A former Broward County medical examiner took the stand Friday in the trial of a man who says his girlfriend accidentally died during oral sex.
Dr. Ronald Wright was called as an expert witness by an attorney for Richard Henry Patterson, who is charged with second-degree murder in the October 2015 killing of 60-year-old Francisca Marquinez in Margate.
Dr. Wright's testimony focused on whether someone could die of asphyxiation during oral sex, as Patterson claims.
"I've had cases, with a lot more physical evidence, and sometimes with eyewitnesses, of people who have been killed by strangling on a penis, and it doesn't leave any evidence of that," Dr. Wright testified.
Dr. Wright also argued that Marquinez may have suffered a stroke.
"She's 60, and 60-year-old people just have cardiovascular events all the time, it's the most common reason that people die," he said.
The defense rested their case Friday afternoon. The trial will continue Monday with closing arguments.
Before the trial began earlier this week, Patterson's attorney filed a motion to have the jury be allowed to view his client's genitalia. The motion said it was "essential" for the jury to see Patterson's genitalia to understand the defense in the case.
The motion was never granted.
The defense also argued a motion to acquit Patterson Friday, saying there wasn't enough evidence to prove a crime was committed, but the judge disagreed.
Police said the body of Marquinez was found in her home at the Royal Park Gardens Condominiums in the 6700 block of Royal Palm Boulevard on Oct. 28, 2015. Patterson, Marquinez's boyfriend of four months, lived in the same complex.
