A medical examiner and forensic scientist testified Thursday in the murder trial of a Deptford police officer accused of murder.
WOODBURY -- The bullet that would eventually kill David Compton entered through his left cheek and went through his jaw bone. It shattered the first and second cervical vertebrae in his spine before lodging itself there just before 5 a.m. on Jan. 5, 2013. A medical examiner would later refer to the bullet's trajectory as "left to right, front to back."
Dr. Gerald Feigin, medical examiner for Camden, Gloucester and Salem counties, told a jury on Thursday morning that although the bullet did not pierce Compton's spinal cord, the shot would have carried enough force to send a shock wave through the spine. Whether it was a shockwave or the shattered vertebrae that ultimately crushed Compton's spinal cord, Feigin could not say, but the end result was the same. The 27-year-old died on Jan. 11, 2013, six days after authorities say he was shot in the face by his friend, Deptford police officer James Stuart, after a night of drinking at a bar in Washington Township.
Stuart's defense attorney, John Eastlack, argues that the shooting, which occurred in the off-duty officer's Deptford home, was an accident.
Feigin performed an autopsy on Compton the day of the young man's death. The trajectory of the bullet, along with a lack of stippling on Compton's cheek, led him to rule the death a homicide.
During Feigin's testimony, Assistant Prosecutor Dana Anton pressed the medical examiner for details about the shot that killed Compton. Feigin explained that a lack of "stippling," or marks from burned gunpowder embedding itself in the skin, indicated that Compton had been shot from more than two feet away.
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"I'd expect soot at the closest range. After that I'd expect stippling," said Feigin. "There was no evidence of close-range fire."
Feigin also noted that a sample of Compton's blood contained no drugs or alcohol, although he did not know when the blood had been drawn because it was provided by Cooper Hospital for testing.
Eastlack asked Feigin if his autopsy could provide any clue as to the position of the shooter.
"You're not making any determinations of whether the person was sitting, standing, lying down...?" Eastlack said.
"You can't determine that from an autopsy," said Feigin.
The next to take the stand on Thursday morning was Eustacia Carlton, a forensic scientist who works for the New Jersey State Police. Carlton was responsible for testing a blood sample from Stuart, which was taken at Inspira Hospital in Woodbury immediately after the shooting. Stuart had been driven to the hospital by Lt. Leo Bethea and Det. Sgt. George Johnson.
Carlton explained at length the process by which toxicology labs examine blood samples for drugs or alcohol, and then testified that Stuart's BAC on the morning of the shooting was about .14 percent.
After Carlton, Anton called on Capt. Brian Toal, who was Stuart's sergeant in 2013. Toal explained that Deptford officers are required to be armed with an off-duty weapon when they are not on the clock. Off-duty weapons are personally owned guns that officers have to clear with the department before they can use them.
"We don't want people carrying a gun that's too dissimilar to our duty weapons," Toal said.
Just before the court broke for lunch, Anton asked Toal about exceptions to the off-duty carrying policy. Officers are exempt from being armed while off-duty if they are engaged in sports or rigorous physical activity, away on vacation or drinking.
"They are not permitted to handle or have their firearms while they are intoxicated," said Toal.
Eastlack said earlier this week that Stuart removed his off-duty weapon from his ankle after they returned home from the bar. A blood-covered Glock was found on Stuart's dresser when investigators arrived and two other guns, a second Glock and a Smith & Wesson revolver, were found in a lockbox in Stuart's closet.
Dispatchers who fielded the call Stuart made to a non-public phone to report the incident testified that the officer's tone during the call led them to suspect it was a prank.
Testimony will resume Thursday afternoon.
Andy Polhamus may be reached at apolhamus@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @ajpolhamus. Find the South Jersey Times on Facebook.