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A medical team leader at the Emergency Surgical Hospital in Goderich, Muretha Mariatu Kamara, testified in the ongoing murder trial of businessman Abdul Kpaka, revealing that Sia Fatu Kamara, the deceased girlfriend of the accused, was declared dead upon arrival at the hospital.
The testimony was given before Justice Momoh-Jah Stevens at the High Court on Friday, October 25, 2024.
Led by prosecutor Yusuf Isaac Sesay, the sixth prosecution witness, Kamara, recounted the events of August 13, 2024. She explained that upon starting her shift at 8:05 AM, a security guard alerted the medical team about an emergency.
Kamara, a nurse with 13 years of experience, ordered her colleagues to retrieve the unresponsive patient, Sia Fatu Kamara, from a vehicle brought by the accused.
Kamara testified that initial assessments of the body showed no signs of life, noting that the deceased’s neck appeared broken, and her limbs were flexible. Despite immediate efforts to resuscitate her, including the application of a heart monitor and CPR, no pulse or vital signs were detected.
“I called out her name several times and tapped her shoulder, but there was no response. The monitor showed no readings for breathing, blood pressure, or heart activity,” Kamara told the court.
She described how a team of local and international doctors arrived shortly after and continued resuscitation attempts, but after further evaluation, they declared Sia Fatu Kamara clinically dead
The witness shared that the accused, who had been crying in the outpatient department, was informed of the death by the medical team.
“I asked him what happened to Sia, and he struggled to tell me that she fell and hit her mouth,” Kamara recalled. Following the death declaration, she advised the accused to make arrangements to transfer the body to a mortuary.
In her cross-examination by defense lawyer Emmanuel Teddy Koroma, Kamara clarified that only medical doctors could declare a patient dead, explaining that clinical death is irreversible. She also confirmed the presence of CCTV cameras in the hospital, although footage is only stored for a month.
Earlier in the hearing, Saminatu Tarawallie, the fifth prosecution witness, testified that she observed the deceased’s helpless condition while transferring her from the accused’s vehicle to the critical area of the hospital. Tarawallie noted that she saw injuries on the deceased’s lip, chest, and leg, but despite efforts to monitor her condition, no vital signs were detected.
