McLEAN MURDER TRIAL: Sixth victim died of asphyxia, pathologist testifies
Published:Tuesday | February 6, 2018 | 12:00 AM
Livern Barrett, Senior Gleaner Writer
A forensic pathologist today testified that six-year-old Jihad McCool, one of the four children killed, allegedly by Michael McLean, was suffocated.
McLean is on trial in the Home Circuit Court for the 2006 murder of the four children and two women in St Thomas.
Dr S N Prasad Kadiyala, who was giving evidence, said the six-year-old girl died of "asphyxia as a result of smothering."
He says this is an indication that hands were placed on her nose and mouth and pressed for two to three minutes.
The pathologist says because of this, there was no intake of air either through the nose or mouth.
He says given the level of decomposition, the six-year-old died a week before the post mortem on March 3, 2006.
Jihad McCool's body was found in a shallow grave in St Mary.
It came one week after the bodies of the other victims, Patrice Martin-McCool, her other children, Lloyd McCool, Sean Chin, as well as Terry-Ann Mohammed, and Terry-Ann's son Jessie O'Gilvie were found along the Prospect Beach in St Thomas.
This morning, McLean and prosecutors agreed to have the post mortem reports for the five tendered into evidence.
The reports revealed that all five had their throats slashed and "died as a result of sharp force injury to the neck".
Dr. Kadiyala, who reviewed the reports, testified that each victim died between five to 15 minutes after the injuries were inflicted.
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