Kim Jong Nam Assassination: Soiled Underwear, Contracted Pupils Indicate Poisoning, Doctor Testifies

A Malaysian doctor, Monday, testified in Shah Alam court, Shah Alam, Malaysia, at the trial of the two women accused of murdering the estranged brother of North Korea's leader Kim Jong Un, that the deceased's underwear was soiled with feces and his pupils contracted, both of which are signs of poisoning.

The two women, Siti Aisyah of Indonesia and Doan Thi Huong of Vietnam were charged with the murder of Kim Jong Nam, the brother of the North Korean leader, by smearing the prohibited VX nerve agent on his face on Feb. 13 while he was waiting for his flight at Kuala Lumpur International Airport. They however pleaded not guilty to the charges when the trial began on Oct. 2.

According to a report by the Associated Press, Nurliza Abdullah, one of the two doctors who did the autopsy on the body of Kim told the Shah Alam court that the sizable amount of feces found in the underwear and constriction of the pupil, are both indications of poisoning.

She also agreed with another colleague who gave a similar report in the testimony earlier in the trial. Abdullah said, "Based on our autopsy and the lab test results, the cause of death is acute nerve agent VX poisoning."

But on the other hand, Abdullah also agreed with the point of the defense counsel which stated that the post-mortem report alone was not able to confirm that the VX nerve agent was the cause of death. It also stated that the autopsy conclusion was based on the tests made by the chemical department which found indication of the nerve agent on Nam’s face and body.

According to the report, Monday’s trial was cut short as the next prosecution witness was not ready. The trial will again take place on Tuesday.

The defense lawyers have stated that both the suspects were deceived by North Korean agents into thinking that they were playing a prank for a TV show.

Both the suspects were charged with murder and if found guilty, they would face the death penalty, CNN reported in March.

The charge sheet at the time also mentioned four other suspects who were thought to be a part of the crime. The Malaysian officials named four North Koreans as suspects, and another three suspects were wanted for questioning.

According to another CNN report from February, it was reported that Aisyah was seen celebrating her 25th birthday the night before the incident took place.

According to the footage filmed by Aisyah’s friends, which showed them singing "Happy Birthday," one of her friends in the video said, "And now the person next to me will become a celebrity," which reportedly made Aisyah laugh.

Surveillance footage from Feb. 13 showed Aisyah and Huong approach Nam as he went through terminal 2 of Kuala Lumpur Airport. They then put the nerve agent on Nam’s face which resulted in his death after 20 minutes, as reported by the police.