Forensic pathologist testifies that Arcata chef could have survived stab wound, had he got to the ER within the hour

This morning's testimony in the jury trial for Juan Ferrer started with forensic pathologist Dr. Mark Super testifying that Douglas Anderson did not have to die. If he had made it to the ER, his life could have been saved and the wound to his heart repaired.

Today's court session ended with jurors hearing incriminating texts between Ferrer and one of his companions that night.

The prosecution has maintained that Ferrer and his two companions left Anderson to die on the streets of Arcata. Ferrer's friends and co-defendants have denied they knew Ferrer stabbed Anderson. The defense is claiming a justified killing.

This morning, once again, Dr. Super's testimony bolstered the prosecution's opening arguments and discredited the Ferrer's attorney's claim that Anderson was a heavy drinker and discredited the claim made by Sophie Rocheleau's defense attorney, Benjamin Okin that Anderson was a drug user.

The jury saw photos peppered with Dr. Super's testimony. The first photo shown was Anderson lying on a hospital gurney with medical devices attached. Dr. Supere then described the injuries sustained by Anderson. "A single stab wound to the chest, two small lacerations inside and outside upper lip and minor bruises and abrasions." Nicholas Stoiber punched Anderson and Sophie Rocheleau kicked him. The prosecution contends that Ferrer stabbed Anderson, the defense claims Anderson "fell on the knife." Super's testimony did not support the defense claim.

An injury that was mentioned for the first time was "a cut on the left index finger towards plam."
This is relevant because the puncture wound was in Anderson's left upper chest and Dr. Super testified that "the wound was caused by a single inch knife" and that the cut was "at or time of death" and it was a "fresh wound." He also characterized it as a "defensive wound."

Anderson's cause of death was "a stab wound to the chest." Then we saw a photo of Anderson's heart where the stab wound had punctured a hole in his heart. The blood went outside into the sac, coagulated and the heart could not beat and this causes death faster, said Dr. Super.

This is a condition called Cardiac tamponade.  Cardiac tamponade is pressure on the heart that occurs when blood or fluid builds up in the space between the heart muscle (myocardium) and the outer covering sac of the heart (pericardium).


There would not be a lot of external bleeding in this case, said Dr. Super. He also detected the angle and measured the length of the wound by inserting a scapel without its handle into the chest where the hole was and the "it was a 3 and half inch wound." Based on Anderson's height of five feet and 11 inches, the stab wound was from left to right and upward.

"Is this wound survivable?" asked DDA Roger Rees.

"Such wounds have been survivable, if bleeding could have been stopped," said Dr. Super. "It depends on how fast it could have been corrected. It also depends on the health of the individual." Dr. Super said Anderson was in average health. He said had Anderson "ot to the ER within the hour, he could have survived."

Based on his experience with 10,000 autposies, Dr. Super said he did not see any track marks on Anderson indicating any IV drug use, he did not see any chronic alcohol abuse signs but Anderson's lungs indicated he " was a heavy smoker."

DDA Rees asked Dr. Super if he could tell if Anderson had been stabbed or of he fell on the knife. Dr. Super said no autopsy determines how the knife got there but that in a stabbing, "skin and bones are pierced." The wound would not be so deep, he added. "I'm not a big fan of people falling on a knife unless it is on a stake on a ground.