May 15th, 2008
Doctor Tells of Struggle To Save Murder Victim’s Life
By Macushla N. Pinder

Michael Simmons is on trial for the murder of Trevonne McKinney, daughter of former talk show host Steve McKinney. (Photo/Torrell Glinton)

After testimony from 13 witnesses over the course of a week, the prosecution on Wednesday rested its case in the murder trial of the 23-year-old man accused of brutally stabbing the daughter of veteran broadcaster Steve McKinney a year ago.


This came after the jury heard in graphic details how a team of 11 doctors fought to save 22-year-old Trevonne McKinney’s life.

On trial for murder is Michael Simmons, Ms. McKinney’s then boyfriend and father of her young daughter.

The last of the prosecution’s witnesses to take the stand, Dr. Srikanth Garikaparthi told the court he saw Ms. McKinney between 5:45pm and 6pm at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Sunday, March 4, 2007.

"The patient was conscious, but in shock. She had a low blood pressure and stab wounds on the front of her body. We took her straight into the operating room where we proceeded to open up her abdomen," Dr. Garikaparthi said.

Referring to his notes, the witness told the court that the first of three operations on the deceased took place around 6:20pm and ended around 8pm.

According to the witness, Ms. McKinney suffered six stab wounds – three on the front portion of her body, one on her lower rib cage, another on the right side of her spine and another on her left shoulder.

"The patient was also coughing blood," he told the court.

"…There was blood in her abdomen…Her stomach was distended…There were three big lacerations on the surface of her liver corresponding with holes on the outside of her diaphragm…The patient’s blood pressure was very low. We were actively trying to resuscitate this patient."

Dr. Garikaparthi further told the court that because of the critical nature, he and his team proceeded to repair what was bleeding.

"Her blood pressure came up a little, but she was still critical. We proceeded to close the abdomen…We decided to stop the surgery to bring her blood pressure up…But before taking her out of the operating room, we put a hole in her chest. We got about 50 millimeters of blood from the tube," he said.

The jury heard how even after being taken to the recovery room, Ms. McKinney’s blood pressure was "not coming up."

Dr. Garikaparthi told the court that the young woman was taken back into the operating room around 10pm. He said that procedure lasted until about 1am.

He said at the time, doctors discovered that Ms. McKinney’s right side beneath her liver was filled with blood and that there was a small hole on her right kidney.

"I struggled a lot to control the bleeding. It was difficult trying to control the bleeding," Dr. Garikaparthi said.

"…We went ahead and packed the holes with a lot of gauze."

Dr. Garikaparthi went on to tell the court that as Ms. McKinney’s gall bladder was damaged, it was removed.

"We were not going to take any chances," he said, adding that during this operation the patient received several liters of blood.

The doctor further testified that once she was out of the operating room, Ms. McKinney’s stab wounds began oozing, prompting another major operation that took place around 4:30pm on March 5, 2007.

"Every area of her body was bleeding…She had lost almost her entire blood volume…Her chest hole continued to bleed. Her blood pressure dropped and she went into an arrest," the witness testified.

"…I decided to open up her left chest to do an internal cardiac massage, as used in the case of stab wounds. It’s a desperate measure to save one’s life…This was done, but she could not be revived. At 6:35pm on March 5, 2007, the patient died."

The doctor’s testimony came as the accused sat silently in the prisoner’s dock and the victim’s father cried openly in court.

When asked by lead prosecutor Stephanie Pintard about the estimated size of the stab wounds, Dr. Garikaparthi said about two inches, and that a knife "probably" caused the injuries.

Defence attorney Dwayne Hanna questioned why doctors had not performed a CT or CAT scan on the victim.

A CAT scan takes pictures of the body and uses a computer to put them together. A series of X-rays are taken of the body at slightly different angles, to produce very detailed pictures of the inside of your body.

The pictures provide doctors with information to help them reach a diagnosis about a variety of conditions.

According to the witness, in the case of a critically ill patient – as was McKinney – the "benefits of doing a CAT scan are not there."

But Mr. Hanna disagreed, suggesting that a CAT scan is always done, without fail.

To that, the doctor explained that the CAT scan has its own risks.

"I suggest to you that you failed to follow the correct procedures…I further suggest that procedures were more traumatic than the injuries (the victim) sustained," Mr. Hanna fired back.But the doctor noted otherwise. He told the court that the injuries forced his team to do the procedures. If there were no injuries, he said, there would have been no operations.

But Mr. Hanna did not give up, charging: "You and your team failed and failed miserably."

However, before leaving the stand, the witness made it clear that he "did everything in and beyond his power to save the patient’s life."

The case is being heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Elliot Lockhart.

It is expected to continue on Thursday at 10am.





It would be interesting if Mr. Hanna ends up on this man's table. This is a very small country.

That sounds to me to be a very cruel statement from someone who probably has no medical knowledge whatsoever. He should know better. I am so sorry for the family who have to sit through all this. It is so sad and the guilt has to lie firmly with the person who stabbed Trevonne so brutally.

That sounds to me to be a very cruel statement from someone who probably has no medical knowledge whatsoever. He should know better. I am so sorry for the family who have to sit through all this. It is so sad and the guilt has to lie firmly with the person who stabbed Trevonne so brutally.

Agreed. But he's an attorney, and he has to look out for the best interests of his client.

Honestly right, on a different thread, my goodness, how many times did this man stab this young lady? Was he honestly that angry?

Agreed. But he's an attorney, and he has to look out for the best interests of his client.
Honestly right, on a different thread, my goodness, how many times did this man stab this young lady? Was he honestly that angry?

these guys is jick u up for nothing now .. they is get angry enough to kill someone for nothing .. saw one guy stab up someone mussee like 10 times . over and over and over .. he kind of missed though but he sure was trying .. people kept holding him back. Cops were there and he got lock up over night but released the next day. All the other guy did was say something to him (maybe a threat).

I dont think the attorney should have picked on the doctors who clearly did their best. What he should have focused on was the stab wounds themselves. Were they consistent with a premeditated killing or with a rash, hasty and last minute killing? That would be the difference between murder and manslaughter. He could've argued provocation. I think by picking on the doctors defense counsel puts themselves at risk of alienating the jury. The doctors clearly did their best. I mean they had 11 doctors working on 1 patient.
~The rastaman vibration is positive.~

May 15th, 2008
Doctor Tells of Struggle To Save Murder Victim’s Life
By Macushla N. Pinder
Michael Simmons is on trial for the murder of Trevonne McKinney, daughter of former talk show host Steve McKinney. (Photo/Torrell Glinton)
After testimony from 13 witnesses over the course of a week, the prosecution on Wednesday rested its case in the murder trial of the 23-year-old man accused of brutally stabbing the daughter of veteran broadcaster Steve McKinney a year ago.
This came after the jury heard in graphic details how a team of 11 doctors fought to save 22-year-old Trevonne McKinney’s life.
On trial for murder is Michael Simmons, Ms. McKinney’s then boyfriend and father of her young daughter.
The last of the prosecution’s witnesses to take the stand, Dr. Srikanth Garikaparthi told the court he saw Ms. McKinney between 5:45pm and 6pm at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Sunday, March 4, 2007.
"The patient was conscious, but in shock. She had a low blood pressure and stab wounds on the front of her body. We took her straight into the operating room where we proceeded to open up her abdomen," Dr. Garikaparthi said.
Referring to his notes, the witness told the court that the first of three operations on the deceased took place around 6:20pm and ended around 8pm.
According to the witness, Ms. McKinney suffered six stab wounds – three on the front portion of her body, one on her lower rib cage, another on the right side of her spine and another on her left shoulder.
"The patient was also coughing blood," he told the court.
"…There was blood in her abdomen…Her stomach was distended…There were three big lacerations on the surface of her liver corresponding with holes on the outside of her diaphragm…The patient’s blood pressure was very low. We were actively trying to resuscitate this patient."
Dr. Garikaparthi further told the court that because of the critical nature, he and his team proceeded to repair what was bleeding.
"Her blood pressure came up a little, but she was still critical. We proceeded to close the abdomen…We decided to stop the surgery to bring her blood pressure up…But before taking her out of the operating room, we put a hole in her chest. We got about 50 millimeters of blood from the tube," he said.
The jury heard how even after being taken to the recovery room, Ms. McKinney’s blood pressure was "not coming up."
Dr. Garikaparthi told the court that the young woman was taken back into the operating room around 10pm. He said that procedure lasted until about 1am.
He said at the time, doctors discovered that Ms. McKinney’s right side beneath her liver was filled with blood and that there was a small hole on her right kidney.
"I struggled a lot to control the bleeding. It was difficult trying to control the bleeding," Dr. Garikaparthi said.
"…We went ahead and packed the holes with a lot of gauze."
Dr. Garikaparthi went on to tell the court that as Ms. McKinney’s gall bladder was damaged, it was removed.
"We were not going to take any chances," he said, adding that during this operation the patient received several liters of blood.
The doctor further testified that once she was out of the operating room, Ms. McKinney’s stab wounds began oozing, prompting another major operation that took place around 4:30pm on March 5, 2007.
"Every area of her body was bleeding…She had lost almost her entire blood volume…Her chest hole continued to bleed. Her blood pressure dropped and she went into an arrest," the witness testified.
"…I decided to open up her left chest to do an internal cardiac massage, as used in the case of stab wounds. It’s a desperate measure to save one’s life…This was done, but she could not be revived. At 6:35pm on March 5, 2007, the patient died."
The doctor’s testimony came as the accused sat silently in the prisoner’s dock and the victim’s father cried openly in court.
When asked by lead prosecutor Stephanie Pintard about the estimated size of the stab wounds, Dr. Garikaparthi said about two inches, and that a knife "probably" caused the injuries.
Defence attorney Dwayne Hanna questioned why doctors had not performed a CT or CAT scan on the victim.
A CAT scan takes pictures of the body and uses a computer to put them together. A series of X-rays are taken of the body at slightly different angles, to produce very detailed pictures of the inside of your body.
The pictures provide doctors with information to help them reach a diagnosis about a variety of conditions.
According to the witness, in the case of a critically ill patient – as was McKinney – the "benefits of doing a CAT scan are not there."
But Mr. Hanna disagreed, suggesting that a CAT scan is always done, without fail.
To that, the doctor explained that the CAT scan has its own risks.
"I suggest to you that you failed to follow the correct procedures…I further suggest that procedures were more traumatic than the injuries (the victim) sustained," Mr. Hanna fired back.But the doctor noted otherwise. He told the court that the injuries forced his team to do the procedures. If there were no injuries, he said, there would have been no operations.
But Mr. Hanna did not give up, charging: "You and your team failed and failed miserably."
However, before leaving the stand, the witness made it clear that he "did everything in and beyond his power to save the patient’s life."
The case is being heard before Acting Supreme Court Justice Elliot Lockhart.
It is expected to continue on Thursday at 10am.

It would be interesting if Mr. Hanna ends up on this man's table. This is a very small country.
this attorney is unbelievable is he insinuating that this is a case of medical malpractice. This is what wrong wit alot of bahamians things we have no knowledge we speak as if we are a learned professional in the field. Utter foolishness, sounds like slander, this doc should sue or give the attorney some real tonic

Cat Scan would have taken time .. then again it seems the whole ordeal did take time .. repercussions? Radiation? She was dying .. Cat Scan may have helped them identify the damaged areas quicker in the long run. But SpamStopper is no doctor, he had several Cat Scans himself in the single month of December .. the doctors didnt seem to bothered then about him having all that Radiation. Either way, the doctor is not on trial right? The murderer needs to HANG!!!

Cat Scan would have taken time .. then again it seems the whole ordeal did take time .. repercussions? Radiation? She was dying .. Cat Scan may have helped them identify the damaged areas quicker in the long run. But SpamStopper is no doctor, he had several Cat Scans himself in the single month of December .. the doctors didnt seem to bothered then about him having all that Radiation.
Cat scan while she is bleeding profusely from wounds really intelligent

Cat scan while she is bleeding profusely from wounds really intelligent

Yeah but notice the time line .. 25 hours. Surely they had time to do a couple cat scans? However it should be about the murderer right now.

Dr. Srikanth Garikaparthi told the court he saw Ms. McKinney between 5:45pm and 6pm at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Sunday, March 4, 2007.

the first of three operations on the deceased took place around 6:20pm and ended around 8pm.

Dr. Garikaparthi told the court that the young woman was taken back into the operating room around 10pm. He said that procedure lasted until about 1am.

The doctor further testified that once she was out of the operating room, Ms. McKinney’s stab wounds began oozing, prompting another major operation that took place around 4:30pm on March 5, 2007.


1am to 4pm from when they noticed the wounds oozing

At 6:35pm on March 5, 2007, the patient died."

Yeah but notice the time line .. 25 hours. Surely they had time to do a couple cat scans? However it should be about the murderer right now.
Dr. Srikanth Garikaparthi told the court he saw Ms. McKinney between 5:45pm and 6pm at the Princess Margaret Hospital on Sunday, March 4, 2007.
the first of three operations on the deceased took place around 6:20pm and ended around 8pm.
Dr. Garikaparthi told the court that the young woman was taken back into the operating room around 10pm. He said that procedure lasted until about 1am.
The doctor further testified that once she was out of the operating room, Ms. McKinney’s stab wounds began oozing, prompting another major operation that took place around 4:30pm on March 5, 2007.

1am to 4pm from when they noticed the wounds oozing
At 6:35pm on March 5, 2007, the patient died."

True, she may have not been in stable condition, but ur right the dr. ain jook she up der murderer did

True, she may have not been in stable condition, but ur right the dr. ain jook she up der murderer did

See the Hospitals dont like to do Cat Scans or XRays as it costs money .. least to them .. grandmother died last year and if when she went into the hospital a week earlier with chest pains they had done even just an xray they maybe would have caught the problem early enough to save her .. we spent a year on questions and letters back and forth to the hospital to find out what happened and what went wrong where. ... werent looking to sue though, in the end hopefully the awareness of the situation might save another persons life ..

anyway thats neither here nor there .. the murderer is to blame ultimately.

SpamStopper found lately though least with the regular doctors here they like to do Cat Scans to quick .. he tellin them now .. no more .. that was ... 3 just in December alone .. one was just for Sinus!

I dont think the attorney should have picked on the doctors who clearly did their best. What he should have focused on was the stab wounds themselves. Were they consistent with a premeditated killing or with a rash, hasty and last minute killing? That would be the difference between murder and manslaughter. He could've argued provocation. I think by picking on the doctors defense counsel puts themselves at risk of alienating the jury. The doctors clearly did their best. I mean they had 11 doctors working on 1 patient.
~The rastaman vibration is positive.~

Very much agreed. TOUCHE! ten points!:hammer: