The following are excerpts of the autopsy report done by Dr. Peter Leth, deputy chief forensic pathologist, on behalf of the human rights watchdog group, Amnesty International.
ABOUT THE MANNER OF DEATH
The MANNER OF DEATH in all seven cases is homicide
The CAUSE OF DEATH is in all seven cases gunshot wounds
SIX OF the seven deceased had received lethal gunshot wounds to the head and three of these had also received potentially lethal shots to the chest or abdomen.
One person had received lethal gun shot wounds in the chest and the abdomen. Four of the seven deceased were shot from behind and had also some shots that came from the anterior side.
Of the six deceased who received lethal shots towards the head, these came from behind in case Nos. 2, 4 and 5, No. 4 also having received some lethal shots from the front. No. 1 and 3 were hit by the lethal shots in the left side of the head, and No. 6 in the right side of the head. No. 7, who had no head wounds, was hit from behind. Two of the head shots in case No. 3 had the appearance of contact wounds. All the other shots were fired from a distance longer than the links of the barrel of the weapon.
It is highly unlikely this pattern of gunshot wounds on the deceased should have occurred by random shooting from outside the house through windows with closed aluminium persiennas.
The distribution of blood in the house also suggests the majority of killings took place in the largest of the two bedrooms, a room not easily reached by shots from the outside. Christopher Grant was probably shot in the living room. The blood spattering on the wall seems to indicate he was shot from inside the house.
The pattern of gun shot wounds is more consistent with the theory that the deceased were shot inside the house from a distance longer than the length of the barrel, with the exception of Andre Virgo, who was shot at close range.
Number of gun shot lesions
| Case No. | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 |
| Gun Shot | 6 | 7 | 4 | 6 | 5 | 1 | 9 |
Lesions
Gun Shot 4 1 4 3 2 1 0
Lesions to the head
About the forensic
examination
The investigation of the seven deceased was in many ways insufficient.
It could be seen on TV how the police officers handled the weapons allegedly found in the house without the use of gloves. This is not advisable if the weapons are to be tested for fingerprints.
The bodies were taken away from the scene of crime before their position in the house were registered and photographed. As they all had received obviously lethal shots there was no need to hurry them to the hospital for treatment and they could have been left at the scene to be viewed and the positions documented by crime scene technicians and pathologists.
The house was subsequently sealed with yellow police tape but was not put under guard. As a consequence of this, the relatives broke into the house, thereby disturbing vital evidence.
Human cranial fragments were found on the scene by relatives. These should have been secured by crime scene technicians, and presented at the autopsies.
Autopsies
The autopsies were performed by only one pathologist. Normal standard procedure in most countries is that the autopsies are performed by one pathologist and reviewed by another pathologist and that both pathologists sign the autopsy report.
All seven autopsies were performed in a period of time of only six hours. This short period of time does not allow sufficient time for a thorough investigation.
The findings were not documented by photos.
In none of the cases were samples for powder taken from the hands of the deceased to prove or disprove they had fired a gunshot. The bodies were not put in body bags, and hands and heads were not secured by paper bags. No samples were taken for microscopic investigation, thus no sections were taken from the assumed contact wounds.
No samples were taken for analyses for alcohol or drugs. The pathologist received almost no information about what had happened or about the conditions at the crime site - nor was he called to the crime site to view it himself. This is not in accordance with normal practice. The pathologist should have had the opportunity to view the crime site or at least see photographs and videotapes from the site.
The Department of Pathology at the Spanish Town Hospital seems to be directly under the Ministry of National Security and Justice. To secure an independent forensic examination, it is of vital importance the department of forensic medicine has an independent status.
I would like to emphasise the above mentioned is no criticism of Dr. Ere Seshajah, but rather of the conditions under which he had to work.
