HAGÅTÑA (The Guam Daily Post) — The resignation of Chief Medical Examiner Dr. Jeffrey Nine “might greatly impact” how a prosecutor looks at a case where a couple is accused of beating their 1-year-old son to death.
On Monday afternoon, Superior Court of Guam Judge Vernon Perez called a status hearing for Giltinan Ramangmou and Paul John Tuncap Cruz, who are facing charges related to the death of their 1-year-old son in November 2023.
Perez has called hearings for the case regularly since the pair were charged, as the parties involved have faced several obstacles that needed to be addressed before a trial can begin.
During the Monday hearing, Assistant Attorney General Sean Brown stated there was a new issue relating to Nine’s resignation.
“The reason why I bring this up, Your Honor, is that this might greatly impact how I look at our case. The medical examiner in this case is probably our only witness that we’d have to testify to prevail and if he is leaving (the) island anytime soon and not willing to come back, that’s going to cause me to ask the court to move the trial before he leaves,” said Brown, who wanted to make Perez and defense attorneys for Ramangmou and Cruz aware of the situation at the hearing.
According to Post files, Nine issued his letter of resignation, indicating his last day of employment will be April 29. Nine indicated in the letter that “recent personal circumstances” have required him to relocate to the mainland with his family.
Brown said he learned of Nine’s resignation from the media, but had yet to contact Nine to get a “firmer idea on what’s going to happen next.”
Nine addressed his resignation letter to Attorney General Douglas Moylan and Guam Memorial Hospital Administrator Lillian Perez-Posadas, who are the co-chairs for the Commission on Post-Mortem Examinations.
When asked by the Post on Tuesday how Nine’s departure could affect the prosecution of cases, Moylan responded he’s confident Nine will be available.
“He’s assured me,” Moylan told the Post, adding the commission is in the process of issuing a notice for the next meeting, which will address logistics needed to “maintain a CME and transition into a replacement.”
Moylan also said he believed there will be two medical examiners available pending the hiring of a full-time replacement for Nine.
Charges
Ramangmou was charged with murder as a first-degree felony and other crimes. The charges stem from allegations that Ramangmou punched her 1-year-old son, who was later found by officers with the Guam Police Department to be pulseless, breathless and with multiple severe head injuries.
When police met with Ramangmou, officers reported she was crying hysterically and yelling, “I should’ve taken him to the hospital. I’m so sorry, God!”
Ramangmou, according to court documents, told officers the child was on the bed but that he had fallen on his face. She said she treated the child by putting ice on his head.
Police saw the boy had multiple severe head injuries and that rigor mortis and livor mortis had set in, which suggested several hours had passed before authorities were contacted. The magistrate’s complaint stated that GPD was contacted about three hours after Cruz told Ramangmou to call.
Nine conducted an initial assessment of the child’s injuries and found them to be consistent with “battered baby syndrome,” adding that the boy had injuries similar to that of a “child involved in a vehicle collision at a high rate of speed,” the complaint stated.
Cruz faces charges of child abuse and failure to provide assistance. Both Cruz and Ramangmou pleaded not guilty to their respective charges.
Giltinan Ramangmou, front, is seen walking out of a court hearing with her attorney, William Bischoff, on Friday, Feb. 23, 2024, at the Superior Court of Guam in Hagåtña.
