Thomas answered questions about a part of Baker’s autopsy that until a while ago seemed potentially problematic to prosecutors: in the report, he cites Floyd’s heart problems and drug use as a contributing condition.
Remember, prosecutors argue that Floyd died of asphyxia, not of these conditions; the defense grabbed his health issues and the presence of fentanyl and methamphetamine in his blood. These “conditions” therefore posed a great threat in the cause of death.
Prosecutors tried to show through interrogation that ‘contributing conditions’ play more in the public health data than the cause of death. “What does it mean, other contributing conditions?” the prosecutor asks of this phrase on death certificates.
‘The way forensic pathologists and medical investigators commonly use it is that people often think that the death certificate is for that person, that particular person and his family. And it’s true, it serves a very useful purpose, ‘says Thomas.
“But forensic pathologists also use death certificates for public health purposes, and in any case we are not just thinking about this particular person and their cause and manner of death. We also think: the state and the federal government collect data. ”
As an example: health authorities may want to know if an 85-year-old woman who died of natural causes recently had a fall.
“That’s how I would view it,” she explains.
“So other contributing factors are conditions that may have contributed, but which were not the exact cause?” asks the prosecution. His answer is in the affirmative.
Asked if she was considering determining Floyd’s cause of death, she insisted: “it comes down to the history of the terminal events.” These are the circumstances that led to Floyd’s death, which in his case was the police restriction.
According to her, the description of Floyd’s death in documentation does not match deaths due to heart problems or overdose of drugs.