A forensic pathologist testified that Margit Somogyi, the woman allegedly killed by her husband in Burlington, died due to neck compression — but a serious pre-existing heart condition may have contributed to her death.
Dr. Michael Pollanen, Ontario’s Chief Forensic Pathologist, appeared in Milton court on April 16 to present his findings to the jury in the second-degree murder trial of Sandor Somogyi, 72. Sandor is accused of killing his 67-year-old wife, Margit, in her Regency Court apartment on January 13, 2023.
While Sandor has acknowledged, in an agreed statement of facts, that he caused Margit’s death, he has pleaded not guilty to second-degree murder.
Pollanen did not perform the autopsy himself but reviewed the report and provided expert analysis. He concluded the immediate cause of death was compression of the neck, based on bruising to muscles on the right side of Margit’s neck and petechial hemorrhages on her face — classic indicators of strangulation.
However, he could not determine the precise method used. Ligature strangulation (using an object like a rope or cord) was ruled out. Pollanen said the compression may have been caused by manual force, such as hands or arms, or by her neck being pressed against an object.
He could not say whether Margit was compressed from the front or back, how long it lasted, or her exact time of death.
The autopsy also revealed hypertensive heart disease — Margit’s heart was twice the normal size for a woman her age, a condition that could not be ruled out as a contributing factor.
Pollanen presented two possible scenarios:
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Neck compression alone caused Margit’s death.
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Neck compression triggered a fatal cardiac episode, due to her heart condition.
“We simply don’t know if it was one or the other that happened,” Pollanen told the court.
Assistant Crown Attorney Maureen McGuigan asked if the heart condition alone could explain Margit’s death, given the other physical signs. Pollanen responded that it could not.
During cross-examination, defence lawyer Donald Carter suggested another possibility — that Margit’s neck was compressed and later, a stressful event such as an argument, caused a heart attack.
Pollanen said he would equate neck compression itself to a stressful event and conceded Carter’s theory was possible.
Carter also pointed out that Margit’s hyoid bone and larynx were not fractured — injuries often seen in strangulation. Pollanen acknowledged this but said their absence doesn’t eliminate neck compression as a cause.
