Graphic testimony in Clemons trial
Karissa Kunco would have bled to death in only a few moments after her throat was slashed from ear to ear, forensic pathologist Dr. Abdulrezak Shakir testified Tuesday in Washington County court.
The main gash on her neck was deep, and it severed major arteries and her vocal cords. Photographs of the backseat of her black Toyota convertible – where investigators believe Kunco was killed – showed pools of blood that soaked through the cushion and gathered in the interior of the seat.
Testimony from Shakir and Washington County Coroner Tim Warco came during the second day of the murder trial of Jordan Clemons. Both men said Kunco lost an extensive amount of blood.
“She would have went into a state of shock and died a few minutes later,” Shakir said.
Shakir said Kunco had no defensive marks on her body, but several abrasions were found on her chest, neck, upper left thigh and lower left leg.
Their testimony followed additional information about the discovery of her body on Sabo Road, in Mt. Pleasant Township, and the discovery of her running vehicle on Gladden Road, Cecil Township, Jan. 12, 2012. Kunco was last seen alive Jan. 11, 2012. State police allege, after killing her, Clemons, 26, dragged her naked body into the woods along Sabo Road and covered it with leaves, brush and a tree stump. Kunco had a protection-from-abuse order against Clemons out of Allegheny County court following a Dec. 18, 2011, assault that left her face bruised and misshaped. Though she had a PFA against Clemons, Kunco agreed to met him the evening of Jan. 11 after he threatened to kill himself, according to social media accounts shown in court.
Kunco’s family and friends spent much of the day Tuesday outside of the courtroom, as pictures of her body where displayed for the jury. Those that stayed shielded their faces or looked away.
Pennsylvania State Police Cpl. Richard Hunter also testified Tuesday. Hunter spent the majority of the morning guiding the jury through the two scenes, focusing on the manner in which Kunco’s body was found.
Although covered with leaves and a stump, Kunco’s body was visible from Sabo Road in Mt. Pleasant Township, which allowed two land surveyors to discover her remains around noon Jan. 12.
A video and photographs showed a single drag mark roughly 22 feet long that started at the road and led to her body. A plastic bag and a pair of red women’s underwear were found in the middle of Sabo Road. A stump and a pink sweatshirt covered Kunco’s head.
Clemons, formerly of Canonsburg, could face the death penalty if convicted of killing the 21-year-old Kunco, of Pittsburgh.
In total, the jury heard from seven witnesses Tuesday, and could hear from an additional eight witnesses today.
Tensions remain high as Kunco’s and Clemons’ families come in contact with another. At one point, six Washington County deputies were stationed within the courtroom as a precaution.