After the body of Filipino nurse Mary Grace was brought to the hospital, her husband Marvin Vargas said she died by drowning, but later claimed she died by hanging, an emergency room nurse testified on Monday at the Criminal Court.
Marvin reported that she died by hanging on October 19, 2021. He was also the one who took her into emergency treatment at Indira Gandhi Memorial Hospital (IGMH). But the autopsy report shows that there were no visible marks.
Three doctors in the emergency department had testified there were no hanging marks on Mary’s neck. Mary's face was blue and had sustained injuries to the head and neck. Doctors' testimony and autopsy report confirms the death was caused by asphyxiation.
Despite Marvin’s claim that he found her hanging, police conducted an investigation and accused him and his lover Haleemath Lamha of murder. Mary was a nurse in the IGMH dialysis department while Marvin and Lamha worked as nurses in the casualty department.
Marvin was charged with wilful murder and Lamha was charged with wilfully aiding a murder. She faces additional charges after police discovered medicines belonging to IGMH hidden in her room which she had taken without permission.
Two nurses testified at Monday's hearing. A nurse working in the IGMH emergency room testified that she was on duty when Mary was brought dead. The nurse added that Mary's face and palms were blue and black.
Marvin first told the hospital that Mary had drowned to death, the nurse testified, noting that both Mary and Marvin were drenched in water. But, Marvin later told the authorities that she died by hanging.
When the nurse noticed that Marvin had changed his statement, he tried to show marks of hanging on Mary's neck. But the nurse claimed that no such marks were visible. Marvin also told the nurse "we had a fight" and returned home to find Mary hanging.
When asked if the nurse had ever seen any unacceptable workplace behavior from Marvin, the nurse said that he had reacted angrily towards a teenager with a mental illness during a fit of temper.
Marvin grabbed the teenager's neck twice, the nurse testified, adding that his behavior caused alarm. However, the witness had not reported the incident to supervisors.
A foreign nurse who used to work at IGMH also testified on Monday. The nurse, who now works in Lhaviyani Hinnavaru Hospital, testified via video link. The nurse testified that Mary seemed to be in a "happy" mood before her death.
