Autopsy shows Oregon woman beaten to death

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — Autopsy results released in the case of an Oregon man charged with aggravated murder show his fiancee was beaten to death.

The Daily Astorian reports the results were released last week at a hearing for 39-year-old Christopher Fitzhugh, who is also charged with murder by abuse in the death of 43-year-old Evelyn Decker last August in Astoria.

The autopsy revealed 14 broken ribs, a collapsed lung, a swelling brain, a brain bleed and bruising over nearly her entire body.

Prosecutors say Fitzhugh beat Decker July 25 and then again the next week, causing her death on August 1.

But defense attorneys say Decker sustained only one beating on July 25 that led to a brain injury and a slow decline that ended in Decker’s death.

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Information from: The Daily Astorian, http://www.dailyastorian.com