Casino manager on verge of release from hospital when he died, manslaughter trial hears
Rodney Frenette was admitted to hospital after an altercation with Michael Glaspy in March 2023
A Moncton casino manager injured in an altercation on the job was making progress in hospital and was about to be discharged when he died, according to doctor's notes read in court Tuesday by defence lawyer Gilles Lemieux.
Rodney Frenette was admitted to the hospital after an alleged assault on March 4, 2023, that caused him to fall and hit the back of his head.
A jury learned Tuesday that weeks later, Frenette fell and hit his head again, this time on his hospital bed, took a turn for the worse and died.
Lemieux revealed the details as he cross-examined forensic pathologist Dr. Kenneth Obenson, who performed the autopsy on Frenette.
The testimony came during the second week of Michael Glaspy's manslaughter trial in Moncton's Court of King's Bench.
Obenson said he performed the autopsy two days after Frenette's death on March 28 and found he died of blunt force trauma to the head.
Frenette suffered a 10-centimetre-long fracture to the back of his skull, which appeared in images shown to the jury. Obenson also noted signs of swelling and contusions, or bruises, to other parts of his brain, which he said were all consistent with the fall at the casino on March 4.
Last week, the jury saw footage of an altercation between Frenette and Glaspy, which led to Frenette falling backward and hitting his head on the floor of the Hub City Pub. Previous witnesses also testified about the incident and said Frenette remained still on the floor and had blood coming out of an ear.
In court Tuesday, Obenson pointed to his own head as he said the impact would have jolted Frenette's brain in the opposite direction, which bruised the front of his brain.
Obenson also said that he found evidence Frenette's heart vessels were "narrowed substantially," but that he didn't ultimately believe it played a role in his death.
He said there were signs Frenette suffered a stroke.
During his cross-examination, Lemieux said Frenette's discharge notes indicate that on March 16, or 12 days after being admitted, he fell and hit his head on his hospital bed while getting up to use the bathroom in the night.
The next day, Frenette had slurred speech, part of his face was drooping, he was sluggish and unreactive. Lemieux also said a doctor noted that Frenette had lost all motor response.
The doctor did not testify Tuesday and Lemieux did not name him.
Lemieux pointed to the fact that Frenette seemed to be healing from the first fall at the casino before his second fall in hospital.
"Are you certain that that stroke was caused solely by the first fall?" Lemieux asked Obenson.
"The short answer is I will not say I'm absolutely certain," he replied, agreeing it would have been useful for him to have had the details about what happened during Frenette's hospital stay.
Lemieux continued, asking: "The injuries that you found post-mortem, some of them were fresh. Did you see the original X-ray of his injuries?"
Obenson replied no.
"So if he fell backwards and actually cracked his skull in the hospital, you wouldn't know that either would you?"
"I probably wouldn't be able to tell," Obenson said.
Even without knowing all the facts at the time, OBenson said he believes the second fall could have been a result of brain damage Frenette suffered from the first fall.
"At the end of the day, everything flows from the first fall."
Off-duty paramedic was on scene in casino
Kyle Stewart was off-duty in his job as a paramedic on March 4, and sitting in a booth with his girlfriend about five feet (about 1½ metres) from the altercation at the Hub City Pub.
He said he witnessed Glaspy swing his left arm before both he and Frenette fell, along with two staff members holding Glaspy back.
He said Glaspy looked intoxicated because of "the glazed look in his eyes."
Stewart said he jumped out of his booth and began treating Frenette after he saw him on the ground, and until his co-workers who were on duty arrived on scene.
"He was laying on the floor in a pool of blood," Stewart testified.
Stewart said he couldn't feel a pulse for about 45 seconds. Frenette only regained consciousness about six minutes after he fell, and he was confused.
"He didn't know his name, he didn't know the city he was in," Stewart said.
During cross-examination, Stewart told Lemieux he didn't actually see the punch that hit Frenette but he assumed it did by the way Frenette moved his head.
Before any testimony was heard, Justice Christa Bourque informed the jury that one juror had been excused from his duties, leaving 12 on the jury. The reason for the discharge can't be reported.
The four-week trial continues Wednesday.
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