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Simmons v. State4/28/2000
Simmons's apartment. Law enforcement officers seized a knife and several pieces of clothing. Additionally, law enforcement officers secured a sample of Simmons's blood. Larry Huys, a forensic scientist, testified that the DNA in a piece of human tissue found on a pair of pants seized from Simmons's apartment matched the DNA in M.A.'s blood sample.
Dr. Robert Brissie, Jefferson County's medical examiner, conducted the autopsy on M.A.'s body. According to Dr. Brissie, M.A.'s body had been cut by the offender from the upper part of the abdomen, down the front of the abdomen, down across the pubic bone, with several extensive slicing wounds between the legs, then upward on the back of M.A.'s buttocks, to the back. Additionally, M.A. had been stabbed at least 73 times; these stab wounds were approximately an inch and a half in depth and had marks indicating that the knife used to stab M.A. had a hilt. He testified that six of these incised wounds extended across the front of M.A.'s neck. Many of these wounds had been inflicted before M.A. died and, according to Dr. Brissie, were probably intimidation wounds and not fatal. Twenty-three of these wounds were concentrated in the chest area, at least five of these wounds did not penetrate the chest cavity and Dr. Brissie opined that some of these wounds were inflicted while M.A. was alive.
Dr. Brissie testified that M.A.'s hands had suffered very few injuries, indicating that she had engaged in minimal defensive movement. Dr. Brissie noted slight abrasions and bruising on M.A.'a face, especially around M.A.'s lips, indicating that "finger type manipulation" had been applied to her face. Dr. Brissie specifically noted with regard to an injury on M.A.'s left breast area, " ou can see a sort of model pattern contusions [in the left breast area]. This area of pattern injury I thought was a manipulation injury that is consistent with finger marks." (R. 661.)
Dr. Brissie testified that further additional concentrated notched and slicing wounds were located in the genitalia and anus areas. Dr. Brissie specifically noted,
"And, if you look at the front of the pubic bone area and the region of the genitalia, you can see that this looks like the skin in this area is sort of malpositioned. And, the reason for this is because there were numerous -- low type splicing extending down between the leg area and extending through the area of the vagina, and also extending into the anus, and up into part of the rectum." (R. 666.)
He opined that the "obvious frank contusion in some of these [genitalia] tissues, indicat that the heart was [beating] at the time this area between the legs sliced across, and you can also see extension of these slices into the area of the vagina." (R. 673.)
Dr. Brissie explained that because of the enormous amount of blood found at the scene, he believed that the majority of the stab wounds had been inflicted while M.A. was alive. He specifically noted that most of M.A.'s internal organs had been removed from her body. Her left lung was separated into two pieces; her spleen and liver had been cut; most of her large and small intestines were missing.
Dr. Brissie noted that M.A.'s body was smeared in blood, but that the bottom of her feet were clean. He opined that because her feet were not bloody and there was no evidence of blood dripping down the body, M.A. probably had been lying on the ground when she was stabbed, and she was unable to engage in any defensive maneuvering. After acknowledging that M.A. was alive throughout at least part of the assault, Dr. Brissie stated,
"Well, I think all of these wounds would be very very painful. I think the combination
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