Picture of murdered pregnant woman makes juror pass out
On Thursday, a juror serving on the trial of a Bronx woman accused of murdering her pregnant friend and cutting the baby out of her womb fainted because of the gruesome nature of pictures shown at the trial.
Medical examiner Declan Mcguone had been testifying during the trial, and prosecutors had submitted graphic photos of the victim showing her uterus cut out and removed from her body, when the trial ground to a halt. Justice Margaret Clancy had noticed Juror 7 slumped over in her seat and unresponsive and called for the courtroom to be cleared.
While the courtroom was emptied, Mcguone called on his medical training and jumped into action to check the juror’s vitals.
—Woman who cut friend’s baby out of her womb set for murder trial —
After a 45-minute recess, the judge announced that the juror was awake, though she had been transported to a hospital for a checkup.
“That must have shook you guys up, like it did everyone, when the juror was unresponsive,” Clancy said before adjourning the trial.
Because of the grisly nature of the case, Clancy had given the jurors involved the rare opportunity for a free pass out of jury duty if they didn’t think they would be able to stomach the case.
