‘Tremendous force’ was used to kill Jane Finch, pathologist says

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DAILY OBSERVER: “Tremendous force” was required to inflict the fatal injuries that claimed Jane Finch’s life, according to expert testimony delivered yesterday in the murder trial of Brittany Jno Baptiste.

Dr Lester Simon, a pathologist qualified as an expert witness, detailed how Finch succumbed to head trauma and massive blood loss in her Picadilly residence on October 4, 2021.

Finch’s lifeless body was discovered after apparently making a distress call to the Dockyard Police Station and posting a plea for help on Facebook, claiming that an intruder was attempting to break into her property.

The victim sustained extensive injuries including lacerations and puncture wounds to her chin, lips, and the left side of her face.

Dr Simon also testified to finding a puncture wound to the left side of her skull that resulted in fracturing and exposed brain matter – damage he emphasised could only have been caused by extreme force.

During cross-examination, defence attorney Wendel Alexander questioned the pathologist about strength differences between mentally ill and mentally sound individuals, but Simon stated this was outside his expertise.

A paramedic who arrived at the scene described finding the victim unresponsive in her residence. She testified that Finch was discovered on the ground in a pool blood, with no vital signs present.

The victim’s nightgown was displaced, leaving her underwear exposed.

The paramedic said she also observed an avulsion on Finch’s left cheek where skin had torn away from the cheek but remained attached, describing it as a “flap”.

She also said she observed a pair of pliers near the victim’s ear. A crime scene investigator later confirmed in his testimony that the pliers were found within the victim’s ear. The implement was submitted as key evidence during testimony.

A responding officer, a female corporal also testified. She said that Finch’s initial call reported a woman in her home. Upon arrival, she and her colleague found Finch deceased, with Jno Baptiste trying to flee the scene.

The accused who is in her 20s pleaded not guilty to murder a few months ago, prompting the start of her trial before an 11-member jury on Wednesday.

Recap of Day 1

A taxi driver’s testimony revealed disturbing details about Brittany Jno Baptiste’s behaviour shortly before Finch’s death.

The witness recounted picking up Jno Baptiste, whom he knew from his village, at a Liberta bar for what became an increasingly concerning journey. Initially requested to drive to Old Road, the trip evolved into multiple stops and direction changes, including visits to Ras Freeman where the accused sought cocaine but was denied.

During the drive, Jno Baptiste allegedly displayed erratic behaviour, at one point shouting, “You know who me be. Me a Medusa daughter.” The driver, feeling threatened by her apparent anger, offered her his food and drink to calm the situation.

The journey ended when she exited the vehicle near Cobbs Cross – approximately a 30-minute walk from the victim’s residence.

Under cross-examination, the witness explained that ‘Medusa’ referred to the accused’s mother’s nickname, and denied allegations that he had ulterior motives for the ride. He cited an 8pm Covid curfew as his reason for not completing the journey to Old Road.

A constable with 11 years’ experience testified about responding to a call at Finch’s residence. He described apprehending Jno Baptiste as she attempted to flee the scene, noting blood on her hands and a physical struggle during the arrest. The officer reported hearing the accused state, “mommy is me do um, mommy is me do um,” and observed that she appeared mentally disturbed.

Additional testimony came from a man who had briefly dated Finch in 2019, who described her as “nice, quiet and always smiling.” He revealed that both he and the accused had worked at Ras Freeman and he saw her at a bar at the night of the incident merely sitting and staring.

Two longtime friends of Finch also took the stand, describing their discovery of her concerning Facebook post on the night of the incident.

One friend later identified Finch’s body approximately two weeks after her death, while the other expressed profound remorse for not responding to Finch’s online plea for help, having assumed assistance had already arrived.

The trial continues on Monday.

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9 COMMENTS

  1. Justice for Jane Finch!!!
    It broke my heart when I read about the horrific way in which Jane died! Jane did not deserve any of that! This woman wouldn’t even kill a fucking spider!
    I’m so so Effing angry!
    I pray to God that that fucking worthless piece of SHIT rots in jail eating her own shit! Wicked Bitch!!!
    Justice for Jane Finch!!!
    Justice for Jarese Finch!

  2. Send her to fucking person look what she did to the woman9mg send her prison she’s not mad she pretending to be that man should a open he car sn fling her out by her head

  3. This story is crazy!
    What exactly is going on here?
    I’m confused!
    Is she mental, deliberate, crazy?
    What is going on here?
    The devil is alive and well taking over people’s body!
    This sounds like a movie!👀
    She must have been hallucinating
    Or hearing voices.
    This young lady needs some serious psychological help.
    That lady did not deserve to die in such a gruesome matter.
    What is antgua coming to?
    Looking for coke! Omg 😲😱

  4. @ A LOVE TRIANGLE

    YOU SOUND FUCKING IGNORANT! This worthless slimeball brutalized an innocent harmless woman in her own home and this is the only thing your DUNCE RASS could have written??
    You people are so dunce that it’s sickening

  5. @USA via Antigua

    Did A Love Triangle hit a nerve? Lawyers get paid whether prosecuting or defending. The idea is to place doubt in the jurors mind. We all got skeletons that come to life at times and they can be sanitized or demonised by the prosecution or defense.

  6. I knew they will find her sane when it comes to a white life been taken by a black person, all life regardless of colors is created by god, but there is disparity in the treatment meted out to a black life. Remember when the Texas white man shoot up the police on market street, he was protected from the people protest and whisk out on a flight back home a free man, and policeman nelson stayed crippled and ill treated by the government and police force til his death, do you think they would whisk this girl away who obviously suffering mentally? No! She will pay for taking a white life as it is alleged.

  7. Jane really really truly was a sweetheart. She was a treasure. She was kind and compared to others in the area she didn’t have not one racist bone in her body. She was one of us. She was just another Antiguan. I can’t believe how gruesome this thing really was.
    She didn’t deserve to die that way. Please let that mad woman go to jail because the thought of leaving her to walk the streets runs my blood. The police are not protecting us. Not alive or dead. I’m so sorry to her family who loss their mother and sibling this way.
    This is extremely gruesome.

  8. Poor lovely Jane, one of my nicest neighbors back in the day. I can’t believe how you idiots turn that into a racial discussion. The women got murdered brutally from an individual
    that never should see the daylight again, because she obviously is a danger for public. I don’t care if she rots in the prison or mental ward.

Comments are closed.