News
Jensen La Vende
The private autopsy of Andrew “Solo” Morris, 35, one of the two suspects now killed in Andrea Bharatt’s kidnapping and murder, said he died of blunt trauma, which caused his lungs to collapse.
The second autopsy was done on Tuesday, by pathologist Prof Hubert Daisley, at the Simpsons Chapel, in Couva, the day after the first, which was done at the Forensic Science Center. Daisley also did a second autopsy on Bharatt on Tuesday and determined that she died of a skull fracture, while the first report was inconclusive.
According to the family’s lawyer, Nestor Alloy-Dinnoo, the pathologist said Morris suffered trauma to the skull and thorax from a blunt object. He also had bilateral rib fractures, which caused the lungs to collapse, and cerebral hemorrhage.
“There were no marks of resistance on the body,” Dinnoo, who was present during the autopsy, told Newsday.
He added that the pathologist questioned the police version of the events, given the severity of the injuries and said that Morris may not be conscious when he was taken to the Arima Health Center on January 31.
According to an autopsy done on Monday at the Forensic Science Center, Morris’s death was listed as impact trauma to the upper body.
A report from Arima Hospital, where Morris died, classified his death as “unnatural”. The report listed him as a “victim of aggression”.
The Arima Health Center’s autopsy referral report said Morris complained of being beaten. In “recent complaints” it said: “Victim of aggression, head, chest and back. Blunt trauma, acute kidney injury. Since the aggression has become pre-syncope and chest pain. “
In the title “Provisional death assessment” the author marked “unnatural”, with the reading of the clinical diagnosis: “Cardiopulmonary arrest. Acute kidney injury and rhabdomyolysis.
“Several bruises seen on the chest, back and face. Alert, oriented, however, he complained of persistent chest discomfort. No breathing difficulty. Loss of consciousness, review-oriented consultation. Chest radiography (showed) without rib fracture, without hemothorax (blood between the chest wall and lungs) or pneumothorax (collection of air between the chest wall and lungs). Kidney function test identified. Creatine 3.3 – acute kidney injury ”, said the summary.
This was confirmed by the second autopsy.
Police claimed that Morris, after being arrested on his Tumpuna Road, Arima, had to be subdued because he was behaving violently
It was during this supposed fight that Morris allegedly fell, but refused medical attention when offered. He was diabetic and hypertensive, but would have refused food and was later taken to the health unit at around 10 pm.
While in the hospital, Morris fell a second time, the police said, this time from a chair. His third fall came when he took a urine sample. He was pronounced dead around 12:45 pm on Monday.
His family was informed of his death two days later.
Morris was the first to die in police custody. He and his longtime friend Devon Charles were kept apart for hours. Charles died on February 8 after being comatose in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU) for at least six days. Police said he too had to be subdued after trying to escape.
The two men were suspected of the kidnapping of Bharatt, who was taken after boarding a “taxi” on King Street on January 29. On February 4, her body was found on a precipice in the Aripo Hills.