"The doctor who performed the autopsy on the Ithaca College student killed last August at Cornell University testified as the jury viewed photos of the deceased victim for the first time during the murder trial of Nagee Green on Thursday afternoon at Tompkins County Courthouse. After spending two days detailing the scene and incidents on the night leading up to the crime for the jury, prosecution focused their case on science and evidence gathering on Thursday. Green, 23, of Freeville, is accused of fatally stabbing 19-year-old Ithaca College student Anthony Nazaire to death following a party on Cornell's campus in the early hours on Sunday, Aug. 28. Green has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter and second-degree assault. Nazaire’s classmate, Rahiem Williams, suffered three stab wounds but made a full recovery. According to testimony, the incident began when Williams bumped into a woman walking through Ho Plaza at Cornell. Several smaller fights broke out, leading to the two young men being stabbed. Dr. James Terzian of Twin Tiers Pathology performed the autopsy on Aug. 28 at Lourdes hospital in Binghamton. He said the fatal wound — located in the upper-left area of the chest — was 2¾ inches in length and went through Nazaire’s joint and rib before piercing his trachea. Terzian said the injury causes blood to flow into the airway as well as into the stomach, all within a minute. Tompkins County District Attorney Matthew Van Houten asked Terzian if someone would collapse immediately after suffering the wound. Terzian said it would not cause someone to fall immediately to the ground in all cases, but the person would soon get lightheaded and pass out, which would happen within a minute. Van Houten asked if it was possible someone could throw a punch after suffering the wound and Terzian said yes. Williams testified on Tuesday he saw Nazaire throw two punches before collapsing onto Williams’ leg. Defense attorney Joseph Joch asked if the knife in police custody, which was present at the autopsy, was used to make the wound, but Terzian said it is not his job to determine if the knife in custody created the wound. Terzian said he cannot say for sure it was the knife but it was consistent with the wound. The defense started the day with the cross-examination of New York State Police Investigator Timothy Tuttle. He assumed control of the crime scene on Aug. 28 from Cornell police and began processing the scene at 5:30 a.m. On Wednesday afternoon, Tuttle walked the jury through his actions at the scene, which included securing evidence and the knife found at the scene. Tuttle was the first to examine the knife at the scene after it was initially secured by Sgt. Justin Baum of the Cornell police, who was the first officer to respond to the scene. The knife was found on the ground with the handle exposed and most of the blade covered by grass. Traces of blood appeared to be on the blade and a test conducted by Tuttle confirmed the presence of blood. Tuttle said the textured grip on the knife made it difficult to get finger prints and there were no prints on the blade. Joch asked Tuttle if there were any indications or if he was notified of a second knife, but Tuttle said no. Tuttle said his team surveyed the area outside the crime scene for possible evidence but did not go into the nearby gorge. Leah Egnor of the Forensic Identification Center at the New York State Police was the second witness on the stand Thursday. She handled the evidence at the crime lab, including the knife believed to be the murder weapon. Her job is to collect material, not conduct DNA analysis. Egnor talked about several items she examined and screened for blood and other materials. The defense asked about the debris on the knife, which included plant material. She also said blood was found on the blade of the knife, but not the handle. Carrie McGinnis, a DNA analyst for the state police’s Forensic Identification Center, took the stand after Egnor. McGinnis said DNA on the blade of the suspected murder weapon matched the profile of Rahiem Williams. There was touch DNA on the handle of the knife but McGinnis was unable to determine a matching profile. Touch DNA is material left behind like sweat and skin cells. Joch asked McGinnis if Nazaire’s DNA was found on the knife and although it is possible, it was not found through testing. Other DNA profiles were found but it was too complex to match. Van Houten called New York State Police Investigator Jeremiah Allen to the stand following lunch. Allen assisted in processing the crime scene and was present during the autopsy. During Allen’s testimony, the jury viewed photos of Nazaire’s lower legs, sneakers and shirt, including a close-up view of a hole in the shirt which is consistent with the area Nazaire was stabbed."
http://www.ithacajournal.com/story/news/local/2017/06/08/green-trial-prosecution-shifts-focus-forensics/379565001/
PUBLISHER'S NOTE: I am monitoring this case/issue. Keep your eye on the Charles Smith Blog for reports on developments. The Toronto Star, my previous employer for more than twenty incredible years, has put considerable effort into exposing the harm caused by Dr. Charles Smith and his protectors - and into pushing for reform of Ontario's forensic pediatric pathology system. The Star has a "topic" section which focuses on recent stories related to Dr. Charles Smith. It can be found at: http://www.thestar.com/topic/c
