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Monday and Tuesday were largely spent hearing from Bennet Omalu, a very well-known Forensic Pathologist who helped diagnose the first case of someone dying of the West Nile Virus, and was able to find a case of Alzheimer’s in a man who had been dead for two years!
He’s also the man who handled the autopsies of former Pittsburgh Steeler Terry Long, and WWE Star Chris Benoit among many others. Omalu says he studies the brains of those who have passed to figure out more about what killed them,
He is originally from Nigeria, and came to the US after causing political problems in his homeland; telling the jury on Tuesday he upset a lot of people and literally had to leave the country. In fact, he testified he was concerned his visa would run out, and he would have to return to Africa for two years before being eligible to come back to America for good.
He said if it wasn’t for Dr Cyril Wecht talking to Senator Arlen Specter, that may have been the case.
Right now, Omalu lives in California and is still trying to become a US citizen. He says it’s such a long process that it’s not surprising there are so many illegal immigrants.
His status as a non-citizen was a large part of what Dr Wecht’s lawyers focused on during their cross-examination on Tuesday. The prosecution spent much of Monday asking Omalu about how he worked his way up at the Allegheny County Coroner’s office from intern to one of Dr Wecht’s “right hand men”.
“He’s been like a father to me” Omalu told the jury about his ex-boss. “One time when I was sick, he let me stay at his house because he said I shouldn’t be alone”.
Also on the stand, Omalu admitted his success is due to the opportunities presented to him by Dr Wecht, telling the court “I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for him”.
But at the same time, Omalu talked about those opportunities, such as being able to perform autopsies for Dr Wecht’s private practice when he wasn’t available. He said it was an honor, but also knew he what he was being paid by the county wasn’t enough money. At $90,000 per year Omalu said others with his expertise were making more than that. He testified Dr Wecht told him that if he made any more as a county employee, he’d be under constant scrutiny, and making less was better. But it was later determined that Omalu was making thousands of dollars for his work at Wecht’s private practice. In 2004, for example he pulled down another $40,000 for the year.
This may have been the most challenging witness so far for the jury to hear in part because Omalu speaks with a strong accent and it’s not always easy to understand him. He often took time to literally spell out what he was saying.
Then, there were the graphic pictures of people’s body parts: brains, spinal cords and buckets of stuff that were shown to the jury. Fortunately for them, they were only photos.
Omalu’s testimony was going to enter a third day, but upon hearing that news, he became quite annoyed and said he was ready to go home to California. At first, Judge Arthur Schwab told him he had to stay, but in the end testimony was able to be completed and he hopped a plane out west.
As for who will take the stand on Wednesday….well, that’s anyone’s guess. The US Attorney’s office is keeping that information pretty much under lock and key. The press has been told that for major witnesses, we’ll be given a heads-up when they’ll be on the stand, but that information can’t be released to the public ahead of time.
It’s frustrating as a reporter to not be able to share such information, but when you’re dealing with the federal government, what choice do you have? That’s why you may hear reports on Newsradio 1020 KDKA with information about who will be testifying without a name being used. It’s the best way we know how to bring you the story and not get into trouble.
On an unrelated note: Thank you for the emails regarding the trial. Patricia brings up an interesting point that I’d like to put out to all of you. She writes:
“A survey should be done about all the things secretaries have done for their bosses that were not "in the line of duty". My sisters and I have told stories that are so funny. Even my own husband sent his secretary to buy gifts for me. My sister had to take the paychecks to her sick female boss's bedroom to get them signed. She said she was so embarrassed because her boss's husband was in bed beside her. I used to have to drive to pick up Irish beer on St. Patrick's Day for my boss”
Interesting stuff. I can honestly say I’ve never had to run any such errands for any of my managers. What about you? Is running a personal errand for your boss while on the clock really that unusual?
Share your story or any other thoughts on the Dr. Cyril Wecht trial at mleaf@kdka.com .
Until next time….
Maria |
