FULL TESTIMONY — Medical Examiner Lauren Scott testifies in the Salguero-Olivares murder trial

[00:00:00] Dr. Lauren Scott: Thank you, Sheriff, and thank you, Madam Clerk. [00:00:19] Speaker 2: Ma'am, if you could state your first and last name for the records, please. [00:00:23] Dr. Lauren Scott: Dr. Lauren Scott. Lauren is L-A-U-R-E-N. Scott is S-C-O-T-T. [00:00:30] Speaker 2: All right. And thank you for spelling your name for the record. Also, ma'am, be mindful of the fact that the court reporter is taking down everything you say. Try not to speak too fast. If an attorney asks you a question and the answer would be yes or no, you have to say yes or no. You can't say mm-hmm or mm-hmm because the court reporter can't take that down. And finally, if you allow for the attorney to ask the question, then you can respond in order to avoid talking with each other. [00:00:57] Speaker 3: Okay. [00:00:58] Speaker 2: All right. This witness is with the state of North Carolina. [00:01:01] Speaker 3: Thank you, Your Honor. Yes, ma'am. Good afternoon, Dr. Scott. [00:01:04] Dr. Lauren Scott: Good afternoon. [00:01:05] Speaker 3: Could you please explain to the jury how and where you are employed? [00:01:10] Dr. Lauren Scott: I'm an associate chief medical examiner at the office of the chief medical examiner of North Carolina. [00:01:17] Speaker 3: And could you tell the jury about your educational background? [00:01:21] Dr. Lauren Scott: Yes. I completed medical school at the University of Buffalo in 2008. I then did four years of anatomic and clinical pathology residency at Dartmouth. I then did a final training year in forensic pathology, a fellowship at the University of North Carolina. [00:01:41] Speaker 3: And are you licensed to practice medicine in the state of North Carolina? [00:01:44] Dr. Lauren Scott: I am, yes. [00:01:45] Speaker 3: And how long have you practiced medicine? [00:01:47] Dr. Lauren Scott: Since 2012. [00:01:48] Speaker 3: And are you, have you in the past or currently a member of any professional organizations? I am, yes. [00:01:56] Dr. Lauren Scott: Primary of those would be the College of American Pathologists and the National Association of Medical Examiners. [00:02:01] Speaker 3: And can you explain to the jury what pathology is, and then specifically forensic pathology? [00:02:07] Dr. Lauren Scott: Pathology, in general, is the study of disease. In forensic pathology, we focus on diseases and injuries of a non-natural manner, learning to interpret things like gunshot wounds, stab wounds, blunt and sharp force injuries, and how to determine the cause and manner of death, primarily through autopsy examinations. And how long have you specifically worked in the field of pathology? I've started my pathology residency in 2008. [00:02:41] Speaker 3: And are you board certified in pathology? [00:02:43] Dr. Lauren Scott: I am, yes. [00:02:45] Speaker 3: And what does board certification involve? [00:02:48] Dr. Lauren Scott: First, it involves completing a certified training program. So that would be my residency and fellowship programs. Then undergoing maintenance of certification, so keeping up to date with the most recent literature in the field, and taking intermittent online tests in the field. [00:03:04] Speaker 3: And what are your duties as a pathologist? [00:03:07] Dr. Lauren Scott: Our primary duty is to determine the cause and manner of death in cases presumed to be due to non-natural means. So in cases presumed to be accidental, homicidal, or suicidal. And we do this through various means, primary of which is the autopsy examination. [00:03:23] Speaker 3: And can you estimate about how many autopsies you've performed? [00:03:28] Dr. Lauren Scott: About 2,800. [00:03:30] Speaker 3: Have you previously testified as an expert in the field of pathology? [00:03:33] Dr. Lauren Scott: I have, yes. [00:03:34] Speaker 3: Your Honor, at this time to state with tender Dr. Lauren Scott as an expert in the field of forensic pathology. [00:03:39] Speaker 2: Any objection? No, Your Honor. All right. Ladies and gentlemen, Dr. Scott will be deemed an expert in forensic pathology. [00:03:49] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, could you please explain to the jury, I think you just did a little bit about what types of cases autopsies are performed in, and who decides when an autopsy is performed? [00:03:59] Dr. Lauren Scott: Under our jurisdiction as medical examiners, we'll take all cases where there is a concern that the case may be accidental, suicidal, or homicidal in nature. And of those cases, a subset will get full autopsy examinations, and another subset will get external examinations. The determination as to what type of exam is done, and if we accept the case under our jurisdiction is made in collaboration between us and whoever is reporting to the case to our office, which may be law enforcement or may be a medical professional. [00:04:32] Speaker 3: And through your training, have you been taught how to properly perform an autopsy? I have, yes. And could you please explain to the jury how a full autopsy is performed? [00:04:41] Dr. Lauren Scott: When the decedent first arrives at our office, they are given a unique identifier number. That number will appear on all pieces of evidence, reports, and photographs taken in conjunction with the case. We begin by doing an external examination of the body, noting any clothing and personal effects that are on the body when the body was received at our office. Also, any evidence of medical intervention. We remove all the clothing, evidence of medical intervention, and proceed to an external examination of the body. We document identifying characteristics, such as length and weight, hair color, eye color. We then examine the external body surfaces for any evidence of injury. As we are going along, we document our findings through dictated notes and through photographs. Once we complete our external examination of the body, we proceed to an internal examination, making incisions into the chest and the abdominal cavity, as well as the head. Viewing the organs as they sit within the body cavities, we then remove all of the major organs from the body cavities, as well as removing the brain. We do further dissection of those organs, looking for any evidence of natural disease and any evidence of injury. In some cases, we will take small sections to look at under the microscope, again, looking for any further evidence of natural disease or injury. And we will also take samples for toxicology testing. In some cases, we will only test for alcohols. In some cases, we will test for alcohols and drugs. Once all of our ancillary tests, the microscopic slides, and the toxicology testing are complete, we then compile a final written autopsy report documenting all of our major findings and our opinion as to the cause and manner of death. [00:06:29] Speaker 3: Through your employment, did you perform an autopsy on a Danielle hedge cut? [00:06:34] Dr. Lauren Scott: I did, yes. [00:06:35] Speaker 3: When was that autopsy performed? [00:06:37] Dr. Lauren Scott: On September 8th of 2012. [00:06:40] Speaker 3: And where was that autopsy performed? [00:06:42] Dr. Lauren Scott: It was performed at our office in Chapel Hill. We were still at our old office then at the University of North Carolina campus. [00:06:49] Speaker 3: Are the procedures that you just described as being the proper ones to perform an autopsy, are those the same procedures you followed for the autopsy of Faith? They are, yes. And as, I guess, an initial forecast and summary, could you explain to the jury what injuries were noted on Faith's head and body? [00:07:08] Dr. Lauren Scott: Very briefly, because we will go into more details later. She had multiple lacerations on her scalp and on her forehead and on her face. Lacerations are blunt force injuries, so injuries made by an object without a sharp cutting edge. When such an object hits the skin surface with enough force, it causes the skin surface to split open, forming a laceration. She also had bruising on portions of her face, as well as some bruising on the back of her right arm, and a few bruises and abrasions or scrapes on her knees. Internally, she had bleeding both surrounding the brain and of the brain itself. [00:07:52] Speaker 3: During the autopsy, were photos taken of Faith in her injuries? [00:07:55] Dr. Lauren Scott: They were, yes. [00:07:56] Speaker 3: And would the photos that were taken at the time of the autopsy assist you in explaining the injuries that Faith sustained? They would, yes. Your Honor, at this time, may I approach, may I approach? Yes, ma'am. And as expected, there will be photographs of Faith's deceased body, so I would ask that the media not be broadcasting these pictures. [00:08:15] Speaker 2: All right. And, Madam D.A., will you let us know when that is complete? [00:08:20] Speaker 3: Yes. They're all going to be. Okay. [00:08:22] Speaker 2: All right. Ladies and gentlemen, actually, members of the media, I'm going to remind you, respect this time, any exhibit that the state of North Carolina is going to place on the big screen and the smaller screens. I'm going to remind you not to broadcast that. These are autopsy photos, and per the court's previous ruling, pretrial motion ruling, that should not be exhibited or broadcast to the community. All right. Thank you. [00:08:59] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, I'm going to go through these one by one, just so that you can identify them. I'm now showing you what's been marked with states exhibit 68. Do you recognize what that's a photograph of? [00:09:13] Dr. Lauren Scott: Yes. States exhibit 68 is a photograph taken of the body of Ms. Hedgpeth as she was received at our office. [00:09:21] Speaker 3: And then states exhibit 69? [00:09:23] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 69 is likewise a photograph of Ms. Hedgpeth as she appeared when she was received at our office. [00:09:30] Speaker 3: And states exhibit 69, that is the lower part of her body, is that correct? [00:09:33] Dr. Lauren Scott: Yes, that's correct. [00:09:34] Speaker 3: And 68 is the upper part of her body? [00:09:36] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct. [00:09:37] Speaker 3: And then states exhibit 70? [00:09:39] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 70 is a photograph of the external genitalia of Ms. Hedgpeth. [00:09:45] Speaker 3: And states exhibit 71? [00:09:47] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 71 is a close-up of the face of Ms. Hedgpeth, or our so-called identification photo. And each autopsy will take a close-up of the face for identification purposes. [00:10:00] Speaker 3: And it looks like there's a sticker or some piece of paper on her chest area. Could you tell the jury what that is? [00:10:05] Dr. Lauren Scott: In every photograph there will appear the unique autopsy number that we gave her to identify all pieces of pictures and evidence that we took in conjunction with the cases belonging to her. So the piece of paper that's on her chest has that unique autopsy identifier number that indicates that this is a picture associated with this particular case. [00:10:25] Speaker 3: And then states exhibit 72? [00:10:28] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 72 is a view of a laceration on the left side of Ms. Hedgpeth. Ms. Hedgpeth's scalp. [00:10:36] Speaker 3: And states exhibit 73? [00:10:39] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 73 shows lacerations on the central and right forehead of Ms. Hedgpeth. [00:10:46] Speaker 3: States exhibit 74? [00:10:48] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 74 shows a laceration on the right top of Ms. Hedgpeth's scalp. [00:10:54] Speaker 3: States exhibit 75? [00:10:56] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 75 shows a laceration on the back right of Ms. Hedgpeth's scalp. [00:11:03] Speaker 3: States exhibit 76? [00:11:07] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 76 shows bruising around Ms. Hedgpeth's right ear and right eye. [00:11:14] Speaker 3: States exhibit 77? [00:11:16] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 77 shows bruising on the back of Ms. Hedgpeth's right arm. [00:11:22] Speaker 3: States exhibit 78? [00:11:25] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 78 shows bruising on the back of Ms. Hedgpeth's right hand. [00:11:29] Speaker 3: States exhibit 79? [00:11:32] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 79 shows bruising on Ms. Hedgpeth's right fingers. [00:11:37] Speaker 3: States exhibit 80? [00:11:40] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 80 is a photograph of the right knee of Ms. Hedgpeth showing bruising. States exhibit 81? States exhibit 81 is a view of the left knee and left lower leg of Ms. Hedgpeth showing bruising and abrasions. [00:11:57] Speaker 3: States exhibit 82? [00:11:59] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 82 shows skull fractures that were present on the right side of Ms. Hedgpeth's head. [00:12:06] Speaker 3: States exhibit 83? [00:12:08] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 83 shows skull fractures that were present on the bottom portion of Ms. Hedgpeth's skull. [00:12:17] Speaker 3: And States exhibit 84? [00:12:18] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 84 shows a chipped left front tooth of Ms. Hedgpeth. [00:12:23] Speaker 3: And all of these photos from States exhibit 68 to 84, do those accurately reflect the condition that Ms. Hedgpeth came to you when you performed the autopsy? They do, yes. And would they help you in illustrating your testimony to the jury? [00:12:39] Dr. Lauren Scott: They would, yes. [00:12:40] Speaker 3: Yeah, at this time the state would ask to introduce States exhibit 68 to 84 and to publish them to the jury. [00:12:48] Speaker 2: All right, any objection to the introduction to States exhibit 68, 69, 70, 71, 72, 73, 74, 75, 76, 77, 78, 79, 80, 81, 82, 83, and 84 into evidence, Mr. Ransford? Mr. Your Honor. All right, States exhibit 68 through 84 shall be accepted into evidence. And any objection to the publication of States 68 through 74? Mr. Your Honor. All right, allowed. Ladies and gentlemen, two things you've noticed. When I, when we have numerous exhibits, I read every number, so it's on the record. Then I'm going to remind you once again respectfully, with any exhibit, please examine it carefully, individually, and without comment. Madam Diag, are you going to publish these exhibits on all screens? Yes, sir. All right, you may proceed. [00:13:57] Speaker 3: Thank you, Your Honor. [00:14:02] Speaker 2: Do you want the lights off? [00:14:03] Speaker 3: I think maybe that might be helpful for the one. [00:14:06] Speaker 2: Thank you, Madam. And thank you, Sherry. [00:14:21] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, you have a couple of ways of looking at this. There's the big screen over there. There's also this TV right behind you. If you could describe in the, obviously the picture right in front of you, States, what's showing now on the screen is States exhibit 68. Can you please describe what you see in this photograph? [00:14:46] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 68 shows the upper half of Ms. Hedgepeth's body as she was received at our office. This would be before we removed any clothing or personal effects, essentially as she appeared before we did any manipulation of the body. And you'll note the number on her stomach, which is B12-2820, and that is the unique autopsy identifier number that you will see in all pictures associated with her case. [00:15:14] Speaker 3: And you indicated that this was the clothing that she was presented to you in, so there was no clothing on her bottom. [00:15:20] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct, yes. [00:15:21] Speaker 3: And could you describe, her hands are covered up. Can you tell what that is? [00:15:25] Dr. Lauren Scott: There are paper bags taped over her hands to preserve any trace evidence on the hands. [00:15:30] Speaker 3: Thank you. And turning to States exhibit 69, could you explain to the jury what this is? [00:15:39] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 69 is a view of the lower half of Ms. Hedgepeth's body. Again, as she presented to our office before we did removal of any items that were on her body. [00:15:50] Speaker 3: And it looks like likewise there are paper bags on her feet as well? [00:15:53] Dr. Lauren Scott: And that's correct, yes. [00:15:54] Speaker 3: Is that for the same purposes of preserving trace evidence? [00:15:57] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct, yes. [00:15:58] Speaker 3: And turning to States exhibit 70. I apologize, 71. Can you explain to the jury what this is? [00:16:13] Dr. Lauren Scott: States exhibit 71 is a view of Ms. Hedgepeth's face. In all cases, we will take a close-up of the decedent's face for identification purposes. In this particular photograph, you can also see some of the injuries that were present on her head. She had bruising over both eyes. She had a laceration on her central forehead. Laceration again being an injury where some object without a sharp cutting edge strikes the skin surface with enough force that the skin surface will split open or lacerate. And she has an additional laceration on her right forehead. [00:16:53] Speaker 3: The bruising that's noted on Fate's eyes, can you describe where that bruising came from? [00:17:00] Dr. Lauren Scott: There are two possibilities for where it may have come from. The most likely possibility is that she had fractures of her skull. When there are fractures of the skull, there will be bleeding inside the head. That through the effects of gravity falls into the spaces surrounding the eyes and causes the eyes to appear bruised. The other possibility is that there were direct impacts to the eyes, such as blunt force trauma, an object without a sharp cutting edge striking the eyes that caused the bruising. Most likely though, it was secondary to the fractures of her skull and blood dripping through the effects of gravity into these soft tissues around her eyes. [00:17:38] Speaker 3: Okay, we can go to the next picture. All right, I believe this is State's Exhibit 73. Can you explain to the jury what this is? [00:17:52] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 73 is a close-up of Ms. Hedgepeth's forehead above the autopsy label with the identifier number is a laceration of her central forehead. You can see additional lacerations of her right forehead and her left scalp just within the hairline. [00:18:16] Speaker 3: Has anything been done with the hairline that you can tell in these photographs? [00:18:21] Dr. Lauren Scott: Yes, we have shaved some of her scalp hair away from the lacerations on her left and right forehead so that we can better see those injuries. [00:18:32] Speaker 4: Going forward. [00:18:47] Speaker 3: And this is State's Exhibit 72. Can you explain to the jury what you see in this photograph? [00:18:53] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 72 is a view of the left side of Ms. Hedgepeth's face and scalp focusing on a laceration on her left scalp. This is just within the hairline. Again, at this point, the hair around the injury has been shaved so that we can see this injury better. [00:19:14] Speaker 3: Going forward to the next photograph. This is State's Exhibit 76. And if you could explain to the jury what this is. [00:19:25] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 76 is a view of the right side of Ms. Hedgepeth's face. In this photograph, you can see bruising surrounding her right ear and extending to her right eye. As with the bruising that was around her eyes, the most likely source of this bruising or pooling of blood is because of skull fractures that cause bleeding and the blood would drip due to the effects of gravity into these soft spaces of the face, creating the appearance of bruising. [00:20:01] Speaker ?: All right. [00:20:02] Speaker 3: And this is State's Exhibit 74. Can you explain to the jury what this is? [00:20:06] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 74 is a view of the right top of Ms. Hedgepeth's head. The back of her head would be towards the left of the photograph. Her forehead is towards the right of the photograph. To the left of the autopsy label with the autopsy identifier number is a laceration on the right top of Ms. Hedgepeth's scale. [00:20:30] Speaker 3: And again, this is showing after the hair has been shaved, is that correct? [00:20:34] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct, yes. [00:20:35] Speaker 3: Thank you. And this is State's Exhibit 75. Could you explain to the jury what this is? [00:20:48] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 75 is a view of the right back portion of Ms. Hedgepeth's scalp. Her back of her head would be towards the left of the photograph. Her right ear is up towards the top of the photograph. And her face would be towards the right of the photograph. The photograph centers on a laceration on the right back of Ms. Hedgepeth's scalp. [00:21:25] Speaker 3: Moving ahead to State's Exhibit 84. Can you tell the jury what this is? [00:21:30] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 84 is a view of the upper teeth of Ms. Hedgepeth. The left front mid to third view left medial incisor is chipped. [00:21:48] Speaker 3: And this is State's Exhibit 77. Explain to the jury what this is, please. [00:21:53] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 77 is a photograph of the back of Ms. Hedgepeth's right arm. Her shoulder is up towards the top left of the photograph. Her elbow towards the mid-right of the photograph. Above the autopsy label with the identifier number are several contusions or bruises. [00:22:19] Speaker 3: This is State's Exhibit 78. You can explain to the jury what this is, please. [00:22:24] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 78 is a view of the back of Ms. Hedgepeth's right hand, showing a bruise on the back of her right hand just above and slightly towards the bottom side of the autopsy label. [00:22:44] Speaker 3: State's Exhibit 79. State's Exhibit 79, could you please explain to the jury what's in this photograph? [00:22:48] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 79 shows the right hand of Ms. Hedgepeth, showing the bruising that is on her index and middle fingers over the knuckles just above the autopsy label. [00:23:04] Speaker 3: State's Exhibit 80, could you explain to the jury what this is? [00:23:11] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 80 is a photograph of the right knee of Ms. Hedgepeth. Hedgepeth, her thigh would be towards the left of the photograph, lower leg towards the right of the photograph, knee in the center. On the knee are several contusions or bruises. [00:23:34] Speaker 3: State's Exhibit 81, could you explain to the jury what this is? [00:23:38] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 81 is a view of the left leg of Ms. Hedgepeth. Her knee is where the autopsy label is. Her thigh would be towards the right of the photograph, lower leg towards the left of the photograph. There is one bruise on the central portion of the lower leg. And there is a bruise on the left knee, as well as a healing abrasion or scrape on the left knee. [00:24:08] Speaker 3: State's Exhibit 70, could you explain to the jury what this is? [00:24:16] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 70 is a view of the external genitalia of Ms. Hedgepeth. Her stomach would be towards the top of the photograph, her buttocks towards the bottom. There were no injuries of her external genitalia or of her internal genitalia. There was blood extruding from her vaginal cavity. [00:24:37] Speaker 3: And but you said that there was no injuries apparent in that area. Were you able to make any determinations as to where that blood was coming from? [00:24:46] Dr. Lauren Scott: So in the absence of injuries, the blood is most likely coming from menstruation or her having her period. [00:24:57] Speaker 3: State's Exhibit 82, could you explain to the jury what this is, please? [00:25:01] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 82 shows the skull of Ms. Hedgepeth. Her forehead would be towards the front of the photograph. The back of her head would be towards the left of the photograph. You can see her right ear towards the bottom portion of the photograph, just underneath the autopsy label. In this view, we have removed the scalp to view the outer surface of Ms. Hedgepeth's skull and assess it for injuries. And there was a very large area of fracturing involving nearly the entire right side of her skull. [00:25:39] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, could I ask you to stand up with your honor's permission and point out on here, on the TV, where the area of fracture was? [00:25:48] Speaker 2: Allow them to just keep your voice up. [00:25:55] Dr. Lauren Scott: Again, pointing out this is where her right ear is. This would be the front part of her forehead, the back part of her head. So this is a view of the right side of her skull. The large area of fracturing extends where I am currently encircling with my finger. [00:26:14] Speaker 4: Thank you. [00:26:21] Speaker 3: And finally, State's Exhibit 83. Could you explain to the jury what this is? [00:26:26] Dr. Lauren Scott: State's Exhibit 83 is a view of the bottom portion of Ms. Hedgepeth's skull. This is after the brain has been removed. So it's the part of the skull that sits underneath the brain. Her forehead and eyes are towards the top of the photograph, and the back of her head towards the back of the photograph. The large hole that is above the autopsy label is where the spinal cord comes through to meet up with the brain. There are, again, fractures in this photograph, predominantly of the top portion of the skull that would be immediately underneath where the eyes of Ms. Hedgepeth are. [00:27:05] Speaker 3: And again, if I could ask the witness to stand up and point out the area of fracture where you were talking about the eyes. Hello. Thank you. [00:27:14] Dr. Lauren Scott: This would be the back of her head. This would be where her forehead is. Her eyes would be directly through here. This area in here where you see an absence of skull is where there is all fracturing. So there isn't any bone here because that bone is all fractured and cracked. And the soft tissue surrounding her eyes is exposed as it should not be. There is additional fracturing extending off onto the left side of her skull. And you can also see a view of the fracturing on the right side of her skull that we saw before in that previous photograph where we were looking at the top part of her skull. Thank you, Dr. Scott. [00:28:06] Speaker 2: Madam DA, for purposes of the record, will there be any more photos? [00:28:10] Speaker 3: There should not be for the signal. [00:28:12] Speaker 2: So at this time, the media may continue their broadcasting? Yes. All right. At this time, you may continue. Thank you. [00:28:20] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, were fingerprints taken at the autopsy? [00:28:27] Dr. Lauren Scott: Let me refresh my memory. There were no fingerprints taken at the time of autopsy. [00:28:38] Speaker 3: Do you know why not? [00:28:41] Dr. Lauren Scott: They were not requested of our office to be taken. Typically, they are done by the law enforcement agency and not by our office. [00:28:50] Speaker ?: They are done by the law enforcement agency. [00:28:56] Speaker 2: Counselor, approach. I'm going to go ahead and give the jury a break. We're going to take our 15-minute break now. Once again, please, do not express an opinion. Do not form an opinion. I've watched you throughout this entire trial. You've been engaged, alert, attentive. And I think it's necessary respectfully to give you this break at this time. Everyone else, remain seated. Other than law enforcement, while the jury leaves the courtroom, we'll leave your exhibits, notepads, and tents in your chairs. Let the record reflect. The jury has left the courtroom. The court, sua sponte, or on its own, in observing the jury, noticed that several jurors, at least three or four, were crying at the end of the presentation of the exhibits. Let the record further reflect that prior to the exhibits being shown, those exhibits being 68 through 84, the court did remind the jurors that they should look at the exhibits individually carefully and without comment. No juror made a comment or anything of that nature. However, the court deemed it appropriate to give the jury, as a whole, a break as counsel to approach the bench. And counsel was in agreement with that. Any concerns, Madame Diaz, with what I've said? [00:31:13] Speaker 3: No, Your Honor, thank you. [00:31:14] Speaker 2: Mr. Rainsford. [00:31:15] Speaker 3: No, Your Honor. [00:31:15] Speaker 2: All right, so we will take our break. We'll come back at 3:45. Sheriff, we're getting until 3:45, and Doctor, you can step up. Of course, sir. All right. Thank you, Sheriff, and thank you, Madame Fort. Let the record reflect the jury is back in the courtroom. Madame Diaz, you may continue with your examination. [00:31:32] Speaker 3: Thank you, Your Honor. Yes, ma'am. Dr. Scott, were there any scrapings done of Faith's fingernails? [00:31:41] Dr. Lauren Scott: There were not scrapings done. There were swabbings done underneath her fingernails. [00:31:46] Speaker 3: Okay, and can you explain to the jury what that is? [00:31:50] Dr. Lauren Scott: Essentially, a Q-tip is taken and run under the fingernails after dipping the Q-tip in a little bit of saline to pick up any trace evidence that might have been underneath Ms. Hedgepeth's fingernails. [00:32:01] Speaker 3: And what happened to those swabbings? [00:32:03] Dr. Lauren Scott: They were sealed in an envelope, which I secured with evidence, taped, signed over the seal, and gave to Officer Britt of the Chapel Hill Police Department. [00:32:14] Speaker 3: And without publishing the photo again, can I turn your attention back to State's Exhibit 68? I believe it was the first photo. Do you have those up there with you? [00:32:23] Dr. Lauren Scott: I do not, but I think I remember the first one. [00:32:29] Speaker 3: Do you have the photos? [00:32:31] Speaker 4: May I retrieve those? [00:32:32] Speaker 2: Yes, ma'am. [00:32:33] Speaker 4: May I retrieve those? [00:32:39] Speaker ?: Yes, ma'am. [00:32:39] Speaker 3: In that photo, on Faith's left forearm, it appears that there, you can see a little bit, but it appears that there's a amount of blood on her left forearm. Was there a corresponding injury to that forearm? [00:33:07] Dr. Lauren Scott: There was no injury of the left forearm. [00:33:12] Speaker 3: Based upon your training and experience as a forensic pathologist, what, if anything, could you tell about the weapon that was used to inflict the injuries upon Faith? [00:33:26] Dr. Lauren Scott: The injuries were blunt force injuries. The injuries were blunt force injuries, meaning they were made with some instrument that did not have a sharp or cutting edge. This obviously encompasses a lot of different types of things. I cannot be more specific. More specific, there is no scientific way to say any more than it was a blunt instrument without a sharp cutting edge. [00:33:45] Speaker 3: Would it be at least consistent with a thick glass bottle? [00:33:49] Dr. Lauren Scott: That would be one type of instrument that would be consistent with that, yes. [00:33:55] Speaker 3: Are you able to pinpoint a time of death? [00:33:57] Dr. Lauren Scott: Again, there is no scientific way to determine an exact time of death. Unfortunately, all the television shows make it seem like we can do that, but in real life, there is no scientific way to determine that. [00:34:09] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, during autopsies, are sexual assault examinations performed? [00:34:14] Dr. Lauren Scott: Sexual assault examinations are performed. The examination is performed in every autopsy. The sexual assault kit is taken when indicated by a law enforcement request or by observations we make during the autopsy. [00:34:29] Speaker 3: And was it requested in Faith's case? [00:34:31] Dr. Lauren Scott: It was, yes. [00:34:33] Speaker 3: And through your training and experience as a forensic pathologist, have you been trained in how to properly perform a post-training? A post-mortem sexual assault examination? [00:34:41] Dr. Lauren Scott: I have, yes. [00:34:42] Speaker 3: And could you tell the jury what happens during a post-mortem sexual assault examination? [00:34:49] Dr. Lauren Scott: First, the external genitalia are examined for any evidence of injury. We then take swabs of the oral cavity, of the vaginal cavity, as well as some of the external genitalia surrounding the vaginal cavity, swabs of the anus, as well as some of the skin surrounding the anus. We take a sample of scalp hair and a sample of pulled pubic hair, if there is any pubic hair present. We then do an examination with a speculum, similar to what you would get in an OBGYN office, to see the internal linings of the vaginal wall and make sure there are no internal injuries. [00:35:30] Speaker 3: And was a sexual assault examination performed on Faith's body? [00:35:33] Dr. Lauren Scott: It was, yes. [00:35:34] Speaker 3: And are the procedures you just described for performing a post-mortem sexual examination, sexual assault examination, the same ones that were performed on Faith? They were, yes. So, what if any findings did you make based upon the sexual assault examination of Faith's body? [00:35:50] Dr. Lauren Scott: There were no injuries observed to Ms. Hedgepeth's external genitalia or the internal linings of her vaginal wall or cervix. [00:35:59] Speaker 3: Could you explain to the jury what type of instruments you used in order to observe any kind of injuries that might have been there? [00:36:06] Dr. Lauren Scott: There is a speculum similar to one that would be used during a gynecologic exam on a living person that we use for examining the internal structures of the vaginal wall and the cervix. [00:36:20] Speaker 3: Um, are you familiar, I may be mispronouncing this, but with something called Toliodine Blue dye? [00:36:26] Dr. Lauren Scott: I have heard of it, but we do not generally do that for post-mortem examinations. Okay. [00:36:31] Speaker 3: Um, what about a camera with any kind of magnification? Is that used on a post-mortem sexual assault examination? [00:36:39] Dr. Lauren Scott: We also do not generally use that for post-mortem examinations. [00:36:42] Speaker 3: Um, are injuries and trauma always found after a known sexual assault? [00:36:48] Dr. Lauren Scott: They are not, no. [00:36:49] Speaker 3: Why not? [00:36:51] Dr. Lauren Scott: That particular area of the body has a lot of elasticity to it. It is made to withstand high forces like the force you have when you're birthing a child and hopefully have minimal damage. So there can be a lot of force that is applied to that area and a lot of stress in that area without a lot of damage because that's the way that area of the body is made due to its elasticity. [00:37:15] Speaker 3: So even in situations where there is a known sexual assault to have occurred, there are times when there is no injury. That's correct, yes. Were swabs, swabbing taken from FATE's genitalia? [00:37:28] Dr. Lauren Scott: They were, yes. Where? As mentioned, there was a swab of the vaginal cavity and that same swab would have been used to take swabbing of the area surrounding the vaginal cavity. So her labia and the skin around the vaginal opening. [00:37:44] Speaker 3: And how far internally are the vaginal swabbing taken? [00:37:49] Dr. Lauren Scott: The Q-tip that we use for the vaginal swabbing, we insert it all the way up to, we hit the cervix, so the entire length of the vaginal cavity. [00:37:58] Speaker 3: And are anal swabbing done as well? [00:38:00] Dr. Lauren Scott: They are, yes. And internally, how far are those anal swabbing done? About the length of the Q-tip we use, which is several inches. [00:38:11] Speaker 3: And were her genitals cleaned before the swabbing were taken? [00:38:15] Dr. Lauren Scott: They were not, no. And what did you do with those swabbing? They were packaged in envelopes. Evidence tape was placed over the opening of the envelopes. I signed over the evidence tape and then handed those to Officer Britt of the Chapel Hill Police Department. [00:38:33] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, on State's Exhibit 70, which was the photograph of State's genitalia, there was blood around the external of her genitalia. Which you indicate, you talked about the sun when the photograph was presented. But was there anything internally that you could tell that gave you indications that Faith was on her period? [00:38:56] Dr. Lauren Scott: The lining of her uterus did appear to be actively sloughing, which is what happens when somebody is menstruating or having their period. [00:39:06] Speaker 4: May I approach her? Yes ma'am. [00:39:15] Speaker 3: Dr. Scott, I'm now showing you what's been marked at State's Exhibit 85. Could you please take a look at that and tell me if you can identify it? [00:39:45] Dr. Lauren Scott: Yes. State's Exhibit 85 is the autopsy report that I compiled for Ms. Hedgepeth. [00:39:53] Speaker 3: And so, this is your findings in your actual report that you completed after you completed the autopsy? [00:39:59] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct. [00:40:00] Speaker 3: Has anything been changed, altered, or deleted in it? [00:40:02] Dr. Lauren Scott: It has not, no. [00:40:03] Speaker 3: Your Honor, the state would ask to introduce State's Exhibit 85. [00:40:07] Speaker 2: All right. Any objection? [00:40:08] Speaker 3: Yes, Your Honor. [00:40:09] Speaker 2: You said there is an objection? Yes, Your Honor. Do you need to be heard outside the presence of the jury? I do. Ladies and gentlemen, I am going to have to step into the jury room. Once again, please do not express your defending nor form an independent. I'll bring you back momentarily. If everyone else you may be seated, other than law enforcement, while the jury leaves the courtroom, if you'll leave your pens, pads, and any exhibits you can get in your chair. Thank you. All right, let the rec reflect. The jury has left the courtroom. Yes, sir, Mr. Rinsfield. [00:41:01] Speaker 5: Thank you, Your Honor. On the, I can't remember state's number, the current exhibit, the autopsy exam. [00:41:12] Speaker 2: 85. [00:41:14] Speaker 5: On 85, the fifth page, under the Summary and Interpretation. [00:41:21] Speaker 2: Yes, I have that. [00:41:22] Speaker 5: Okay. The second sentence at the top reads, "She was last seen alive sleeping in the apartment by her roommate at 4:00 a.m." I object to that coming in. There's not been testimony that she'd be seen sleeping in the apartment at 4:00 a.m. This witness would not have knowledge of that. That's your objection to the report. [00:41:44] Speaker 2: Is that correct? [00:41:45] Speaker 5: Correct. All right. And I don't know if there's any, I don't know. [00:41:49] Speaker 2: Yeah, I'm going to hear from the state. I just wanted to make sure, if you wanted to add anything else. [00:41:53] Speaker 5: Well, I would like to hear. [00:41:54] Speaker 2: Sure. State's position, Your Honor. [00:41:56] Speaker 5: Yes, ma'am. [00:41:56] Speaker 3: Your Honor, I think that this is a full and accurate report of the information that Dr. Scott had at the time that she made the autopsy. If defense counsel wants to question her about where she got that information from, I think that that's appropriate. But she has testified that this was based on the information that she had, the autopsy that she performed. And I think that it's appropriate information to come in in total. The state is not even anticipating publishing this to the jury, not planning on publishing it. But I think that this is an accurate report that Dr. Scott Capato. [00:42:31] Speaker 5: All right. Yes, sir. If the state wanted to redact that information, I wouldn't have an objection to the opinion coming into evidence. But while the state says they don't anticipate publishing it to the jury, that's not a guarantee. And even if it wasn't going to be published, I don't want this coming into evidence with a statement in it that's not supported by the evidence that there's been no testimony that Ms. Hedge Feth was seen alive, sleeping in the apartment by a roommate at Gora Inn. In fact, the testimony of Ms. Rosario was quite contrary. All right. [00:43:05] Speaker 2: Do you want to take home more here in reference to this issue alone about where she retrieved this information or gathered this information? Yes, sir. [00:43:13] Speaker 5: That's all. Good afternoon, Dr. Scott. Good afternoon. Do you still have states 85? I do, yes. Okay. So in the summary and interpretation, you've heard us just now discussing in sentence that you wrote, she was last seen alive sleeping in the apartment by her roommate at 4:00 a.m. You don't have independent knowledge of that, correct? [00:43:36] Dr. Lauren Scott: I do not, no. [00:43:37] Speaker 5: You never spoke to Ms. Rosario. Corrina Rosario in this case, correct? [00:43:42] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct. [00:43:42] Speaker 5: Okay. Any other information where you have gotten, you know, directly somebody telling you Ms. Hedge Feth was seen alive, sleeping in her apartment, or was this just sort of based on maybe what you were hearing at the time from somewhere else? [00:43:59] Dr. Lauren Scott: That was based on initial information that was given to our office when the case was called in by law enforcement. The information does go through several parties from law enforcement to whoever at our office is taking the call. So the initial information that we received certainly can be inaccurate. Okay. [00:44:18] Speaker 5: And is it fair to say that as you sit here today, you don't know if that one sentence in your report is an accurate statement? [00:44:25] Dr. Lauren Scott: I do not know. Okay. [00:44:26] Speaker 5: Thank you. [00:44:27] Speaker 2: Madam, do you have any questions on the board here? [00:44:30] Speaker 3: Just briefly, is it important in your reports generally to indicate when the last time somebody was known alive? [00:44:40] Dr. Lauren Scott: We generally will indicate on that based on information that we were given when they were last known alive. [00:44:46] Speaker 3: And though you don't have any independent information of this, I guess you never have independent information based on when somebody was last alive, because you would have to have been there, correct? That's correct. Okay. And so this was in your report based on the information that you had at the time. Is that right? That's correct. That's all I got. [00:45:04] Speaker 2: Any questions based on that, Mr. Ransford, for the witness? Mr. Ransford, for the witness. The argument? [00:45:12] Speaker 5: Your Honor, I think the witness was clear, and I appreciate her candor on this, that information goes through a number of different people at the time it gets to her. This is not information that she independently had. It's not information that she directly got from someone else that she could corroborate. I don't think the witness is taking the position that this is part of a medical diagnosis that she would know the last time Ms. Hedgepath was seen alive. I believe the testimony in front of the jury that has not been offered to the witness by the state. They were in a room at about three o'clock in the morning, and that's the last time Ms. Rosario had any interaction with Ms. Hedgepeth. If this stays in this report, it makes it seem as though there was additional information that puts Ms. Hedgepeth alive at 4 a.m., which is not the evidence in this case. So I object to it coming out into the federal constitution, the North Carolina constitution. I think it would be a due process violation of my client's rights to have this report come into evidence with that sentence. Again, I don't object to that being redacted in the rest of the report. [00:46:25] Speaker 3: So that's my position. Madam Dave. Your Honor, I essentially said what I just said a minute ago. I think that this was based on the information that she had at the time. I think that the defense can certainly cross-examine her about this and whether this was accurate information or whether she has any knowledge about that herself. But this is part of her entire opinion and her documents that she, the information that she had at the time, it was consistent with the autopsy itself. And I think the appropriate thing to do is for Mr. Ransford to cross-examine this defense, this, sorry, this witness about this matter. [00:47:04] Speaker 2: All right. The court's going to indicate that Dr. Scott has been tenured as an expert in forensic pathology without objection. Further, the court is going to indicate that Dr. Scott has completed a substantial report entitled "Report of Autopsy Examination". Within that report there is a diagnosis and so forth, but it also talks about different parts of the extremities of the body as a whole. The court's going to deem the summary and interpretation as something that Dr. Scott can take into her medical training to make determinations as far as the report itself. She already told the jury that you cannot determine, I think she said, when a person dies. I think she indicated that was a TB kind of TB kind of thing. However, based on the entirety of the report and the totality of the circumstances, I do believe that Dr. Scott, having been tendered and accepted as an expert in forensic pathology, this is just something that she can take into account in her expert training to make this determination as far as this report. So, I'm going to indicate that I'll note your objection. However, I group the district attorney counsel is more than welcome to question Dr. Scott about where she received that information. She's already said during the voir dire that that information did not, that's not something that she came up with on her own. She may have heard that from other people involved in this investigation, which would go to her determination as to some of the things she took when she created this report. But I don't think it's unconscionable, as the district attorney has indicated, to have counsel cross-examiner on that. But I'm not going to exclude that sentence from the report. Therefore, the objection is noted for the record. However, overall, States Exhibit 85 will be accepted into evidence. [00:49:18] Speaker 5: I'd also like to add to my objection, Your Honor, respectfully, I think this also violates my clients' rights under the confrontation clause. I don't know the people from whom she's heard this information, and so I don't have the ability to confront them either under the federal constitutional guarantee of confrontation or its counterpart under the North Carolina Constitution and also under Rule 403. I think it's the probative value of this, which I don't concede at all, the prejudicial value couldn't be higher. This is an opinion from a doctor basically saying that Ms. Hedgepeth was alive at four o'clock in the morning. Thank you for letting me put that on the record. [00:50:01] Speaker 2: The objection is noted respectfully. Overruled, and as I said, States Exhibit 85 will be accepted into evidence in its entirety. Madam Dia, I will give you the opportunity to ask for the admission of States Exhibit 85 in front of the jury. Thank you. All right. Are you ready for me to bring the jury back in, Madam Dia? Yes, Your Honor. And Mr. Rainsford? Yes, Your Honor. All right, share if we can bring them to the right back. [00:50:54] Speaker ?: Thank you. [00:51:24] Speaker 2: All right, thank you, Sheriff, and thank you, Madam Clerk. Let the rec reflect the jury is back in the courtroom. Madam Dill, you may have to ask the question. [00:51:47] Speaker 3: Thank you, Your Honor. The State at this time would request to admit State Submit 85 into evidence. [00:51:52] Speaker 2: And once again, for the purpose of the record, any objection? [00:51:54] Speaker 5: Yes. For the purpose of the record, I would like to renew my objection to the entry of the report subject to the Federal Constitution's Guarantee of Due Process, its counterpart in the North Carolina Constitution, Federal Constitution's Guarantee of Confrontation of the Sixth Amendment, the North Carolina Constitution's counterpart. Also, Rule 403, the North Carolina Rules of Evidence. I think that does have been the basis of my objection. [00:52:23] Speaker 2: So noted. Respectfully, the objection is overruled. States Exhibit 85 shall be accepted into evidence. [00:52:30] Speaker 3: Thank you, Your Honor. Dr. Scott, based on the Autopsy of Fate, what was your opinion as to her cause of death? [00:52:37] Dr. Lauren Scott: Her cause of death was blunt force trauma of the head. [00:52:40] Speaker 3: And what is that opinion based upon? [00:52:42] Dr. Lauren Scott: It is based upon my autopsy findings and my training as a forensic pathologist. [00:52:48] Speaker 3: And what was the manner of death? [00:52:50] Dr. Lauren Scott: The manner of death was classified as homicide. [00:52:53] Speaker 3: The same as no further questions, Your Honor. [00:52:56] Speaker 2: All right. Thank you, Madam. Cross-examination? Yes, Your Honor. Yes, sir. [00:53:01] Speaker 5: Good afternoon, Dr. Scott. Good afternoon. Do you have your report in front of you? [00:53:08] Dr. Lauren Scott: I do, yes. [00:53:09] Speaker 5: What time did this examination begin, this Autopsy examination of Ms. Hedgewood? [00:53:15] Dr. Lauren Scott: It began at 9 o'clock in the morning. [00:53:18] Speaker 5: And that was on September the 8th? [00:53:20] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct, yes. [00:53:21] Speaker 5: And what time did Ms. Hedgewood's body arrive at the medical examiner's office, if you know? [00:53:27] Dr. Lauren Scott: I don't believe I have those particular records with me. I can look through. I do not have those particular records with me, so I do not know. [00:53:38] Speaker 5: And do you know how long Ms. Hedgewood's body was at the prior location at this apartment in Chapel Hill prior to being transported to your office? [00:53:51] Dr. Lauren Scott: I do not know, no. [00:53:53] Speaker 5: You were doing this examination. You talked about a couple of different things. And I really don't have that many questions for you. But a few things that I do want to talk about. On page two of your report, I think you noted that when you examined Ms. Hedgepeth's hands, that there was blood, but no apparent tissue underneath her fingernails, correct? That's correct, yes. And your fingernails, they were intact and they weren't damaged in any way, correct? [00:54:25] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct. [00:54:26] Speaker 5: And you said there was no gross trauma to the external genitalia? [00:54:31] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's also correct. [00:54:32] Speaker 5: For somebody who doesn't practice medicine, that's not just the vaginal area, but also the rectum, correct? That's correct. And the cervix, you did a vaginal speculum examination? Yes. And you weren't by yourself in the room, correct? That's correct. [00:54:52] Dr. Lauren Scott: There was an autopsy technician who was in the room, and since this was performed during my final year of training, there was also an attending pathologist or supervisor who was there. [00:55:04] Speaker 5: In this case, that was Dr. Radish, correct? Yes. And she was the chief medical examiner at the time? Yes. And Sergeant, well, Officer Johnny Britt from Chapel Hill Police Department, she was there too, correct? [00:55:16] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct, in a separate observation room. [00:55:19] Speaker 5: And as you were doing this examination, was Dr. Radish supervising all aspects of this to make sure that you were following protocol? [00:55:28] Dr. Lauren Scott: She would not have supervised 100% of the examination. She would have been available as needed for consultation and would have seen all the major aspects of the exam, such as the injuries and the sexual assault examination. [00:55:45] Speaker 5: And so both of you were, I guess she was there while you performed that part, the sexual assault? [00:55:51] Dr. Lauren Scott: I believe she was. It was some number of years ago, so I can't say for sure. But at this time of year in my training, I believe she would have been, yes. [00:56:00] Speaker 5: Thank you, Doctor. Going to page three of your report, I'm going to ask you a question about the respiratory system. Did you see that? Yes. Okay. We recently received some notes from the district attorney's office and it seems like they had contacted you to ask about how long injuries like this, how long it would have taken this hedge path to have died. The notes that we got was that you told the district attorney's office, it would have been towards, you know, a matter of seconds. Is that your opinion? Yes. [00:56:36] Dr. Lauren Scott: Likely seconds to minutes. [00:56:38] Speaker 5: Well, this says seconds. [00:56:40] Dr. Lauren Scott: It would be my opinion that it'd be seconds to minutes. Okay. [00:56:46] Speaker 5: And the lung weight, I see the right lung was 260 grams. That's correct. And the left lung was 210 grams. Yes. And that's kind of a lower lung weight for an autopsy. Wouldn't you agree? [00:56:59] Dr. Lauren Scott: Lower in general. She was, in general, not a very large person. So I'd anticipate her organ weights being a little bit smaller than normal. [00:57:08] Speaker 5: If someone died over a longer course of time, you'd expect to have a heavier lung weight though, correct? [00:57:15] Dr. Lauren Scott: Not necessarily. It depends on a lot of different factors. [00:57:19] Speaker 5: Okay. What are those? [00:57:21] Dr. Lauren Scott: If there is any decomposition that has occurred, the lungs are going to weight less. If there is any injury to the lungs, the lungs might weigh more because there's blood pooling in them and any number of other scenarios. Okay. [00:57:34] Speaker 5: So there's no decomposition in the lungs in this case, correct? That's correct. And there was no evidence that Ms. Hedgepeth had aspirated any blood into her lungs, correct? [00:57:48] Dr. Lauren Scott: That is also correct. [00:57:49] Speaker 5: And there were no injuries to Ms. Hedgepeth's neck at all, correct? [00:57:54] Dr. Lauren Scott: Yes. [00:57:55] Speaker 5: And going over to the fourth page of your report, you talked about doing the visual exam and then you did a speculum exam. You also did an interior exam of Ms. Hedgepeth's uterus, correct? Yes. And did you see any lacerations? [00:58:17] Dr. Lauren Scott: There were none, no. [00:58:18] Speaker 5: How about contusions? [00:58:19] Dr. Lauren Scott: There were no contusions, no. [00:58:21] Speaker 5: And same questions about Ms. Hedgepeth's uterus. Did you see any lacerations? [00:58:26] Dr. Lauren Scott: There were no lacerations. [00:58:28] Speaker 5: How about contusions? [00:58:29] Dr. Lauren Scott: No contusions. No contusions of the uterus. [00:58:31] Speaker 5: Okay. And the same question, I think, well, I think you've already answered this for the vaginal area. There were no lacerations? That's correct. [00:58:39] Dr. Lauren Scott: No lacerations or contusions of the vaginal area. [00:58:42] Speaker 5: And there was some testimony I heard that, you know, that's not always going to be something that you would see, but if you had seen anything, you'd put it in the report, correct? That's correct. You weren't rushing through this. I mean, you were taking your time to make sure you were performing thorough examination. [00:59:00] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct. [00:59:01] Speaker 5: And if there was additional testing, was there anything additional that you wanted to do testing-wise that you weren't able to? [00:59:10] Dr. Lauren Scott: No. [00:59:11] Speaker 5: When you did your external examination of the body, and I've read your report, there was no visualization of any dried seminal fluid, correct? [00:59:24] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct, yes. [00:59:25] Speaker 5: And when you did the speculum exam, you didn't visualize any seminal fluid, correct? That's correct. And when you did your visualization on the rectal exam, there was no seminal fluid, correct? [00:59:37] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct. [00:59:38] Speaker 5: And when you took the vaginal swabs, I think you said you took vaginal swabs and then you took rectal swabs, but that you hadn't cleaned Ms. Hedgepeth's body? That's correct. [00:59:56] Dr. Lauren Scott: We don't clean before the swabs, but we will not remove any trace evidence that's there. [01:00:01] Speaker 5: Okay, so just to be clear for the record, after you took the vaginal swabs, you didn't clean the perianal area up at all? [01:00:15] Dr. Lauren Scott: I cleaned after the swabs were taken. [01:00:18] Speaker 5: After all the swabs were taken? Yes. Okay. But not in between taking the vaginal swabs and the rectal swabs? No. [01:00:25] Speaker ?: I may have just a moment. [01:00:26] Speaker 5: Yes, sir. Okay. There's one question. [01:00:29] Speaker ?: Thank you, Dr. Scott. Redirect. Briefly, Your Honor. Sure. Dr. Scott, Mr. Francer just asked you about whether there were lacerations and contusions of the uterus. Is that right? Yes. [01:00:42] Speaker 4: To get to the uterus, you'd have to go into the vagina, pass the cervix into the uterus, correct? [01:00:46] Speaker 3: That's correct. [01:00:47] Speaker ?: That's correct. [01:00:47] Speaker 3: Okay. So would, even in a forcible violent rate, would there typically be lacerations or contusions of the uterus? There would not, no. And he also asked you about, there's no, you had no visualizations of dried seminal fluid. Um, dried seminal fluid would be trace evidence. Is that correct? That's correct. I have never, in my experience, seen seminal fluid in any way. In any way. [01:01:16] Dr. Lauren Scott: That's correct. [01:01:17] Speaker 3: I have never seen seminal fluid in any way. In any way. That's correct. Okay. Okay. So would, even in a forcible violent rate, would there typically be lacerations or contusions of the uterus? [01:01:26] Dr. Lauren Scott: There would not, no. And he also asked you about, there's no, you had no visualizations of dried seminal fluid. In any autopsy, even in ones where people reported to have sexual intercourse right before they died. [01:01:34] Speaker 3: I don't have any further questions. [01:01:36] Dr. Lauren Scott: You cross. [01:01:37] Speaker 5: You've never used a woods light to see if there was dried seminal fluid when you're performing an autopsy. [01:01:43] Dr. Lauren Scott: No, that is not something we typically do at our office. [01:01:46] Speaker 5: You're aware of what I'm discussing on it. [01:01:48] Dr. Lauren Scott: Yes. [01:01:49] Speaker 5: Okay. And that's a technique to use to see if you can visualize dried seminal fluid. You use a woods light. [01:01:54] Dr. Lauren Scott: That is typically done by crime scene analysts, not by forensic pathologists. Okay. Thank you. [01:02:00] Speaker ?: You're right. [01:02:01] Speaker 2: No, you're on. Thank you. [01:02:03] Speaker 3: Madam G.H. [01:02:04] Speaker 2: Dr. Scott, under subpoena. Yes, sir. [01:02:06] Speaker 3: Are you asking that she be released? [01:02:07] Speaker 2: Not yet. Thank you. Any objection, Mr. Orensworth? No, your honor. All right. Dr. Scott, you're released under subpoena. You're released in your skin. You are free to go. Thank you. [01:02:16] Speaker ?: Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.