I'm sorry, doctor. Is there something further with respect to the transection I think you said of the epiglottis?
The wound also transects the vessels of the neck, which we'll discuss in photograph b-16 when we come to that, or do you want me to discuss it now?
No. Actually I want to start with, is there some significance to you in the direction that the wound appears to have from that photograph?
Yes. Studying the description of the injuries plus the photograph, you see that this end has got a sharp end, and also when you see photograph b-16, you see the right end of that same wound is also sharp. So this wound is an incise/stab wound. That is, the knife started as an incised wound and then penetrated the neck area, and it travels from left to right going upwards. And if you look carefully at the other photograph, which you can see--which I have reviewed--it shows a bridge of tissue there, which would indicate that is the starting point of this wound. And if you review the description, the area of the--I mean the description of the structures, the structures in the deeper portion of the neck were injured more on the left side compared to the right side. So basically the wound was deeper on the left side, and as it went to the right side, it became shallower.
That would also support the opinion that the wound traveled--was inflicted in a left to right direction.
Now, doctor, in the photograph b-13, there appears to be an area that is, as you look at the photograph, to the right of the end of that or the beginning as you've testified of that stab/incise wound. What is that area?
That is the left side of the neck and that has a stab wound there (Indicating).
Doctor, I would like to invite your attention to photograph b-18, which is the left-most photo on the lower row of this exhibit 352. What is shown in this photo if it bears on what I just asked you?
You can see the stab wound, the stab wound, the lowest of the four stab wounds on the neck. The left side of the neck has four stab wounds. They've been numbered 1 through 4 from superior or the top of the head to inferior, and I'm referring to stab wound no. 4 here, which is the one that you see in the photograph here (Indicating).
Doctor, inviting your attention to b-18 and what appears to be on the left-most portion of the neck of Nicole Brown Simpson, what are we seeing there?
I'm sorry. You want--if you'll give me the pointer for just a second. I'm referring to this area on the photograph (Indicating). What are we seeing there?
That is the left-most portion of this large incise/stab wound, which I already described.
Yes. This is what I wanted to bring up. It's a sharp pointed end, and so it started as an incised wound. But then you see a small bridge of tissue there where the penetration of the knife took place, where there's a penetrating component to this wound. It started as an incised wound, but there's a penetrating component. You can see a bridge there. And then the wound continues transecting the structures I already discussed. There's also injury to the vessels I told you in the neck.
Both sides, you have the carotid arteries on both sides and the jugular veins, and the carotid artery was transected on both sides.
And what will be the reaction of the body to a transection of either the left or right side carotid artery?
Bleeding and you could have a sudden loss of supply of one side of the front of the brain. You could have seizures, and then ultimately you could die because of the rapid bleeding from this large vessel.
Doctor, the jugular vein, left or right side, will produce what kind of body reaction if transected?
That can cause bleeding. Sometimes jugular vein transection can result in air being sucked in to the vein and causing air embolism. But the principal usual effect of cutting of any vessel is bleeding.
Doctor, inviting your attention to b-8--b-16--excuse me--does this give a fuller depiction of the depth of that major stab/incise wound?
Yes. This is the thyroid hyoid--I'm talking about b-16 now--you can see the thyroid hyoid area transected. And if you look behind the larynx, the stab wound is also--the incise/stab wound is also passed through the hypopharynx of the pharynx, that is the structure behind the larynx. And you also have evidence that the sharp force injury has caused injury to the cervical spine. This is the spine you're seeing here in this photograph right here (Indicating).
In photograph b-16. And you're pointing to approximately the middle portion of the wound itself; is that correct?
And then what you see here as pale structures is the carotid jugular vein area. In the neck, the jugular vein is on the outer side of the carotid artery, and they both are in a sheet called the carotid sheet. It's a covering around those structures there. So if you read the description of the autopsy report, the left and right carotid arteries both were transected. The left jugular vein was almost transected. There was only a bit of the vein left in the back. But on the right side, the jugular vein was only--had a quarter-inch cut. And this is significant because this also would go along with the opinion that the wound was deeper on the left side and shallower on the right side because the vein was only partially cut. As I told you, the vein is on the outside of the artery. So that would also support that opinion that the wound is shallower on the right side compared to the left side, which again go with my opinion that the wound was from left to right going upward to below the ear.
Doctor, inviting your attention again to b-16, did you examine the what I'll call margins of this major incise/stab wound as well as its depiction in b-13 as well as its depiction in b-18?
The margins don't show any--margins are the borders of this large wound, the borders, and they do not show any additional cuts.
It is of significance to me because that means there was no resistance whatsoever when that wound was being inflicted.
KEY QUOTEDoctor, what would you expect a person who was about to receive that kind of wound to do if the person was physically capable of doing anything?
Doctor, in your experience, have you studied how people react to threats of incised stab wounds?
Doctor, given the absence of cuts around the margin--I'm sorry. Withdraw that question. Assuming that Nicole Brown Simpson had the capacity, physical capacity to try and avoid that major stab/incise wound being inflicted, what would you expect her to try and do?
Doctor, if there were cuts along the margin, what if any significance would it have to you in identifying what if anything Nicole Brown Simpson had done before or during the infliction of that wound?
If you have additional cuts, that would support that there was some struggle involved. There was some movement of the neck and head involved. So it was not a clean-cut wound as I see it here.
Doctor, if Nicole Brown Simpson was unconscious at the time that that major stab/incise wound was inflicted, would that be consistent with your identification of no cuts around the margin of that stab/incise wound?
That would go along with the findings of no additional cuts, single major incise/stab wound which runs from the left to the right, deeper on the left, shallower on the right opinion I have given.
Doctor, did you form an opinion after all of the material, all of the photographs as to when in the relationship of the receipt of all of the injuries that Nicole Brown Simpson received that this major stab/incise wound was inflicted?
Yeah. Based on all the crime scene photographs which I had opportunity to see, based on the blood flow on the ground, based on the lack of any blood on the back of the left hand, my opinion is that Miss Brown was on the ground face down when this wound was inflicted. My opinion is that the head was extended backwards and the knife was used to cause this incise/stab wound from the left to the right.
Doctor, if you can--if I can slide over here for a moment and if you could use me and my head and hair, would you demonstrate what is your opinion as to the manner in which that last major incised stab wound was inflicted?
Assuming that you are face down on the ground and this ruler is my weapon, I would expect the head to be hyperextended this way and start an incision this way from the right side of the neck, run in a horizontal manner and go upwards towards the ear with this part being the deeper portion and this part being the shallower portion (Demonstrating). And the blood flow pattern on the ground which I saw in the crime scene photographs, the lack of additional cuts, the deeper wound on the left side compared to the shallower wound on the right side would support this opinion.
KEY QUOTEAnd a six-inch long knife blade would be consistent with doing that kind of wound?
It is of significance to me because that means there was no resistance whatsoever when that wound was being inflicted.
My opinion is that Miss Brown was on the ground face down when this wound was inflicted. My opinion is that the head was extended backwards and the knife was used to cause this incise/stab wound from the left to the right.
Assuming that you are face down on the ground and this ruler is my weapon, I would expect the head to be hyperextended this way and start an incision this way from the right side of the neck, run in a horizontal manner and go upwards towards the ear with this part being the deeper portion and this part being the shallower portion.
The left and right carotid arteries both were transected. The left jugular vein was almost transected. There was only a bit of the vein left in the back.