SAN ANTONIO On Friday, a medical examiner revealed that the Air Force major’s wife was most likely killed with a hammer and claws, not trampled on, as her husband told his relatives during an alleged confession.

Dr. James Feig, a forensic pathologist with the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office, performed the autopsy. Andrew MacDonaldwhose remains were found in a field in northern Bexar County in the summer of 2019. Her husband, Andre MacDonaldstands trial for her death on charges of murder.

Feig said the autopsy took several days because they only had her skeletal remains. He added that an autopsy like this is like putting a puzzle together.

He testified that Andreene MacDonald’s cause of death was “murderous violence, including blunt trauma”. When asked by the prosecution whether the injury was consistent with being struck with a hammer and claws, Feig answered in the affirmative.

Feig testified that Andreene McDonald was found to have several injuries. These included fractures to her spine, charring of her finger bones, and a broken jaw that he believed was caused by more than just a blow, contradicting what Andre Macdonald allegedly told his mother-in-law and daughter-in-law for three days. before the start of the trial.

During the alleged confession, the defendant said “he stamped her foot,” according to Cindy Johnson, his sister-in-law, who testified on the first day of the trial. When the prosecution asked if Andre Macdonald had stomped her multiple times, Johnson replied, “He didn’t say.”

Melissa Baldwin, a forensic serologist with the Bexar County Crime Lab, testified that the blood found on the handle and head of the hammer found in the McDonald home belonged to Andreene.

Also testifying Friday was Clifton Klabunde, who discovered the remains of Andreene McDonald’s on Specht Road. Klabunde said he went to the property to collect a cow’s head to decorate a friend’s yard when he smelled bad.

“The first thing I saw was a skull. I didn’t even come close to it,” Klabunde told jurors. He then called the owner, who contacted the Bexar County Sheriff’s Office.

Air Force Commander André Macdonald in 2019 was the first witness to testify.

The testimony of Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Michael Chetelat revealed some inconsistencies with André MacDonald’s account of his wife’s disappearance.

Chetela said that when he met with André Macdonald on the day his wife went missing, the defendant appeared calm.

But when he returned to McDonald’s home the next day, he noticed several band-aids on the defendant’s arm.

“He said he was tending rose bushes and got hurt,” Chetela said. Earlier this week, a McDonalds gardener revealed that he had been gardening them and they had no lawn equipment.

Chetela testified that something else attracted him to the behavior of the defendant.

When the prosecution asked Chetel if Andre Macdonald had asked about his wife, he replied, “Not that I knew about it.”

During cross-examination, Chetela said that Andre MacDonald had no disciplinary issues in the Air Force.

The trial will resume at 9 am Monday in the 399th Circuit Court. Judge Frank Castro presides over the trial.

KSAT to broadcast live hammer-to-hammer trial KSAT.com, KSAT Plus and beyond KSAT YouTube channel.

If Andre Macdonald is found guilty of murder, he faces a life sentence.

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