Despite his being partially castrated and stabbed more than 30 times, it was in fact blunt force trauma that led to the death of a St Albans Prison warder, according to a forensic pathologist.
Even after his head was so severely bludgeoned that every bone in his skull had multiple fractures, Quinton David Williams was then stabbed more than 30 times and his penis partially amputated by three men while on their way home from a tavern in June 2014.
On Friday, the Port Elizabeth High Court heard how the Booysen Park resident had suffered multiple wounds and died almost instantly from blunt force trauma to the head.
Testifying in the murder trial against Jean-Claude Uithaler, 23, Khawulelani Gqunta, 22, and Sinethemba Mfihlo, 22, Dr Greg Ochabski told the court the injuries to Williams’s head were consistent with those of someone who had been driven over by a car.
“It is the most severe form of head injury. If it was delivered by a blunt object it would be multiple times,” Ochabski said.
Prosecutor advocate Garth Baartman asked Ochabski if the injuries to Williams’s head could have been caused by hitting him with a rock, which a state witness had preciously claimed.
“That is very much consistent [with the injuries],” Ochabski said.
He also said most of Williams’s face was bruised, with a number of lacerations, which was consistent with blunt force trauma.
Asked about other injuries Williams sustained, Ochabski said he found 30 stab wounds to the body, three perforating stab wounds to a lung, one to a kidney and one to the spleen.
According to Ochabski, Williams had an incise wound at the base of his penis which was indicative of a cutting motion.
“Minimum blood on the chest and around wounds indicate that the wounds were inflicted late in the process. [Williams] died shortly after the wounds were inflicted.”
Ochabski could not confirm if the stab wounds and injury to Williams’s penis were inflicted before or after he died.
The three men face charges of murder and robbery with aggravating circumstances. They have pleaded not guilty.
“[Williams] suffered nearly instant death due to the severe head injuries. I am almost 99.9% [sure] it was almost instant [death],” Ochabski said.
In the indictment, the state alleges the three accused followed Williams from a Booysen Park tavern where they had all been drinking, with the intention to rob him.
After following him for a while, one of the accused allegedly tripped Williams before all three attacked him with bricks, stones, knives and other sharp objects.
Williams was robbed of an undisclosed amount of money and his takkies before one of the accused allegedly stripped him of his trousers and attempted to castrate him.
An eyewitness to the attack, who is under witness protection, previously testified to seeing the accused attacking Williams in the early hours of the morning.
The case continues.