Jimmy inquest: Suicide ruled out

Update

GEORGE NEWS - The inquest into the death of Reshall Jimmy (33) continued in the George Regional Court on Monday 2 September with state forensic pathologist, Dr Mariette Hurst, testifying.

Hurst performed the post mortem on Jimmy after he burned to death in his Ford Kuga while on holiday in Wilderness in December 2015.

According to her report, there were no internal or discernible external injuries after a full body scan was done. She said that Jimmy's blood was cherry red in colour, which is a sign of carbon monoxide poisoning, and his trachea was lined with a large amount of soot which indicates that Jimmy was still alive when he burned.

On a question from Advocate Anthony Stephens of the National Prosecuting Authority (NPA), as to why Jimmy did not get out of the burning car, Hurst said that he was in a confined space and there could've been a combination of toxic gases in the burning car.

"Fires don't only produce carbon monoxide, they produce various gases including cyanide - especially when things like plastic and foam rubber are burning. Furthermore fires consume oxygen and he could've been hypoxic. Perhaps he had gone to sleep and didn't realise it was burning, maybe he wasn't aware of the fire and the oxygen level was low. The combination of toxic gases could've overcome him and he might not have woken up. It is a possibility. Or he was trapped," she said.

Hurst confirmed that if he was under the influence of gases like cyanide and/or hypoxic, Jimmy could've suffered from cardiac arrest and that it is possible that his reactions were delayed and irrational.

Suicide and murder ruled out
In August Advocate Gerrie Nel, who represented the Jimmy family during the inquest, announced that he would withdrawing from the case. "Our intention has always been to dispel the unfounded rumours and we are now convinced that the evidence led thus far excludes any indication linking the death of the deceased to any criminality, suicide or that he was murdered," Nel said.

In court on Monday morning Stephens also confirmed that suicide and murder were ruled out as possible causes of death. He again confirmed this during closing arguments in the Western Cape High Court in Cape Town on Tuesday. "There is no evidence whatsoever to suggest Mr Jimmy had committed suicide."

After the NPA initially declined to prosecute, Jimmy's sister, Renisha, kept demanding answers from Ford and the police. "I am happy that I have cleared my brother's name of suicide and murder. I look forward to hearing Judge Henney's verdict after closing arguments," she told the George Herald after attending court proceedings on Monday.

Hurst also mentioned during her testimony that in suicide attempts the carbon monoxide count in someone's lungs is normally 50% or more. In Jimmy's case it was only 25%.

Closing arguments
During closing arguments in Cape Town on Tuesday, Stephens told Judge Robert Henney that Jimmy might have been slowly overcome by gases. He said that even though the exact origin of the fire could not be established, it did not mean that a finding of "undetermined" should be made.

Advocate André Bezuidenhout, for Ford, said a finding of "undetermined" would be in line with fire science. The inquest continued on Wednesday.

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