Fatal injuries consistent with hammer, court told

Pathologist testifies at 2nd-degree murder trial of Steven Pirko

Fatal head injuries suffered by Chris Ausman could have been caused by a hammer but not a fist, a pathologist says.

The severe damage done to Ausman’s skull during a Rutland street fight came from “a hard object with a round edge,” Dr. Patrick Doyle testified Monday at the second-degree murder trial of Steven Pirko.

“Would that be consistent with a hammer?” Crown prosecutor David Grabavac asked Doyle.

“Yes,” replied Doyle, explaining that Ausman’s skull was compressed. “It’s very unlikely a fist could have caused that injury.”

Grabavac asked Doyle to describe for the jury the nature of 15 injuries seen on Ausman’s head and face during the autopsy. In addition to the skull fractures, some of Ausman’s injuries, such as a broken nose and loose front tooth, were consistent with being punched or kicked, Doyle said.

During his 2016 videotaped confession to police, played last week for the jury, Pirko said he intervened in a fight between Ausman and Dyck early the morning of Jan. 25, 2014. Pirko said that Dyck, a longtime friend of his, was being badly beaten and he felt he had to help.

Pirko said he used a hammer that he carried for protection to hit Ausman two or three times in the head. As he ran off, Pirko told police, he’d thrown the hammer on the roof of a nearby building.

The hammer was never found by police. During his testimony last week, Dyck said he’d never managed to land a single punch on Ausman. Dyck also testified he never saw a hammer in Pirko’s hands, reacting angrily when asked by Grabavac about it.

The trial continues.