Forensic pathologist details brutal murder

A BODY of evidence is what Nadine Esterhuizen provided the State on the eve of the eighth anniversary of her murder, with her post mortem showing her killer left seven gaping wounds in her head and more to the large muscle in her neck and thyroid.

- GENEVIEVE SERRA

State forensic pathologist, Varushka Bachan, who has completed 2 800 post mortems, took the witness stand in the murder trial of Corrine Jackson at the Mitchell’s Plain Regional Court yesterday.

In a blow-by-blow account, Bachan detailed Esterhuizen’s final moments in September 2017, as she had conducted her post mortem just days after her murder.

Jackson is facing charges for Esterhuizen’s murder after her body was found inside a house in Colorado Park, Mitchell's Plain, riddled with stab wounds.

Jackson was arrested at the scene and was found with two daggers in her possession inside the bathroom.

She claimed during her bail application that she had acted in self-defense.

Armed with the post mortem report and forensic pathology photographs, which graphically showed the wounds on Esterhuizen’s body, Bachan remained composed when she explained the victim had been stabbed 21 times.