'Anikow died from stab wound in the neck'

MANILA, Philippines - The chief medicolegal officer of the Southern Police District on Thursday maintained that United States Marine George Anikow died from a stab wound in the neck that he allegedly sustained during a brawl with four men near the Rockwell Center in Makati City on the early hours of Nov. 24.

Testifying at the continuation of the bail petition hearing of the accused at the sala of Makati Regional Trial Court Branch 59 Judge Winlove Dumayas, Dr. Voltaire Nulud said Anikow’s cause of death was a “lacerated left carotid artery.”

It was Nulud who autopsied Anikow’s body at the morgue of the Rizal Funeral Parlor in Pasay City where it was brought from the Makati Medical Center.

Nulud, under questioning from Assistant City Prosecutor Hannah Arriola, told the court that a person who had sustained such a wound, if immediately unattended, would result in death within 10 minutes.

“There would be severe blood loss and it will be followed by hemorrhagic shock as the brain will be deprived of blood,” said Nulud.

Nulud, however, could not explain when asked by defense lawyers, why an examination conducted by the Makati Medical Center where Anikow was rushed following the alleged brawl did not mention the supposed fatal neck wound.

“We requested for the clinical abstract but up to now, we have not received it,” he said.

Defense lawyer Teodoro Jumamil, representing accused Crispin dela Paz, then showed Nulud an anatomical sketch from the Makati Medical Center signed by a certain Dr. Anastacio that showed no injuries on Anikow’s neck.

“There is no injury on the neck,” Jumami said. Nulud told the court that it was his first time to have seen the sketch from the Makati Medical Center.

Jumamil then asked Nulud if it would be impossible for a man who has his carotid artery slashed to survive beyond 10 minutes. Nulud said yes.

Jumamil then asked Nulud how come doctors at the Makati Medical Center pronounced Anikow dead at 7:20 a.m. on November 24.

“If the injury was unattended, it (injury) would have been irreversible at five to 10 minutes,” Nulud said.

Jumamil then countered that Rommel Saavedra, a security guard at the Rockwell Center who had previously testified, told the court that Anikow was left unattended on the ground for at least 45 minutes.

Jumamil then asked Nulud if the fatal stab wound on Anikow’s neck could have been inflicted elsewhere away from the place where the brawl took place. However, just before Nulud could answer, Arriola raised an objection and Judge Dumayas upheld it.                               Meanwhile, defense lawyers pointed to alleged lapses in Nulud’s conduct of Anikow’s autopsy.

Nestor Ifurong, counsel for accused Galicano Datu asked Nulud if he had opened and examined Anikow’s internal organs, to which Nulud said he did.

Ifurong however questioned why Nulud did not state in his medicolegal findings all the examinations he had performed on Anikow.

“Why did you not outline your autopsy in your report?” asked Ifurong.

Nulud answered that outlining the medicolegal report is not a procedure in the Philippine National Police.

“It is not our process, Sir. We did a complete autopsy and we only state the remarkable findings,” he said.

Ifurong then asked why Nulud did not state that he examined Anikow’s heart and lungs in his medico-legal report.

“It was a grossly unremarkable heart and we did open his lungs,” Nulud said.

Ifurong then told Nulud that it was only his “say so” that an examination of Anikow’s head, heart and lungs were made as these were not recorded in the medico-legal report. Nulud answered, “yes Sir.”

Defense lawyers also quizzed Nulud as to why no blood-alcohol test was done on Anikow to determine if he was indeed drunk during the brawl as testified earlier by Saavedra. Nulud said Anikow tested negative for alcohol when fluid from his stomach was examined.

Nulud told the court that he requested for the conduct of a blood-alcohol test but was told by the chief of the Pathology Department of the PNP Crime Laboratory at Camp Crame to instead just collect fluid from Anikow’s stomach saying that the blood is already clotted.

Nulud however agreed with the defense lawyers that a blood-alcohol test is a more effective method in determining alcohol level in the blood.

Nulud said that it is possible that alcohol in Anikow’s blood was removed as part of hospital procedure when he was rushed to the Makati Medical Center.