No defensive wounds on slain three-year-old: pathologist

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This article was published 22/09/2021 (946 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Three-year-old Hunter Smith-Straight’s body showed no signs he was able to resist a knife attack that left him with six stab wounds to the head and neck, Manitoba’s chief medical examiner testified Thursday.

Hunter had no defensive wounds to his hands or arms, suggesting he was unable to move at the time he was attacked, Dr. John Younes told jurors in Winnipeg.

“Generally speaking, if there is an altercation and injuries are being sustained by one party due to repeated attacks, the injuries tend to be dispersed, due to a lot of movement,” Younes said.

“When a pathologist sees a number of injuries that are tightly clustered in a small area, the conclusion we come to is that the victim was not moving or not moving effectively at the time the injuries were sustained.”

Daniel Jensen, 34, is on trial, charged with first-degree murder in the Oct. 30, 2019, killing.

Hunter was attacked as he slept in the second-floor suite of a Pritchard Avenue duplex.

Prosecutors allege Jensen returned to the house after a violent argument with Hunter’s mother, with whom he was in a relationship at the time, and killed the boy in an act of vengeance.

Justice Herbert Rempel issued a rare caution to jurors prior to Younes’s testimony, reminding them to raise a hand if they needed a break from the graphic evidence, which included autopsy pictures.

“You may find the testimony of Dr. Younes and the photographs to be upsetting,” Rempel said. “The (Crown and defence) lawyers have agreed he will only comment on six photographs during his testimony, as they are necessary to assist you in understanding his opinion as to the cause of death.”

Court has heard several of Hunter’s older cousins lived in the main-floor suite and were home at the time, but did not hear the attack.

Younes said the boy could have been rendered unconscious by one of the knife strikes or possibly smothered.

“Generally, (smothering) leaves no evidence at autopsy if it is done gently, and it’s quite easy to do with a small child without a great deal of force,” Younes said.

Hunter was taken to hospital suffering massive blood loss and irreversible brain damage. He was taken off life support three days later and died.

“The child died due to a lack of oxygen delivered to the brain… which was caused by the loss of most of his blood,” Younes said.

Hunter suffered four intersecting stab wounds to his neck, one or more of which sliced his jugular vein.

“The jugular vein is the largest vein of the neck… having an opening of that vein is a life-threatening process,” Younes said.

Another stab wound penetrated Hunter’s ear, through his occipital bone and into his cranial cavity, Younes said.

“That would have taken a very powerful blow to accomplish, even with a very sharp knife.”

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca