**Attorneys Seek to Question Medical Examiner’s Past Conduct in Manslaughter Trial**
Attorneys for a Louisiana man accused of killing a toddler in Knox County want to question the medical examiner during trial about a past drunk driving offense and whether he had been drinking around the time he worked on the child’s autopsy report.
Aziayh Scott, 24, has been charged with manslaughter in connection with the May 2024 death of Quayshawn Wilson, the 22-month-old son of his girlfriend at the time. He is scheduled for a jury trial in Knox County starting Monday. Scott pleaded not guilty in November 2024 and has challenged Quayshawn’s cause of death.
Prosecutors have accused Scott of stomping on the boy several hours before the child was found unresponsive during a trip to Walmart in Thomaston the night of May 29, 2024. Scott’s attorneys argue the injuries documented in Quayshawn’s autopsy report might have resulted instead from people who tried rendering aid to the toddler before police arrived at the scene.
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**Medical Examiner’s Background Under Scrutiny**
Deputy Chief Medical Examiner Liam Funte determined Quayshawn died from a severely lacerated liver. However, Funte was under monitoring by the Maine Professionals Health Program at the time after failing to immediately report that he had been charged with operating a vehicle under the influence in September 2023, while on call.
According to Cumberland County court records, Funte pleaded guilty on October 17, 2023, and agreed not to drink alcohol for two years in exchange for deferred sentencing. He also agreed to random drug and alcohol testing as part of the monitoring agreement.
Despite this agreement, Funte tested positive for alcohol twice in June 2024. He had told monitoring staff before the first test that he hadn’t been drinking.
Scott’s attorneys say these violations occurred after Funte handled Quayshawn’s autopsy on May 30, 2024, and before he signed the autopsy report later that summer.
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**Defense Challenges Autopsy Findings**
The defense has challenged Funte’s report, alleging he did not “adequately document or measure” the extent of the toddler’s injuries, contrary to nationally recommended performance standards for forensic pathologists.
“These failures may suggest that Dr. Funte performed this autopsy while either under the influence of alcohol or while experiencing other mental health issues, and the credibility of his ultimate opinion is further cast in doubt,” Scott’s attorney Christopher MacLean wrote in court records.
The defense is seeking permission to question Funte about these concerns and others during the trial.
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**Court Hearing and Debate Over Questioning Medical Examiner**
Superior Court Justice John O’Neil did not immediately decide the issue during a hearing Friday in Waldo County Superior Court. It was unclear from a live Zoom feed whether Funte was present. He was not called to testify or answer questions.
Neither Funte nor a spokesperson for the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner responded to requests for comment on Friday.
Assistant Attorney General Leanne Robbin argued in court that the defense’s claims represent a “quantum leap” between the licensing board’s findings and Funte’s autopsy report in Scott’s case.
“We disagree that Dr. Funte was skirting any minimum recommendations,” Robbin said. “There is zero evidence that any of the issues in that consent agreement affected his ability to do the autopsy in this case.”
Robbin noted that autopsies are typically performed with two assistants and that Funte had two Maine State Police officers in the room during the procedure.
“If there was any indication that alcohol was involved, we would know that by now,” she added.
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**Additional Defense Requests and Past Lawsuit**
Justice O’Neil is also considering another request from MacLean regarding whether attorneys can question Funte about a 2022 lawsuit in Mississippi. In that case, Funte was accused of signing off on an inaccurate autopsy report that blamed a Black woman for the death of her newborn daughter.
Hospital records later showed the baby had died from a medical condition, and injuries found on the child’s body were caused by medical staff trying to save her. The lawsuit was dismissed in May 2024, although court records do not state why.
MacLean argued that the Mississippi case raises “troubling questions about racial bias,” especially given that Scott is Black.
The attorney general’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment on the Mississippi lawsuit.
O’Neil is also weighing whether MacLean can question Funte about sealed records referencing a human resources investigation and disciplinary action against him.
As MacLean began describing these records in court, Robbin objected, stating the records are confidential personnel files.
“Has the law court ever addressed whether or not these types of confidentiality orders are actually constitutionally appropriate when a defendant has a right to a fair and public trial?” O’Neil asked during the hearing.
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**Disciplinary History and Lack of Evidence Against Scott**
Funte was disciplined by the medical examiner’s office in December 2020 and placed on a 30-day unpaid suspension, according to documents obtained previously by the Press Herald. The reason for this discipline is unclear, as the state has refused to release further documentation.
Scott’s attorneys maintain that the state has no other evidence tying their client to Quayshawn’s death. There are no confessions or witness accounts of any assault.
Prosecutors have said a neighbor watched Scott carry Quayshawn to the car on the day of his death, noting the child’s head was tilted back “in a very concerning manner.”
Scott’s attorneys have pointed out his lack of criminal history and dispute state allegations made in 2024 that he had a history of domestic violence involving another woman in Mississippi. Shaneka Washington, Scott’s girlfriend at the time and Quayshawn’s mother, has also disputed those allegations, according to reporting from the Midcoast Villager.
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**Events Leading Up to Quayshawn’s Death**
On the day of Quayshawn’s death, Scott reportedly spent the entire afternoon caring for the toddler after Washington fed the boy lunch and left for work, according to an affidavit from Maine State Police.
It wasn’t until that evening, while outside the Walmart, that they noticed Quayshawn was unresponsive and began shouting for help. Two bystanders, including an off-duty nurse, attempted to administer CPR.
During Friday’s court session, prosecutors played a video of officers arriving at the scene that night. Scott, sitting between his attorneys, buried his head in his hands and wiped his eyes as the footage showing Quayshawn was displayed.
https://www.sunjournal.com/2025/10/31/attorneys-for-man-accused-of-killing-toddler-in-knox-county-cast-doubt-on-autopsy-report/
