The Autopsy

Of all the testimony heard during the trial, it should not come as a surprise that hearing from the women who had conducted the autopsy on Shadide Wiggens was one of the most anticipated, difficult and impactful.

Dr. Mindy J. Hull, an anatomical pathologist, was the women who had conducted the autopsy. Dr. Hull is a small women who none the less entered the court room and took the stand with authority and poise. For more than an hour she testified as to the cause of death of Shadide.

As with all other expert witnesses, her credentials were first established. While appearing to be young, Dr. Hull (it's hard to think that anyone who knows what she does calls her Mindy) has been through years of school, residency, teaching and board certification. Sufficed to say she knew her shit.

After establishing her expertise, Flashner displayed a large poster board diagram of Shadide's body in the same style of the picture I have placed above. The jurors were fixated. One by one Flashner and Hull went through each of the seven wounds on Shadide's body, pointing them out on the poster board, and displaying a photograph of the body on a large LCD television.

Starting from the bottom, they were:

1. A slash across the middle finger of the left and which was 1/4" deep
2. A stab wound to the back left flank 2" deep
3. A 4 and 3/4" stab wound to the lower left abdomen which entered the liver and was produced with enough force to leave an imprint of the handle
4. A 4" stab wound to the left abdomen which entered the sack surrounding the lungs and heart
5. A 4 and 3/4" stab would to the chest which punctured the sack surrounding the heart and was produced with enough force that the handle of the knife tore the skin
6. A 2" deep stab wound which went right to left in the back left shoulder
7. A 4+" stab wound which entered along the jaw line, exited through the neck and re-entered through the clavicle, which was creatively illustrated by sticking a probe (think BBQ skewer) through Shadide's face.

The jury was speechless. This didn't look like self defense anymore.

Those that were paying close attention to the pictures of Shadide's body noticed something else beyond the new wounds - across his right arm and chest was a deeply set and wide scar from a previous knife fight.

So how had Cleo died? Dr. Hull had concluded that the three wounds around his heart, lungs and liver caused heavy internal bleeding. Cleo's body cavity rapidly filled with over a liter of blood, which he essentially drowned in from the inside out.

I was captivated.

Some of the other jurors were terrified. They found the idea of this small girlish women talking about death so openly unnerving. Some noted that she had dark eyes and theorized that she was possessed.

Below is video of Mindy testifying in another trial (also a stabbing) so you can decide for yourself.