MIAMI – An eighth-grader found slain in a middle school bathroom was stabbed at least 40 times, and wounds on his hand indicate he may have tried to fend off the attack, the medical examiner's office said.
In findings released Thursday, Miami-Dade County (search) officials said most of the wounds 14-year-old Jaime Gough (search) suffered were to his face and neck. Seven were on his right hand.
"The medical examiner's report is just devastating for Jaime's family," said their attorney, Lee Marks. "The stab wounds to his hands make it apparent that Jaime fought, and that makes it even more difficult."
The victim, described as a good student who liked baseball and played the violin and flute, was found bleeding to death Feb. 3 in a boys' restroom at Southwood Middle School (search) in affluent, suburban Palmetto Bay (search).
Police say Michael Hernandez, also 14, gave a detailed confession on the day of the killing. As a juvenile charged as an adult, he could be sentenced to life in prison if convicted of first-degree murder. He has pleaded not guilty.
Hernandez's attorney, Richard Rosenbaum, did not return a phone message seeking comment Friday. John Spencer, a psychologist on the boy's defense team, said the number of wounds indicates "the severe disturbance of the person who inflicted them."
Miami-Dade County school officials declined to comment.
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