SAN ANTONIO – Two medical experts on Tuesday disputed an autopsy report that concluded that a 4-year-old boy died of starvation in the trial of a man charged in the death of his son.
The experts were the first witnesses to testify for the defense in the trial of Brandon Cervera, who is accused of fatally starving his son, Benjamin Cervera.
Dr. Erik Christensen, a retired Utah medical examiner, was the first witness to testify in Day 6 of the trial.
Defense attorneys questioned Christensen on the results he found when looking into Benjamin Cervera’s case. Christensen looked at doctors notes, ER visits and the autopsy report from Bexar County Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Kimberly Molina.
Through his research and knowledge, Christensen’s opinion was that the boy’s cause of death was not consistent with starvation. Christensen gave other examples that could have led to his death, including suffocation, seizure, heart-related issues or untreated diabetes.
“He is a thin kid, but not a starved child,” Christensen said on the witness stand.
Christensen’s opinion disputed that of Molina’s, which ruled that Benjamin’s cause of death was starvation.
When cross examined by the state, Christensen was asked about his experience in starvation cases. He said he had only done an autopsy on an adult who suffered from starvation.
Christensen also said he could not make any conclusions on the difference in Benji’s appearances in photos shown from April 2021 to August 2021.
Dr. Daniel Gebhard, a pediatric intensive care doctor with UT Health San Antonio, also disagreed with Molina’s findings.
“He looks like a skinny kid, but does not look like he is extremely malnourished,” Gebhard said.
The trial is expected to continue Wednesday morning.
If convicted, Brandon Cervera could face life in prison.
KSAT 12 will livestream Cevera’s trial gavel to gavel on all digital platforms. We want to warn you that details in this case will be hard to watch and hear during the trial.
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