The injuries that a Massachusetts teacher sustained when she was killed two years ago in her own bedroom were so extensive that there was no way to tell which injury actually killed her, a state medical examiner testified Friday.
Vanessa MacCormack was strangled and stabbed on Sept. 23, 2017, for which her husband, Andrew MacCormack, is on trial for murder in Boston. Jurors heard Friday from the medical examiner and paramedics who responded to the scene in Revere.
"There was blood from her waist up there was blood all around her," said Mary Anselmo, a paramedic with Cataldo Ambulance.
She also noticed the smell of bleach at the scene — prosecutors have said that Andrew MacCormack tried to clean it up.
Vanessa MacCormack's injuries included a broken nose, bruising to her face and stab wounds around her back and neck, and all had a "bloody look" that indicates she was alive when the injuries happened, medical examiner Rebecca Dedrick testified.
She was a beloved mother and second-grade teacher at Connery Elementary School in Lynn. Her daughter, who was 1 at the time of the slaying, is believed to have been present during the murder but was found unharmed.
Prosecutors have said that Andrew MacCormack tried to clean up the crime scene with bleach, then left the home with their daughter to create an alibi. They allege that his wife had discovered he'd been stealing money from her before her death to fund a cocaine habit.
Andrew MacCormack has pleaded not guilty to a first-degree murder charge and his attorneys have maintained his innocence.
The trial will resume Monday, and the prosecution may rest next week.
