Murder Trial: Woman Stabbed 120 Times, Forensic Pathologist Says

Samantha Josephson, 21 years old, was stabbed approximately 120 times in her terrible March 2019 death, according to forensic pathologist evidence on Monday.

(Photo : Pexels/kat wilcox)
Woman stabbed 120 times according to a Forensic Pathologist.

Details of the Stabbing Incident

A forensic pathologist, Dr. Thomas Beaver, described the many injuries she suffered in the March 2019 assault, according to a published article in Law and Crime. Prosecutors say Josephson walked inside Nathaniel David Rowland's black Chevy Impala believing it was her Uber. Rowland, on the other hand, abducted and killed her in Clarendon County, South Carolina.

Beaver described Josephson's gruesome wounds. He stated one of the knife wounds in her flank region really got into her lung. Other wounds could be seen on her head while defensive-type injuries could be seen on her palm, including two parallel knife wounds that ran through her hand.

According to him, this is what one would expect to see if someone was attempting to defend oneself against a stab. Additionally, Josephson's hyoid bone was also fractured. The back of the tongue contains this bone. He said that strangulation would shatter it, but that Josephson's was destroyed by a knife wound. However, he said that he could not be positive she was not strangled, according to a published report in Herald Sun.

Beaver's Testimony Was Crucial in the Killing Incident

Dr. Thomas Beaver, a pathologist, took the witness stand Monday after 31 witnesses and five days of testimony, and his description of the numerous and horrific wounds on Samantha Josephson's body left few doubts about what happened to the University of South Carolina senior.

However, Beaver's evidence and testimony, as one of the last prosecution witnesses, was particularly important as it connected many critical aspects of prosecution witnesses who testified over the course of five days, according to a published article in News Observer.

Previous witnesses have testified about the differences in wounds on Josephson's body, the double-bladed alleged murder weapon, the massive pool of blood in the back seat and trunk of what prosecutors said was Rowland's car, and how the USC student's cell phone mysteriously cut off some 20 minutes after video cameras captured her entering the vehicle in Five Points, a popular nightclub area near the courthouse.

Defense Asserted Other Persons Were Involved

The defense, on the other hand, has claimed that other individuals were engaged in Josephson's death. According to attorney Alicia Goode, none of Rowland's DNA was discovered on Josephson's defense wounds. However, DNA from the victim was reportedly discovered beneath Rowland's fingernails.

During cross-examination, the defense claimed Josephson had wounds on her knuckles, which they characterized as "offensive." Beaver claimed he did not know what happened to Josephson's knuckles. He believes she may have struck anything in the vehicle during the re-direct, such as a door or a glass.

In this trial that has drawn global attention, both the prosecution and defense rested their cases Monday afternoon. On Tuesday, the jury is scheduled to begin deliberations, according to a published report in MSN News.