Details Of Child's Injuries Contrary To Clark's Defense
July 28, 2016 at 4:25 p.m.
By Daniel [email protected]
Clark's attorney, Bryon J. Berry, already asked for his client's insanity plea to be thrown out early Wednesday morning.
Clark is on trial in Kosciusko County Circuit Court for the May 25 murder and battery resulting in death of Muchowicz, 2.[[In-content Ad]]Muchowicz's mother, Matara Muchowicz, testified Tuesday that she came home to find Clark and her daughter lying on the couch. When Matara asked about Samantha's injuries, Clark told her she fell.
Both Dr. Dennis Mansfield, the emergency room doctor at Kosciusko Community Hospital who examined Samantha, and Dr. Scott Wagner, a forensic pathologist in Fort Wayne who performed her autopsy, described Samantha's injuries as some of the worst they've seen.
Both compared Samantha's injuries as those that would be sustained in a car wreck.
"If she was found 75 feet away from a car that wrapped itself around a tree, I'd believe these injuries came from that," said Mansfield, who apologized to Samantha's family in the courtroom several times for the graphic nature of his testimony. "Not from falling down or hitting your head on a coffee table ... these are the worst (injuries) I've seen in 20 years."
In defense of his client, Berry tried to argue that it was plausible that Samantha's injuries were caused by several falls.
Both Mansfield and Wagner stated that the injuries Samantha sustained couldn't have been caused by a fall or multiple falls even if Clark fell on top of her.
Berry pressed Mansfield as to whether Clark falling on top of Samantha at some velocity could cause her injuries.
"I still think it's a ridiculous scenario," said Mansfield. "We're talking about extensive injuries inside the home. It's not logical."
After Mansfield testified, the state brought forward Wagner.
Among the many injuries Samantha suffered, Wagner noted during the display of autopsy photos, were ligaments holding her head to her spinal column had been torn, bleeding and bruising of the brain, a dislocated jaw, laceration of the lips and numerous internal injuries.
Photos of a lifeless Samantha shown to the jury showed the 2-year old, who was 2 foot, 11 inches and 27 pounds at the time of her death, with purple and blue bruises all over her body along with blood around her mouth and head.
Samantha also sustained a broken wrist. Both Mansfield and Wagner described the broken wrist as a defense wound rather than one resulting from a fall.
Wagner said he's performed hundreds of autopsies and more than 50 child homicide deaths.
"This is one of the top three (worst)," said Wagner when Hearn asked how to rank Samantha's injuries.
After Wednesday's lunch recess, Judge Rex Reed read three clarifications to the jury.
Reed told jurors that the blood and hair around a hole in the drywall of the home was Samantha's and the blood on Clark's clothing was hers as well.
Earlier in the day, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department deputy Josh Spangle, who served as the crime scene investigator, showed various photos of the crime scene and Samantha at Kosciusko Community Hospital. While showing photos of Samantha, several members of her family left the courtroom.
Those photos also included items that had red stains on them. Reed's clarification served as to what red stains could be identified as blood.
Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department Lt. Sam Whitaker testified Wednesday afternoon that Clark made statements while being transported back to the county jail after his initial hearing in May 2007.
Whitaker told the jury that Clark said, "It's terrible what happened to that little girl. I was drunk. You see she went outside and I went outside. She fell and cut her lip. I picked and held her. She fell through the rung of the steps and I picked her up and held her."
Whitaker stated that neither he or officer Gordy Nash engaged Clark in conversation and that as soon as Clark was dropped back off at the jail, Whitaker documented Clark's comments.
During the cross-examination, Berry asked Whitaker about handwriting on the document that Berry claimed was Clark's. Whitaker responded that he was unaware of whose handwriting that was.
This prompted an outburst out of Clark.
"Where'd you get it, Steve?" Clark yelled at prosecuting attorney R. Steven Hearn. "Where'd you get it? Your officers are crooked liars."
Clark was then warned by Reed.
"I will tolerate no further outbursts," said Reed.
Clark earlier made comments directly to Reed that solicited another warning from the judge.
The State of Indiana rested its case early Thursday morning against Ian Clark.
The defense then began calling witnesses to the stand.
Clark's attorney, Bryon Berry, called his first witness, Dr. Peter Method of the Indiana Department of Toxicology. Method stated he believed Clark's blood alcohol content at 2 p.m the day Samantha died was between .168 and .208.
During cross examination, Method stated that without certain variables, he couldn't be certain as to those numbers and he testified his numbers would have no legal validity to Hearn.
Berry also called Nash who reaffirmed the statement's Clark made to he and Whitaker.
Berry then called Jodi Walls Hamilton, who was in the work release program at Kosciusko County Jail on May 25. She told Berry she had a conversation with Clark that day in which he stated, "He was really drunk and couldn't remember what happened."
Berry then called Clark's father, Eric Clark, who described Ian as "depressed" in recent visits. Eric also told the jury that Ian denied having a heart condition.
Matara told Eric May 24 that Ian had informed her of a heart condition.
Matara also took that stand again reaffirming the testimony she gave Tuesday.
Clark's attorney, Bryon J. Berry, already asked for his client's insanity plea to be thrown out early Wednesday morning.
Clark is on trial in Kosciusko County Circuit Court for the May 25 murder and battery resulting in death of Muchowicz, 2.[[In-content Ad]]Muchowicz's mother, Matara Muchowicz, testified Tuesday that she came home to find Clark and her daughter lying on the couch. When Matara asked about Samantha's injuries, Clark told her she fell.
Both Dr. Dennis Mansfield, the emergency room doctor at Kosciusko Community Hospital who examined Samantha, and Dr. Scott Wagner, a forensic pathologist in Fort Wayne who performed her autopsy, described Samantha's injuries as some of the worst they've seen.
Both compared Samantha's injuries as those that would be sustained in a car wreck.
"If she was found 75 feet away from a car that wrapped itself around a tree, I'd believe these injuries came from that," said Mansfield, who apologized to Samantha's family in the courtroom several times for the graphic nature of his testimony. "Not from falling down or hitting your head on a coffee table ... these are the worst (injuries) I've seen in 20 years."
In defense of his client, Berry tried to argue that it was plausible that Samantha's injuries were caused by several falls.
Both Mansfield and Wagner stated that the injuries Samantha sustained couldn't have been caused by a fall or multiple falls even if Clark fell on top of her.
Berry pressed Mansfield as to whether Clark falling on top of Samantha at some velocity could cause her injuries.
"I still think it's a ridiculous scenario," said Mansfield. "We're talking about extensive injuries inside the home. It's not logical."
After Mansfield testified, the state brought forward Wagner.
Among the many injuries Samantha suffered, Wagner noted during the display of autopsy photos, were ligaments holding her head to her spinal column had been torn, bleeding and bruising of the brain, a dislocated jaw, laceration of the lips and numerous internal injuries.
Photos of a lifeless Samantha shown to the jury showed the 2-year old, who was 2 foot, 11 inches and 27 pounds at the time of her death, with purple and blue bruises all over her body along with blood around her mouth and head.
Samantha also sustained a broken wrist. Both Mansfield and Wagner described the broken wrist as a defense wound rather than one resulting from a fall.
Wagner said he's performed hundreds of autopsies and more than 50 child homicide deaths.
"This is one of the top three (worst)," said Wagner when Hearn asked how to rank Samantha's injuries.
After Wednesday's lunch recess, Judge Rex Reed read three clarifications to the jury.
Reed told jurors that the blood and hair around a hole in the drywall of the home was Samantha's and the blood on Clark's clothing was hers as well.
Earlier in the day, Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department deputy Josh Spangle, who served as the crime scene investigator, showed various photos of the crime scene and Samantha at Kosciusko Community Hospital. While showing photos of Samantha, several members of her family left the courtroom.
Those photos also included items that had red stains on them. Reed's clarification served as to what red stains could be identified as blood.
Kosciusko County Sheriff's Department Lt. Sam Whitaker testified Wednesday afternoon that Clark made statements while being transported back to the county jail after his initial hearing in May 2007.
Whitaker told the jury that Clark said, "It's terrible what happened to that little girl. I was drunk. You see she went outside and I went outside. She fell and cut her lip. I picked and held her. She fell through the rung of the steps and I picked her up and held her."
Whitaker stated that neither he or officer Gordy Nash engaged Clark in conversation and that as soon as Clark was dropped back off at the jail, Whitaker documented Clark's comments.
During the cross-examination, Berry asked Whitaker about handwriting on the document that Berry claimed was Clark's. Whitaker responded that he was unaware of whose handwriting that was.
This prompted an outburst out of Clark.
"Where'd you get it, Steve?" Clark yelled at prosecuting attorney R. Steven Hearn. "Where'd you get it? Your officers are crooked liars."
Clark was then warned by Reed.
"I will tolerate no further outbursts," said Reed.
Clark earlier made comments directly to Reed that solicited another warning from the judge.
The State of Indiana rested its case early Thursday morning against Ian Clark.
The defense then began calling witnesses to the stand.
Clark's attorney, Bryon Berry, called his first witness, Dr. Peter Method of the Indiana Department of Toxicology. Method stated he believed Clark's blood alcohol content at 2 p.m the day Samantha died was between .168 and .208.
During cross examination, Method stated that without certain variables, he couldn't be certain as to those numbers and he testified his numbers would have no legal validity to Hearn.
Berry also called Nash who reaffirmed the statement's Clark made to he and Whitaker.
Berry then called Jodi Walls Hamilton, who was in the work release program at Kosciusko County Jail on May 25. She told Berry she had a conversation with Clark that day in which he stated, "He was really drunk and couldn't remember what happened."
Berry then called Clark's father, Eric Clark, who described Ian as "depressed" in recent visits. Eric also told the jury that Ian denied having a heart condition.
Matara told Eric May 24 that Ian had informed her of a heart condition.
Matara also took that stand again reaffirming the testimony she gave Tuesday.
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