‘Concussion’ doctor says Gustine dad’s explanation of boy’s death ‘unlikely’

A forensic expert whose study of brain injuries put the spotlight on the NFL and inspired a Hollywood film took the stand in Merced Superior Court on Tuesday as an expert witness in the homicide trial of a Gustine man accused of killing his 9-month-old son.

Dr. Bennet Omalu said the child suffered “one of the most severe types of trauma you would see in the human brain.”

Omalu’s testimony came in the trial of Andrew Sanchez, who is accused of murder and child abuse in the March 2015 death of his son, Maddix Ramsour.

Sanchez told investigators that the boy died of injuries sustained when he fell from a 2-foot-high bed during a diaper change. Last week, the court also heard recordings secretly made by his ex-girlfriend in which Sanchez, then 25, blamed their 3-year-old daughter for the infant’s death.

According to Omalu, both of those stories are “unlikely, improbable, implausible, if not impossible.”

If convicted, Sanchez faces a possible sentence of 25 years to life in prison with the possibility of parole, prosecutors have said.

After being found by emergency responders at the family’s Gustine home, Maddix died at a hospital.

The trauma Maddix suffered could only be inflicted by an adult and had to be non accidental, Omalu said.

His analysis also did not show any indication of repeated prior trauma other than what’s considered normal.

Omalu, who is chief medical examiner for San Joaquin County, was called to offer testimony because he worked on the case, according to Merced County Chief Deputy District Attorney Harold Nutt.

During the investigation of Maddix’s death, Merced County’s pathologist called Omalu as a consultant on the case, Nutt said.

“He’s part of the case, so we’re using him,” Nutt said.

Omalu was made famous by the 2015 film “Concussion,” in which actor Will Smith portrayed the doctor who, while working in the Allegheny County (Pa.) Coroner’s Office identified chronic traumatic encephalopathy in the brain of the Pittsburgh Steelers’ Hall of Fame center Mike Webster. The condition, known as CTE, is a degenerative disease linked to repeated trauma to the head. Omalu’s discovery presented a challenge to professional football and the multibillion-dollar industry it represents.

Omalu told the court he’s conducted more than 68,000 autopsies and examined at least 12,000 brains that suffered from trauma. He’s testified hundreds, if not thousands of times, he said.

In Maddix’s case, Omalu said he was consulted because of his expertise and ability to perform highly specialized analysis.

During cross examination, deputy public defender Stephanie Jamieson questioned whether Omalu actually discovered CTE, noting the term was used as early as 1957 and 1969.

Omalu shot back that the term has existed for centuries.

Jamieson also referenced public statements Omalu made saying O.J. Simpson likely has CTE, even though Omalu has never examined the former NFL star. Omalu said it was a joke.

“I’ve been vilified, marginalized and called all types of names,” Omalu said. He said the NFL has spent hundreds of thousands of dollars to discredit him.

In Sanchez’s trial, a pediatrician who offered testimony earlier said Maddix suffered a subdural hematoma, causing bleeding in the brain so severe it was inconsistent with a short fall.

Jamieson and Omalu disagreed on language used in his report and simple science relevant to a fall from a bed.

“The truth only has one side,” Omalu said. “In this case, the physical evidence and the medical evidence is the truth.

“Why I’m here today is as a messenger of science.”

This story was originally published April 11, 2017 at 5:39 PM with the headline "‘Concussion’ doctor says Gustine dad’s explanation of boy’s death ‘unlikely’."