Defense lawyers for Nima Momeni, the man accused in which technology director Bob Lee is fatally stabbed – called a medical expert to the witness stand Tuesday who testified that it’s possible their theory of self-defense could be true.
Dr. John Marraccini, a Florida-based physician and pathologist, told jurors that based on Lee’s wound pattern, it could indicate Lee brought the knife and suffered self-inflicted wounds when Momeni tried to defend himself from an attack by Lee. .
The same witness also told jurors that the wounds may have been caused by a direct attack from Momeni.
The stab wound the doctor focused on was what he described as a “superficial” wound to Lee’s right hip, where he suffered a knife wound from front to back and did not puncture any major organs.
That wound, Marraccini said, could have been sustained when Lee pulled a knife from his own right pocket and was quickly restrained by Momeni, but in doing so it penetrated the skin and left a four-inch wound. That theory, he said, was presented to him by the defense and he confirmed it was one scenario.
CBS
It is also a possibility, the doctor told prosecutors, that the wound could have been sustained after the two blows to Lee’s chest, one of which was a fatal puncture to the heart and struck Lee’s hip as he turned away from Momeni in an attempt to protect him. himself from an attack by Momeni.
The possible outcomes, demonstrated by lawyers in the courtroom, were met with amusement by the jury and spectators.
Attorney Shannan Dugan reviewed the procedure Tuesday and said the doctor left all options on the table.
“Right now we are in the realm where anything is possible. It was by no means a definitive statement from the defense expert as to how the wounds were inflicted,” she told CBS News Bay Area.
But Momeni’s lawyers believe the testimony can only help their case because of the holes left in the story by the prosecution.
“The stab patterns do not match the story the state is putting out,” criminal defense attorney Bradford Cohen told reporters.
But the doctor’s credibility was called into question when Marraccini said on the witness stand that he divides his time as a general practitioner and as a private consultant, testifying “99%” for the defense and “1%” for prosecutors.
This, in addition to testimony that he was paid $19,000 for his testimony and his trip to San Francisco from Florida. Rates, he noted, are standard for private experts.
Still, Dugan said the jury may take his testimony with a grain of salt.
“The weight that they’re going to put on the defense expert’s testimony, given that he was paid a significant amount of money, since he’s testifying 99% for the defense, his testimony may not carry a lot of weight,” Dugan said.
Marraccini’s testimony could leave the jury with more questions than answers. Answers: Only Momeni can possibly answer as he is expected to take the stand to tell his side of the story in the coming days.
“Without any explanation by Nima Momeni, it seemed possible, just like any other theory could be,” Dugan said.
