Hamilton teen had just seconds to minutes to live after stabbing to chest
When a 17-year-old Hamilton boy was stabbed in the chest - the blade piercing his aorta - it would take only seconds to minutes for him to die from massive blood loss, a forensic pathologist testified in court Thursday.
Dr. Tyler Hickey performed the autopsy in Toronto on Dec. 10, 2018, three days after the teen was killed in the midst of a drug robbery gone wrong near Bruleville Park.
Dawson Farr, 18 at the time, is on trial for manslaughter. The victim cannot be named because of a publication ban.
Hickey explained his findings, while the court saw a series of images from the autopsy. The photographs ranged from the teen's body with tubes and other medical devices still attached from life-saving efforts, to close-up images of his pierced aorta and left lung.
Defence attorney Jeff Manishen objected to the images being made exhibits, arguing they would have an inflammatory effect" and were unnecessary since the doctor could describe the injuries. However, Justice Amanda Camara disagreed. Observers, including multiple family members, were warned before the graphic images appeared.
Unusually, from the exterior of the victim's chest there appeared to be only one 2.4-centimetre stab wound, Hickey said. But internally there were two close but clear wound tracts" that cut through the cartilage and cut his aorta once and his left lung twice.
When asked whether it's possible to tell whether the knife was fully pulled out before being plunged a second time, Hickey said he couldn't say with certainty. However, he pointed to photographs of the victim's shirt with two slits.
The aorta is the largest ventricle in the heart, responsible for pumping oxygenated blood throughout the body.
It would be a like a pipe under great pressure, and putting a chop into it," Hickey said. Without near immediate repair, it is many seconds to minutes before death."
The trial has already heard from a number of witnesses who said the victim and two friends planned to rob Farr of 14 grams of cocaine, worth about $850. But things didn't go according to plan when Farr brought along his friend, Tae Yoon (Dan) Park.
Park is also charged, but is being tried separately. He testified that the would-be robbers pointed a gun at them, which he knocked away. It turned out to be a BB gun. The victim's friend, Jacob Vogl, who took part in the robbery attempt, denied pointing the BB gun, but admitted they brought it that day. Police seized the BB gun and a silver 7.5-centimetre knife.
Based on the measurements of the depth of the wounds from a CT scan, Hickey estimated the weapon used to be between six and eight centimetres. Although he noted the chest can be compressed and so measurements aren't exact.
The 17-year-old, who was five-feet-seven-and-a-half inches tall and weighed 150 pounds, had other cuts and bruises on his face, knees and arm likely caused by his fall to the ground. Witnesses described the victim getting out of the front passenger seat of the car, taking a few steps and collapsing face-first onto the pavement of Pinewarbler Drive.
The trial also heard from Hamilton police Sgt. Mark Miller who examined the crime scene vehicles and other exhibits. He photographed blood on the hood of the Kia Forte where the robbery attempt and stabbing happened that day. His exam also showed the child locks were engaged, which was part of the robbery plan to trap Farr.
Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com