Accused playboy strangler Nicholas Brooks was back in court sporting a new necktie and a new haircut today to watch his lead prosecutor pick apart the only man who could possibly save him — a $4,000-a-day expert pathologist.
The pathologist — Charles Wetli, of TWA Flight 800 fame — got a run for his money.
At a spirited, daylong pretrial hearing, Wetli was cross-examined vigorously on his theory that tragic swimsuit designer Sylvie Cachay may have drugged herself to the point of accidentally falling semi-clothed into a bathtub at the Soho House three years ago.
The pathologist downplayed the broken blood vessels in the 33-year-old beauty’s eyes, and the fingerprint-sized bruises on her neck. He said “There are probably a million scenarios” explaining why the top of her head suffered a massive bruise, but the rest of her head showed no external trauma.
“Doctor, isn’t it true that short of her falling on her head as a result of a skydiving accident — ” lead prosecutor Joel Seidemann began asking.
“Objection!” interrupted defense lawyer Jeffrey Hoffman. Manhattan Supreme Court Justice Bonnie Wittner sustained the objection, and Seidemann rephrased his question.
“Would you agree that she would have to be hitting an object head first without getting injuries to her face?” he asked, to which Wetli answered, “Yes. That’s what I just said.”
Wetli, who said he makes $500,000 a year as an expert forensic witness, had been criticized when he headed the Suffolk County ME’s office for taking 10 months to positively identify all 230 victims of the July, 1996 jumbo jet crash. He retired in 2006.
He conceded today that he only personally performed one autopsy last year, and said he couldn’t remember the last time he’d autopsied a strangulation victim — though he did know it was prior to his retirement.
The case is on again May 24 for further arguments on the admissibility of Wetli’s testimony and on incriminating emails, texts and testimony prosecutors hope to show jurors when the case goes to trial later this year.