Ronke Shonde: How husband murdered banker wife – Pathologist

A pathologist, Dr S.S. Soyele, told an Ikeja High Court on Tuesday that Ronke Shonde, the banker allegedly murdered by her dockworker husband, Lekan Shonde, had suffered severe brain injuries, which led to her death.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Soyele is a Medical Pathologist at the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, Ikeja.

He revealed the results of a post-mortem examination, conducted on Ronke, while being led in evidence by Mr Y. G. Oshoala, the lead State Prosecutor.

Soyele revealed that it was discovered during the autopsy that the deceased’s brain was heavy, swollen and filled with water and it was highly unlikely that the deceased inflicted the injuries on herself because of the multiplicity of injuries.

“The deceased died from respiratory failure, caused by cerebral edema (swollen brain), caused by a blunt force trauma to the brain,” he said.

“A bruise was found on her left jaw. During autopsy, it was also discovered that the deceased had black eyes (pupils) a tell-tale sign of brain injury.

"We opened up the body and brought out all the organs. We also opened up the skull to bring out the brain. Blood collection was discovered in the skull, just beneath the skin.

“The deceased’s uterus was also brought out and there was no sign of conception. We took samples from the brain in order to determine the cause of death, which primarily was respiratory failure caused by trauma to the brain.”

Soyele, who revealed that he and his team had conducted over 1,000 autopsies, said that Ronke’s autopsy revealed that she had suffered past injuries to her brain.