The medical examiner received a series of questions related to the review of the elements of the case, while rejecting the position of his colleague Christina Tsakonawho drew up the first forensic report, in which he spoke of liver failure.
“If there was liver failure, the first that the child would exhibit is jaundice in the eyes, which the child had not exhibited” said Mr. Karakoukis while, at the same time, ruling out that the little girl had any inflammation that played a decisive role in her death.
“A child with inflammation wouldn’t play just before death, wouldn’t have the appetite if anything. They had listened to the child and examined him, found nothing… The little girl did not have any pathological findings, nor toxicological ones” noted the witness and continued saying: “But we have the remaining findings – congestion, vacuolar degeneration, cyanosis and lesions. All these elements combined point only to death by suffocation».
Chairman: Are you ruling out a pathological cause?
Witness: Yes, as a matter of fact, because we have no pathological findings, nor toxicological ones.
The medical examiner was asked to comment on the marks on the child’s face, which are captured in photographs found in the case file. “The abrasions on Malena have been caused with bare nails. They are red, so it is a living reaction,” said the witness, who emphasized that suffocation death in small children leaves no findings, as they cannot react, so they do not suffer injuries.
“Where there is sail, we have no injuriesthe witness testified in response to a general related question posed by the court.
Chairman: Tell us about the imprint on the child’s cheek?
Witness: It is from pressure, it is born alive, it could come from a hand, from a palm.
In fact, Mr. Karakoukis ruled out that the marks on Malena’s face were made during CPR, when the doctors were “fighting” to keep her alive.
“The child was dead half an hour ago. What trauma to create? We had no blood circulation, the child’s heart had stopped, there was nothing…” said the medical examiner with the president noting that his colleague Mr. Tsadiris expressed the position that “even half an hour after death a wound can be created and blood can flow…”.
Witness: There is no such thing. What shall I now say to this argument? I gave you the book of Koutselinis who taught us letters.
Chairman: Could these marks be from the mask that went into the child during CPR?
Witness: No. The mask is made of silicone and is also wider. So even if we assume that he did cause injuries, they would not be in those places on the child’s face.
