The Jason Corbett manslaughter case has heard from three medical expert witnesses about the death of Margaret Corbett, Mr Corbett's first wife.
All three agreed that the post-mortem report from Limerick could not be relied on to describe an asthma attack as the cause of death of Ms Corbett in 2006.
All three said that death from asthma was indicated by over-inflated lungs, caused by not being able to exhale spent air.
One likened such lungs to over-inflated balloons, another, Dr Thomsas Sporn of the Duke University pathology department, said they would "come spilling out when the body was opened".
Forensic pathologist Dr Bill Smock said a death from an asthma attack would present a pathologist with a "constellation" of indicators, none of which were described in the Irish autopsy report of Mags Corbett.
All of the doctors agreed that there were no symptoms of heart disease or heart failure either in the autopsy, nor was there any toxin or poison present in the body, nor were there any other signs of disease or trauma recorded.
However, they differed in their interpretation of the results.
Questioned by Judge David Hall, Dr Sporn agreed that the cause of death of Ms Corbett could best be classified as undetermined.
Dr Smock said the limited information in the pathologist's report from Limerick indicated that it was at least possible that she suffered an upper neck injury consistent with strangulation.
Dr Smock, who was called as a defence witness by Doug Kingsberry, lawyer for Molly Martens Corbett, is the medical director of the Institute for the Prevention of Strangulation Death in the US, and is an advisor and trainer of law enforcement agencies and forensic scientists on the topic of strangulation death and what indications investigators should look out for.
He said that the Limerick autopsy of Ms Corbett noted the presence of reddening around her lips and nose, which he said was an indicator of death by asphyxiation.
He said that strangulation attacks can cause injuries that do not lead to the instant death of the victim, but cause death some time after the strangulation has occurred.
He said swelling in the upper respiratory tract following a strangulation can lead to death, even though the victim is functioning normally for a time after the strangulation has occurred.
Dr William Boseman, a prosecution expert witness called by the District Attorney's office, disagreed that strangulation was a probable cause of Ms Corbett's death.
He said: "While I agree it was potentially a cause, I can't quite get to saying it was probably caused."
None of the three doctors on the stand today could say what the most likely cause of death for Ms Corbett was, based on the evidence in the autopsy report and coroners reports sent from Limerick.
The court also heard evidence from Dr Smock that he believed Ms Martens Corbett had been subjected to strangulation attacks twice or possibly three times the night Mr Corbett died.
He said red marks on her neck and a "nail dig" mark below her left ear were typical effects of a strangulation attack.
He based his claim on an extensive review of the evidence in the case, in particular photographic evidence, and also on a telephone interview he conducted with Ms Martens Corbett in February of this year.
He said photographic evidence taken by Davidson Country Sheriffs Office on the day of Mr Corbett's death indicated Martens Corbett had been strangled at some point in the preceding hours.
Dr Boseman said there were other possible explanations for marks on Martens Corbett's neck on the day of her husbands death, including prolonged rubbing of the same site.
