7.Jennifer Stratton — Direct
129 linesMS. SPRAGUE: The Commonwealth calls Jennifer Stratton.
MR. REDDINGTON: Same objection, Your Honor.
THE COURT: Hey, good morning.
JENNIFER STRATTON: Good morning.
THE COURT: Hi. I'm gonna ask you to keep your voice up so the jury can hear you, okay?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Okay.
THE COURT: Great. Thank you. Yeah, Ms. Sprague.
MS. SPRAGUE: Thank you. Good morning. Can you please state and spell your name for the record?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes. Jennifer Stratton. J-E-N-N-I-F-E-R S-T-R-A-T-T-O-N.
MS. SPRAGUE: And your date of birth?
JENNIFER STRATTON: July 11th, 1986.
MS. SPRAGUE: Where do you work?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Duxbury Fire Department.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how long have you been a Duxbury firefighter?
JENNIFER STRATTON: 12 years.
MS. SPRAGUE: Are you also a paramedic?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And how long have you been a paramedic?
JENNIFER STRATTON: About 13.
MS. SPRAGUE: And have you completed all the training and certification required to be a paramedic?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: I wanna direct your attention to January 24th, 2023. Were you working that day?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes, I was.
MS. SPRAGUE: And were you working a 24-hour shift that started at 8:00 AM?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And were you part of a crew that was dispatched to 47 Summer Street just after 6:00 PM?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And who was with you in that crew?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Firefighter Patrick Dwyer was with me in the engine that night.
MS. SPRAGUE: And approximately how long did it take you to get from the station you were located at to 47 Summer Street?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Maybe four or five minutes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And were you driving?
JENNIFER STRATTON: I was driving that night.
MS. SPRAGUE: What did you see when you arrived?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Pulled up to the address. Saw our ambulance crew. They had arrived just before we did. They were starting to walk to the back of the house.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you follow?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you see in the backyard?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Came to the backyard. Saw firefighter Dan Dougherty kneeling next to a person. It was very dark. Ended up being Ms. Clancy. That was all we saw for a few seconds.
MS. SPRAGUE: And at that point, did you hear something?
JENNIFER STRATTON: We did. Heard a voice yelling for us to get inside of the house, that there was a kid hanging in the basement.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you go into the house?
JENNIFER STRATTON: We did.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what entrance did you go in?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Through the slider doors in the rear.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did that lead you into the kitchen?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And then did you proceed to the basement?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: When you got down to the basement, down the basement stairs, would it be accurate to state that you can either go right or left?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Which direction did you go?
JENNIFER STRATTON: We took a left.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you see when you went left?
JENNIFER STRATTON: We took a left, and we saw Callan and Cora face up on the ground.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you saw them, what did you do?
JENNIFER STRATTON: I immediately jumped on the radio to ask for two additional ambulances, that we needed more help, and Patrick ran to Cora, and I went to Callan.
MS. SPRAGUE: And…
MS. SPRAGUE: Showing you what's been marked as Exhibit 100. Is this the room that you entered?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And where was Cora, to your memory?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Cora was just to the left in this picture, and Callan was just to the right.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you say just to the left, are you pointing over towards the equipment against the wall in the picture?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you say to the right, are you pointing to the area to the right of the dresser?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: I'm showing you Exhibit 98. Is that the area where Callan was found?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And close up, Exhibit 99, do you see the pajamas there, the stethoscope, and the blue exercise band?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Do you recall removing Callan's pajamas to treat him?
JENNIFER STRATTON: I did, yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: So when you went over to Callan, you remove his clothing. What do you do after that?
JENNIFER STRATTON: I didn't remove his entire onesie right away. Made sure that—checked him for a pulse. He did not have one. Immediately started chest compressions on him.
MS. SPRAGUE: Now, for... This is an eight-month-old baby, correct?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: Is the way you do chest compressions for a baby different than other people, other ages?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes. Because of the size, you have to scoop your arms around, and you compress with your thumbs and—
MR. REDDINGTON: Object to the testimony.
THE COURT: I'll allow it.
MS. SPRAGUE: So you said you have to put your hands underneath, on the back of the child, and then use your thumbs to do compressions?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And is that what you did for Callan?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And what did you do next?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Continued CPR on him until more, more help and hands started to arrive on scene. We had an off-duty firefighter, Tom Brandt, come in, and he started to assist me. He took over compressions briefly while more help started to arrive.
MS. SPRAGUE: When Brandt took over chest compressions, what did you do?
JENNIFER STRATTON: At that point, someone had brought down a bag valve mask to help us deliver oxygen to the child, and we started delivering oxygen to the child.
MS. SPRAGUE: And...
MS. SPRAGUE: At some point, did you remove the pajamas completely?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And when you removed the pajamas completely, was that so someone could attempt to get IO access through the baby's legs?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes.
MS. SPRAGUE: And was that successful?
JENNIFER STRATTON: That was not successful, no.
MS. SPRAGUE: Is that difficult to do with a child that age?
JENNIFER STRATTON: It's a little more difficult. It's a less frequent practiced skill, but...
MS. SPRAGUE: Were multiple attempts made to get the IV in, access into the bone in Callan's leg?
JENNIFER STRATTON: I attempted once, and another provider attempted a second time. I don't remember who that was.
MS. SPRAGUE: And neither, neither attempt was successful?
MS. SPRAGUE: What did you do next?
COURT REPORTER: Sorry. I didn't get her answer.
MS. SPRAGUE: Oh, what was your answer?
JENNIFER STRATTON: For which part?
MS. SPRAGUE: I'm sorry. Was either attempt successful?
JENNIFER STRATTON: No, no.
MS. SPRAGUE: What did you do next?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Eventually, Kingston Fire arrived on scene to provide the ambulance for transport for Callan. We—I don't know how long we were in the basement for, but we did make the decision eventually it was time to get moving to the truck and start going to the hospital.
MS. SPRAGUE: While you were working on Callan, did you notice any injuries on him?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes. He had deep strangulation marks around the entire circumference of his neck.
MS. SPRAGUE: And throughout the entire time that you're in the basement, are chest compressions being done, and you're trying to assist him with breathing?
MS. SPRAGUE: Did he, in the home, ever gain a pulse or the ability to breathe?
JENNIFER STRATTON: No, he did not.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was he eventually taken to the ambulance?
MS. SPRAGUE: And how was he removed from the basement and brought to the ambulance?
JENNIFER STRATTON: I scooped him up in my arms and carried him outside to the truck.
MS. SPRAGUE: And did you go with him in that transport to the hospital?
MS. SPRAGUE: And at any point in time, did he regain the ability to breathe or a heartbeat during that transport?
JENNIFER STRATTON: No, he did not.
MS. SPRAGUE: Was care transferred to medical staff at Beth Israel Deaconess Plymouth?
JENNIFER STRATTON: Yes, they were.
MS. SPRAGUE: Nothing further. Thank you.
THE COURT: Mr. Reddington.
MR. REDDINGTON: Thank you.
THE COURT: You may step down. Thank you.
JENNIFER STRATTON: Thank you.