Cipriano Trial Continues With Testimony From ER Doctor
PONTIAC (WWJ) - It's a case that rattled an Oakland County community. Monday, testimony continued in the Cipriano murder case which included detailed accounts of injuries sustained by family members the night of the attack.
Mitchell Young is a defendant in the murder of Robert Cipriano of Farmington Hills. The trial continued in Pontiac with one of the doctors, who treated the victims, on the witness stand.
Young sustained injuries during that night and has maintained that his co-defendant Tucker Cipriano took a swing at him that broke his jaw. Now an alternative theory was laid out for the jury in the case.
Botsford Emergency Room Doctor Erik McDowell testified that Rose Cipriano suffered severe and life threatening injuries on the night of the attack.
He testified that Rose suffered a broken pinkie finger and dislocated thumb on her right hand along with the severe head injuries:
"We commonly refer to that as a 'boxer fracture'," said McDowell. "It's typically seen in someone that hits or strikes an immovable object, such as when a boxer would punch someone."
Testimony also included that Rose's son, Salvatore, was barely registering life when emergency crews arrived, his head badly fractured.
" ... multiple fragments and depressed, meaning that a force had pushed the bone fragments down into the skull cavity," testified McDowell.
"We deal with these type of injuries," noted McDowell."Assaults from one human being related to another ... and this is certainly, by far, the worst I have seen."
Salvatore's injures were so severe that emergency personnel contacted the gift of life regarding possible organ donation from the injured teen.
Prosecutors are setting up the theory that Rose Cipriano punched Young hard enough during the attack to dislocate his jaw.
Young and Tucker Cipriano, his friend, were charged with first-degree murder the in April 16 attack during which a baseball bat was used to beat Cipriano's 52-year-old father, Robert, to death. Tucker Cipriano pled no contest in the case.
In addition, each has been charged with two counts of assault with intent to murder for the beatings of Cipriano's mother, Rosemary, and his 17-year-old brother, Salvatore. They've also been charged with armed robbery.
Salvatore's twin brother, Tanner Cipriano, and nine-year-old Isabella, who were in the home, but hiding during the attack, are expected to testify.
More information on this story is available here.
