Teoh Beng Hock most probably squatted on a window ledge at the offices of the Selangor branch of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) and jumped to his death nine floors below.
This was the theory put forward at the Royal Commission of Inquiry (RCI) investigating Teoh's death by Universiti Malaya forensic pathology lecturer Dr Prashant Samberkhar.
"My theory is that he brushed on the window, that was why there were fingerprint marks on the windows, and he jumped off the edge of the window from a squatting position," said Prashant.
"He was resting on the ledge in a squatting position and holding the window in his hand," he added.
Prashant said the scratches found on the soles of Teoh's shoes matched the 3mm width of a window frame at the MACC's offices at the time.
He said in an accidental fall, Teoh would have had extensive head and chest injuries, with multiple fractures due to compression.
He believed Teoh was conscious as he landed on his feet and pegged Teoh's time of death as between 7.15am and 11.15am.
Earlier, Hospital Tengku Ampuan Rahimah (HTAR) Forensics Department senior medical consultant Dr Khairul Azman Ibrahim testified that Teoh could have died between 6.30am and 7am based on his stomach contents.
Prashant performed the post-mortem of Teoh on July 17, 2009 with Khairul a day after Teoh was found dead on the fifth floor landing of Plaza Masalam, Shah Alam.
Teoh, an aide to Seri Kembangan assemblyman Ean Yong Hian Wah, was called in to the MACC's 14th floor offices in the same building as a witness in investigations over the assemblyman's disbursements.
Khairul Azman also said he had examined Teoh's eyes and found no petechiae, or blood spots which would be indicative that Teoh was strangled.
He had been asked by the RCI chairman, Federal Court Justice Tan Sri James Foong before the lunch break to read the reports prepared by Thai forensics expert Dr Pornthip Rojanasunand and "defend his reputation".
Khairul Azman had disagreed with several points in Pornthip's report, such as the existence of bruises on Teoh's right ankle. he instead noted there was a laceration due to an ankle fracture.
He said he did not understand what Pornthip had meant when she said a second bruise on Teoh's neck could not have been caused by a bent knee.
Earlier in the morning, he had testified that Teoh was probably alive for a few minutes after he landed.
"To me, he tried to break his fall and protect himself by landing on his feet. When we examined the body, there were gas bubbles in the chest wall on the left side. When he landed, he was still breathing. He was probably alive for a few minutes," he said.
To a question from conducting officer Amarjeet Singh, Khairul Azman said he found no signs of injuries relating to a struggle.
"I couldn't get any strong evidence of injuries related to a struggle. Such injuries could be bruises on the hands and also on the face indicative of a punch. I didn't find any strong evidence of that," he said.
"The lack of foreign DNA in the fingernails also show there is no strong proof that he fought or scratched an assailant. If he had scratched someone, the DNA of the assailant could be present under the fingernails," he added.
Asked by Commissioner Datuk Bhupinder Singh about the anal injuries found on Teoh, Khairul said that those injuries were also due to the fall, when Teoh's buttocks hit the ground.
"Because of the contour of the buttocks, when it is compressed due to the fall, the anus will stretch and at the same time the bones of the sacrum will injure the anus," said Khairul Azman who also testified about the injuries to Teoh's neck.
"It can be caused by a fall where the lower jaw is fractured in the fall and there is blood in the soft tissue. It could be due to possible overstretching of the neck, or hyperextension," said Khairul Azman, explaining how such hyperextension could have occurred.
"His head could have hyperextended if he had hit a protruding object during the fall. It need not be an external object, it could be one of his own limbs," he added.
The inquiry continues.
