Selena Forever

The Selena Trial

The Houston Chronicles Files

October 19, 1995: Testimony of Dr. Lloyd White

Editor's note: Dr. Louis Elkins also testified, but the rest of the testimony is not included here.

Prosecution questioning: The State calls Dr. Lloyd White

Skurka: I would like to call Dr. Lloyd White to the stand.

Skurka: State your name please.

White: My name is Dr. Lloyd White.

Skurka: What do you do?

White: I am the Nueces County Medical Examiner.

Skurka: May I approach the witness your honor?

Judge: Yes.

Skurka: This is State's Exhibit #106. What is that?

White: It is the picture of Selena Perez?

Skurka: We would like to enter this as evidence.

Skurka: How did you begin your examination? What contents were present?

White: A green sweat pants.

Skurka: Did you receive a shirt of the deceased?

White: No sir. The shirt was never delivered.

Skurka: Can you give a general description of the injuries?

White: In general, it was a person of a good heart. Had long black hair. She was slim.

Skurka: What did you mean when you say there was therapeutic intervention?

White: That in the hospital, they made attempt to save the victim through the mouth, trachea, and the neck. There were marks abound the lower breasts.

Skurka: What other things did you find through the examination?

White: Scars around the knees.

Skurka: Anything significant?

White: No sir. These were the only scars.

Skurka: Did you examine her from any section of the wound?

White: Yes.

Skurka: What did you find?

White: Penetrating bullet wounds.

Skurka: Was there a bullet inside of Selena?

White: No sir.

Skurka: Tell me about the injury itself.

White: It was up her right side of the back next to the shoulder blade. It went through right front of the right lung. It also continued through the front of the body wall and it also went just below the right collar bone.

Skurka: Can you identify this?

White: This a photograph of the back and chest area.

Skurka: Are these photographs the way she looked that day?

White: Yes sir.

Skurka: I would like to enter this as States Exhibit #107 and 108.

Tinker: We have no objection your Honor.

Skurka: Now, I would to show you States Exhibit # 109 and 110.

Skurka: What are these?

White: These are photographs of the upper chest.

Skurka: Are these photographs accurate photos of the injuries of that day?

White: Yes sir.

Skurka: I would like enter this into States Evidence.

Tinker: I would like to know if these are the photos of that day?

White: Exhibit 109 is.

Skurka: I would like to withdraw Exhibit 110 you Honor.

Skurka asked Dr. White to step down to demonstrate on a diagram the exit and entrance of the bullet to the victim's body.

Dr. White demonstrated.

White: The muscles to the heart were damaged.

Skurka: What about the chest wall?

White: These were injured severely. There was a great hemorrhage. A great amount of bleeding.

Skurka: What did the gunshot wound do to Mrs. Perez?

White: Mrs. Selena Perez's death was the result of bleeding to death from hemorrhage to her arteries.

Skurka: So Dr. White, You can say that Selena was shot in the back?

White: That is correct.

Skurka: Did you write a report of the firearm cause of death of Selena?

White: Yes, I did.

Skurka: What was the result of your toxicology report?( an examination of the use of alcohol or drugs)

White: Negative, meaning there were not any present.

Skurka: What did you rule the manner of death as?

White: Homicide. Meaning death was caused by another person.

Skurka: Can you ruled this as a homicide or an accident?

White: Homicide.

Skurka: What is your definition of an accident?

Tinker objected.

Judge Overruled.

W: An accident is when something happens by a car or whatever, in a unforeseen situation without human intervention.

Skurka: I'll pass the witness.

Defense:

Tinker: Dr. White, we are talking about people having accidents, what about having been killed in cars. If humans are involved in this, you don't consider them as accidents?

White: According to the situation. If someone is speeding and drinking I would consider that as homicide.

Tinker: You are not qualified to say if an individual have been accidentally or purposely killed, is that right? That is up to the courts.

White: The fact that the person may have intentionally fired that gun is homicide.

Tinker: So you are saying that you are qualified to say whether the gun went off accidentally or not. You are telling the jury that this is a homicide.

The defense had no more questions.

Prosecution:

Skurka: So you are saying that the person that did this did so accidentally?

White: I ruled this as a homicide because I think it was no accident.

Skurka: I would like to call the next witness your honor.