A medical examiner in North Carolina has told the trial of two people accused of the murder of a Limerick man that he determined the cause of death as blunt-force trauma.
Dr Craig Nelson was giving evidence in the trial of US woman Molly Martens-Corbett, 33, and her 67-year-old father Thomas Martens who are accused of killing 39-year-old Jason Corbett two years ago.
Both are charged with second degree murder for their role in causing the death of Mr Corbett at his home in Wallburg on 2 August 2015.
During Dr Nelson’s testimony, which detailed the injuries sustained by Mr Corbett, one juror became ill and had to temporarily leave the courtroom.
Dr Nelson told the court that he had identified ten different areas of impact to Mr Corbett’s head and two areas had sustained "multiple blows".
"The degree of skull fractures in this case are kinds we would see in falls from great heights or car crashes," Dr Nelson said.
Mr Corbett also sustained injuries to his torso and extremities as well as a scalp laceration, Dr Nelson said.
When cross-examined by David Freedman, representing Mr Martens, Dr Nelson said he did not know when Mr Corbett would have become incapacitated, which blow would have rendered him incapacitated or the sequence in which the blows came.
The jury also heard that at the time of the autopsy, trace amounts of Trazadone, a medication used primarily as a sleep aid, were found in Mr Corbett's body.
It heard that Ms Martens was prescribed and filled such a prescription days before the death of her husband.
