A pathologist has told the trial of a scaffolder, who is accused of murdering his friend by stomping on his head, that punching alone could have caused the extensive damage to the deceased\u2019s brain.<\/p>\n
Tomas Cypas (35), with an address at Foxborough Road, Lucan<\/a>, Co Dublin<\/a>, has pleaded not guilty to murdering Juris Kokenbergs (49) at Old Bridge Park, Lucan, Co Dublin, on October 28th, 2024.<\/p>\n Evidence has been given that Cypas told a garda at the scene that he had fought with the deceased after he said he would rape his [the defendant\u2019s] mother. <\/p>\n The jury has listened to a 999 recording of Cypas requesting an ambulance for his friend Kokenbergs, who he said he had had a fight with two days beforehand but was no longer breathing and was cold to the touch.<\/p>\n State Pathologist Heidi Okkers said she conducted a postmortem on Kokenbergs on October 29th, 2024. <\/p>\n The expert witness told Conor Devally, prosecuting, that she was informed by garda\u00ed that a row had taken place between the accused and Kokenbergs on the evening of Saturday, October 26th. She said the accused\u2019s mother told officers her son had hit the deceased four or five times in the face with his fists. She said the accused had told garda\u00ed he had hit the deceased seven or eight times. <\/p>\n Okkers said she was told that Kokenbergs had been placed on a couch in the kitchen. She said it was understood by garda\u00ed that Kokenbergs was asleep on the couch the next day, October 27th, and that his body position had changed a number of times during that day. She said she was also informed the accused had tried to wake his friend on the morning of October 28th as he was on the floor but was unresponsive. <\/p>\n Okkers said the deceased had extensive bruising over his lip, eyes, nose, cheeks, forehead and upper chest. <\/p>\n She said there was extensive bruising and haemorrhage to tissues on the left side of the face and the left temporal scalp. The skull was intact and there were no fractures. <\/p>\n Okkers said the right side of the brain was swollen and there was a clot inside the tissue of the brain. <\/p>\n Despite evidence that the deceased was intoxicated when he was assaulted, Okkers said no alcohol was detected in blood samples taken from Kokenbergs as it would have metabolised over the course of the following day. <\/p>\n Neurohistology showed certain areas of the brain had been deprived of oxygen and blood flow, the pathologist said. <\/p>\n She said bruises on the back of the deceased\u2019s hands could have been suggestive of offensive or defensive injuries.<\/p>\n