A 23-year-old newlywed who died after being punched and kicked outside a California nightclub had bleeding across most of her brain, bruised eyes and legs and had been struck at least five times on her head and face, a forensic pathologist testified Monday, according to CBS News.
During the preliminary hearing to determine whether two women should stand trial in the case, Dr. Eoti Davenport said Annie Hung Kim Pham's brain was "markedly swollen," although she had no skull fractures, CBS reported.
She also had bruising behind her left ear, on the right side of her head, on her forehead and in her eyes, as well as smaller contusions on her legs, according to CBS.
Vanesa Tapia Zavala, 25 and Candace Brito, 27, have pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder in Pham's death, CBS reported. Pham was taken off life support after the Jan. 18 altercation outside a Santa Ana night spot called The Crosby.
Davenport said the autopsy was limited because she could not examine Pham's internal organs, which were donated, according to CBS.
The cause of death was blunt force injury to the head, she said. Davenport also said tests taken at the hospital indicated Pham was intoxicated at the time, but the coroner's office is still awaiting formal toxicology reports, CBS reported.
Pham died when she was with a group of friends waiting to get into the club shortly after midnight when she got into a shouting match, and then a fight, with a group of three women exiting the club, police have said, CBS reported. Several bystanders took cellphone videos of the fight, and police are still investigating a third woman as a person of interest.
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