specialist forensic pathologists, and it was short-staffed as a result. "NSW Health Pathology continues to make every effort to recruit forensic pathologists to fill vacancies, as well as train new forensic pathologists," a spokesperson said. The spokesperson said NSW Health Pathology worked at the direction of the NSW Coroner, with around 8,000 unexplained or unexpected deaths referred to the coroner a year. They said time frames for reports were affected by factors including staffing, case complexity and ancillary testing requirements.
News.com.au
26-05-2025
- Health
- News.com.au
Forensic pathologist makes claim about Ned Kelly tattoos
A forensic pathologist has shared the bizarre trend he has noticed about those who have a popular Australian tattoo. Roger Byard, an Emeritus Professor at The University of Adelaide who is nicknamed Dr Death by his colleagues, specialises in the study of death and injuries. His profession not only helps solve crimes, but can also help prevent future deaths in cases such as the research his autopsies provided on Sudden Infant Death Syndrome to help lower early childhood deaths. Recently, Mr Byard appeared on I Catch Killers with Gary Jubelin, where he revealed an anecdotal trend about a tattoo he has noticed during his 30 year career. After getting involved with Foxtel series Lawless, which looked at figures such as Ned Kelly and the Kenneth Brothers, Mr Byard said he kept looking into Bushrangers. 'We were basically trying to see what evidence there was for the historical stories. You look at Ben Hall — the popular theory is that police snuck up on him and shot him in his swag,' Mr Byard said on the podcast. 'The police version is a bit different.' It led him to notice, anecdotally, a piece of information about people who had ink of Australia's most well known bushranger Ned Kelly, who was executed for killing Constable Thomas Lonigan in 1880. 'I just noticed that a lot of the people coming into the mortuary with Ned Kelly tattoos had died violent deaths,' he said. I did a retrospective study and then I did a 10-year prospective study. Sure enough like 80 per cent of them had died of accidents or suicides or homicides. All sorts of strange things.' Mr Byard clarified that this was in a forensic context and just because you had a tattoo of Ned Kelly it didn't mean you were 'marked' for a violent death. He said he thought it was because the tattoo was a mark of 'drug associated' lifestyles or other forms of risk taking. Social media users claimed the tattoo represented a certain kind of lifestyle. 'I think it's also the demographic within society that idolises Ned is mostly those who live reckless and/or dangerous lives,' one said. Another said: 'Wow that feels energetic. They say tattooing names on you also transfers a similar energy.' It's not the first time Mr Byard has discussed this topic, in 2023 he and Hamish Maxwell-Stewart had a paper published in Forensic Science, Medicine and Pathology journal. The paper explained that the tattoos often depicted Kelly in his armour or his alleged last words 'Such is life'. Their study ran from January 1, 2011, to December 31, 2020, at Forensic Science South Australia. Over this period, 38 people ended up in the morgue with Ned Kelly inspired tattoos. Ten of these were natural deaths, while 15 were suicide, nine were accidents and four were homicides.
