Jury hears gruesome double murder details

This was the opinion of forensic pathologist Dr Hughvon des Vignes, who yesterday outlined the severity of the chops on the bodies he examined at the Forensic Science Centre the day after Grace Balbour-Cadette and her son Jabari were murdered at Roxborough Street, Diego Martin.

On trial for the murder in the Port-of-Spain Fourth Criminal Court is 42-year-old Peter Cadette, husband and father of the victims. The matter is being heard before Justice Anthony Carmona. State attorneys Kathy-Ann Waterman-Latchoo and Joy Balkaran are prosecuting while Hayden St Clair Douglas and Wendy Dougdeen-Bally are representing Cadette. Led in evidence by attorney Balkaran, des Vignes told the jury that he performed a post-mortem on both Grace and Jabari Cadette on March 11, 2002. He said he found several chop wounds about Grace’s body.

"There was a 19-centimetre cut across the back of the neck. The wound had partially cut through the backbone. There was another wound across the back of the left side of the neck which cut through soft tissue, but not bone. This injury was inflicted with the use of a heavy, sharp cutting object with moderate to severe cutting force," testified the pathologist.

Des Vignes explained that he had also found a 4.5 centimetre horizontal wound over the left side of the head, just behind the ear of the deceased. He said he also discovered that there were injuries to Balbour-Cadette’s hands, which suggested that she resisted her attacker.

"There was a cut to the back of the right arm. There were cuts and chop wounds consistent with defensive or "brakesing" injuries. The web of the left hand and thumbnail was split. These wounds would have been inflicted with the use of a sharp-bladed instrument applied with a severe degree of force," said des Vignes.

With reference to baby Jabari, des Vignes told the court that the child’s head was almost completely severed in the attack.

"On Jabari Cadette there were chop wounds on the left neck and shoulder area. The cut on the left side of the neck ran deep and cut through soft tissue, through the backbone and extended into soft tissues on the right side of the neck, resulting in almost complete decapitation. The head was being held to the body only by skin and a small amount of muscle tissue on the right side. The wound was jagged in some places. Hearing resumes today.