PASSAGE OF THE DAY: "Marrara’s defense team hired Hua as neuropathology consultant to review Andrew’s autopsy in 2014, prior to taking over as the county’s acting medical examiner in December. On Thursday, Hua, who was hired by defense attorneys prior to his appointment as medical examiner, undercut the state’s contention that Marrara was a frustrated father who throttled his son when the baby wouldn't eat, shaking him so hard that the blood vessels burst in his head. Several injuries that are common in baby shaking cases – such as retinal hemorrhage, neck injury and bruising – were not found on Andrew, Hua said. “You do not have significant trauma, you do not have reasonable evidence of shaking, but you do have a real disease there that could be fatal,” he said. Trauma, he said, is often a “diagnosis of exclusion” used by medical examiners when no natural cause of death can be identified. "
STORY: "Rare Disease Caused Fort Lee Baby's Death, Not Violence, Medical Examiner Says," by reporter Tom Nobile, published by NorthJersey.com on May 7, 2018. (Thanks to The Forensic Magazine for drawing this story to our attention);
GIST: The
trial over 10-week-old Andrew Marrara’s death took an uncommon turn
Thursday with Bergen County’s acting medical examiner taking the stand
against the state’s case by testifying that the infant likely died from
the effects of a rare disease — not by homicide, as prosecutors have
argued. Cortical Vein Thrombosis, or CVT, is the condition Dr. Zhongxue Hua
pinpointed to describe the blood clots on Andrew’s brain that were
present for “several days” before the infant’s death on March 26, 2012.
Such clots are not always fatal, but may trigger seizures or apnea that
can cause death, he testified on Thursday. “This was not treated and not discovered in the initial autopsy," Hua said. Hua's testimony ran counter to that of the county’s
former medical examiner, Dr. Frederick DiCarlo, whose autopsy report is a
key part of the state’s manslaughter case against Michael Marrara,
Andrew’s father. DiCarlo, who sat in the courtroom pews on Thursday,
concluded that the infant died of blunt force trauma to the head
inflicted by Marrara – a Fort Lee firefighter. Marrara’s
defense team hired Hua as neuropathology consultant to review Andrew’s
autopsy in 2014, prior to taking over as the county’s acting medical
examiner in December. On
Thursday, Hua, who was hired by defense attorneys prior to his
appointment as medical examiner, undercut the state’s contention that
Marrara was a frustrated father who throttled his son when the baby
wouldn't eat, shaking him so hard that the blood vessels burst in his
head. Several injuries that are common in baby
shaking cases – such as retinal hemorrhage, neck injury and bruising –
were not found on Andrew, Hua said. “You do not
have significant trauma, you do not have reasonable evidence of shaking,
but you do have a real disease there that could be fatal,” he said. Trauma,
he said, is often a “diagnosis of exclusion” used by medical examiners
when no natural cause of death can be identified. The
jury on Thursday reviewed photos of the clots that Hua said could have
been caused by trauma, but also infection and dehydration. Marrara
had told investigators that the child suddenly turned beet-red and
stopped breathing. Marrara put the child over the sink and tried to
revive him, called his wife into the room and immediately called 911.
The father and son then went by ambulance to Englewood Hospital, where
attempts to revive the baby were unsuccessful. Hua said the description that Andrew’s head jerked backward during the incident is a typical manifestation of seizure. The state will cross examine Hua on Friday. The
trial, which started in early April, has been dominated by complicated
medical testimony that included autopsy photos of the dead infant, and
three mysterious rib fractures that were healing at the time of Andrew's
death. State’s medical witnesses, along with Hua,
testified that the fractures occurred weeks before the infant's demise
and were not the cause of death. Prosecutors, however, hold up the
injury as evidence of mistreatment by Andrew’s parents. Marrara, who now lives in Florida, is charged with aggravated manslaughter and endangering the welfare of a child. His defense team plans to bring forth character witnesses following Hua's testimony."
The entire story can be found at:
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2018/05/04/rare-disease-caused-fort-lee-babys-death-medical-examiner-says-michael-marrara-trial/576642002/
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
https://www.northjersey.com/story/news/2018/05/04/rare-disease-caused-fort-lee-babys-death-medical-examiner-says-michael-marrara-trial/576642002/
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
