Opinion ID: 1277356
Heading Depth: 4
Heading Rank: 4

Heading: The Victims' Injuries

Text: Dr. Claire McArthur, an emergency room physician employed by Riverside General Hospital, testified that in the early morning of March 25, 1986, she examined Amy, discovering a large bruise on Amy's upper back, abrasions about both knees, and a bruise to Amy's perineum (the area near the vagina and rectum). Dr. McArthur also found sandlike particles in Amy's vagina, a circumstance that Dr. McArthur testified would be highly unlikely in the absence of penetration. On cross-examination, Dr. McArthur acknowledged that she asked Amy whether she had been sodomized, and that Amy had responded in the negative. On redirect examination, Dr. McArthur testified that sexual assault victims Amy's age typically are very reluctant to discuss a sexual assault, and opined that Amy had been the victim of such an assault. Criminalist James Hall testified that Amy's slip bore a seminal fluid stain. Dr. Dewitt Hunter, a Riverside County pathologist, testified that on March 26, 1986, he performed an autopsy on Diane's body. The autopsy revealed that the cause of Diane's death was major trauma to her head that led to massive cerebral contusion and hemorrhage; her body also exhibited minor trauma in certain other locations, and exhibited evidence indicating that Diane had been sexually assaulted. With regard to the head injuries, Dr. Hunter testified that Diane had suffered several crush-type lacerations and a skull fracture, most likely caused by a rock or brick-like instrument. Diane's face also had numerous contusions and abrasions, consistent with her head having been pushed into the dirt. Her larynx contained foreign vegetable material (such as a leaf or twig) indicating that it had been inhaled shortly before death. The middle of her back revealed an extensive contusion. Diane's iliac crest (the front of the pelvic bone) showed abrasions consistent with someone having kneeled or sat on her back. Diane's knees, elbows, and buttocks also showed abrasions. There was a reddening of the vaginal area consistent with the application of force, and there were abrasions and ill-defined contusions on her inner and upper thighs consistent with an effort to force apart Diane's legs. Although no seminal fluid was discovered on Diane's body or clothing, a Vaselinelike substance was found around her vaginal area and inner thighs.