Direct Examination

Prosec – 3rd witness

Judge: prosecution please call your witness.

Prosecution: Your Honor, may I call our third witness, Dr. Regine Eclarino.
CI: Miss Witness, please raise your right hand. Do you swear to tell the truth, the whole truth,
and nothing but the truth in this proceeding?
Witness: Yes, your Honor.
CI: Please state your name, age and personal circumstances?
Witness: I, am Dr. Regine Eclarino, a medical and forensic doctor of legal age and a currently
the medico-legal officer of the PNP’s Regional Crime Laboratory Office of Iloilo.
Prosecution: Your Honor, the expert witness is being presented to testify on the severity of the
wounds sustained and the cause of death of Eve Cedullo the victim in this murder case which
happened last October 15, 2020 in Molo Iloilo City.
May I proceed your honor.
Judge: Proceed.

Educational Background

Q: What is your profession madam witness?

A: I am a medical and forensic doctor.

Q: With regard to your educational background, what is your bachelor’s degree and where and
when did you graduate?
A: I graduated from the University of the Philippines Visayas with a degree of Bachelor of
Science in Biology in the year 1995.

Q: When and where did you graduate from medical school?

A: I graduated from West Visayas State University in the year 1999.

Q: Did you ever have any other kind of studies, like for example graduate studies?
A: Yes. I took up Masters of Forensic Science at Murdoch University in Australia and graduated
in 2010.

Q: How long have you been practicing your profession as a Medical Doctor?
A: I have been practicing my profession for the past 20 years starting 2000 after I passed my
Medical Board Examination.

Q: Where are you practicing your profession?

A: I am currently the medico-legal officer of the PNP’s Regional Crime Laboratory Office of Iloilo
which is stationed at Camp Gen. Martin Delgado, Fort San Pedro, Iloilo City.

Q: What is your job description as a Medico-Legal Officer?

A: I am responsible for examining bodies and cadavers and also any physical injuries of any
living victims such as rape victims.

Q: So, examination of bodies and cadavers and determining the cause of death is a part of your
job?
A: Yes, it is my primary responsibility.

Q: How long have you been doing such examination?

A: For about 10 years now.

Q: Can you recall how many cadavers have you examined so far?
A: 147 cadavers already.

Q: Is this your first time to testify as an expert witness?

A: No, this is not my first time.

Q: How many medico legal cases so far have you testified? What kind of medico
legal cases have you testified?
A: For the past years, around one hundred (100) cases. Mostly homicide and
murder cases, medical malpractice cases and shooting incident.

Q: So, with your 10 years’ experience of examining cadavers and determining their cause of
death, and with a graduate degree in Forensic Science, you can say with absolute sureness that
you are indeed an expert witness and is very much qualified to testify as to the cause of death
of the victim Eve Cedullo?
A: Yes, I am.

Background before expert's opinion discussion

Q: Do you remember having examined Eve Cedullo at ________?

A: Yes.

Q: Do you recall when was that doctor? About what time?

A: About ______(time) and date_____.
Q. Doctor, before we get into a discussion of the victim Eve Cedullo's gunshot in the head which
caused her life, I wonder if you could take a few minutes and explain a little of the terminology
and concepts you will be using throughout your testimony.
A. Yes, I will be happy to do so, Atty.

Q. First of all, could you explain just in very simple terms what is meant by rigor mortis?
A. When we say rigor mortis, it is the stiffness of joints and muscular rigidity of a dead body
caused by depletion of Adenosine Triphosphate (ATP) in the tissues.

Q. What is meant by lividity or livor mortis?

A. Lividity or livor mortis is the settling of blood in the lower (dependent) portion of the body,
causing a purplish, red discoloration of the body.

Q. How does that relates to rigor mortis?

A.

Q: when did you start the autopsy?

A: around 10 am of October 16, 2020

Q:in your report you gave an external description of the victim?

A: yes

Q:and your determination of her was that she was well developed, well nourished, and
nonembalmed?
A: yes

Q: what does well developed mean?

A:in terms of general physique, it means normal development. she wasn’t handicapped in the
physical sense. the body features are normal.

Q: you stated that rigor was well developed, correct?

A: yes

Q: what does that mean?

A: that means that at the time of the autopsy, the rigor mortis was quite firm, probably optimal.

Q: optimal meaning the maximum it could get?

A: yes

Q: was there evidence of external injuries apart from the gunshot wound that you described?
A:no

Q: What is the procedure during examination/autopsy?

A:it starts with what we call the external examination, which is looking at the body from the
outside, basically looking at the general features and items that are on the body and the injuries
that are apparent from the outside the second part is the internal examination where we look
at the inside of the body, go through the same thing with the individual organs and the body
cavities and looking for diseases or injuries

Q: What were your findings?

A: My findings are as follows:
- The body is that of a fairly developed, fairly nourished Filipino female appearing to be
consistent with the reported age of 24 years. The length is 61 inches from crown to sole, and
the estimated weight is 110-120 lbs.
- The cadaver was in rigor mortis with postmortem lividity at the dependent portions of the
body. Lips and nailbeds are cyanotic.
- The head is normocephalic, and there is evidence of a gunshot injury in the head:
- The bullet entered the occipital region measuring 0.4 by 0.3 cm, fracturing the occipital
bone, lacerating both cerebral hemispheres of the brain, making a point of exit at the right
supraorbital region.
- The occipital and frontal bones are fractured with massive subdural and subarachnoidal
hemorrhages.
- The rest of the visceral organs are markedly pale. Stomach contains small amount of grayish
sticky liquid.

Q: Based on your findings, what in your best knowledge cause the death of the victim?
A: The victim died of Intracranial Hemorrhage secondary to a Gunshot Wound in the Head.

Q: how long can a person die from intracanial hemorrhage

A: within minutes depending on the severity of the injury

Q: Can you explain to us in layman terms the cause of death for the better understanding of the
court?
A: Bleeding within the brain. Brain hemorrhage is also known as cerebral hemorrhage or
intracerebral hemorrhage. Cerebral (brain) hemorrhage can occur inside the brain,
between the brain and the membranes that cover it (subdural), between the layers of the
brain's covering (subarachnoid), or between the skull and the covering of the brain (epidural).
Intracranial hemorrhage is bleeding within the skull cavity (cranium) that usually progresses
rapidly and often results in permanent brain damage and death. All bleeding within the skull is
called intracranial bleeding, whether the bleeding occurs within the brain itself (intracerebral
hemorrhage) or in the area between the brain and the skull (epidural, subdural, and
subarachnoid hemorrhage).
The gunshot wound is a thru and thru gunshot wound meaning there is an entry and there is an
exit and it is located on the occipital region. The occipital region is the back portion of the head
and the bullet goes thru, it is directed anteriorwards or going to the front from the back. And
the gunshot wound of exit was located at the right eye, just above the eyes and in doing so, the
bullet fractured the skull and it lacerates both cerebral hemispheres of the brain and it caused
severe bleeding on the cranial cavity.

Q: So, based on your findings, The Medical Report states two findings that: (1) she
was shot to the head that caused the Intracranial Hemorrhage, would you confirm that
findings to be correct, Dr?
A: Yes.

Manifestation:
I respectfully request Your Honor, that the findings appearing in Exhibit “2” be
marked as Exhibit “B-1”

Q. Doctor, assuming those facts to be true, did the gunshot cause the victim’s death?
A. Yes.

Offer of Evidence

Your honor I would like to offer to the court the MEDICO-LEGAL Certificate previously
marked as Exhibit B issued by the Medico-legal Officer REGINE ECLARINO of the REGIONAL CRIME
LABORATORY OFFICE, dated October 21, 2020.
Your honor, may I request that the signature above the printed name “ REGINE ECLARINO”
be encircled and marked as exhibit “B-1.”

Your honor I would also like to offer to the court the Death Certificate of the victim Eve
Cedullo previously marked as Exhibit K issued by the city civil registrar, Romeo Manikan Jr. as
proof of the victim’s death. Your Honor, we also respectfully request that the name and
signature at the above printed name of Romeo Manikan Jr. be encircled and marked Exhibit K-
1.
Your honor, I would like to put in record that the certificate indicated that the date of
death is October 15, 2020 which occurred at 10:06 p.m.

Atty: That would be all, your Honor.