An independent autopsy conducted on the body of slain poet-activist Ericson Acosta, who was supposedly killed in an encounter with military troops last year, showed that he was shot at least six times.

That’s according to forensic pathologist Dr. Raquel Fortun, who presented her findings to the media on Saturday.

Fortun said she found multiple gunshot wounds in Acosta’s chest, hand, and his right thigh.

“Fatal yung sa chest kasi tinamaan yung lungs. Ang dami niyang hemorrhage,” said Fortun.

But she noted that there were also some gunshot wounds that produced little to no bleeding, suggesting that Acosta may have been shot even after he had already died.

• PH Army names Acosta as among those killed in Negros firefight

“That is a very interesting finding, lalo na yung tama niya sa likod. Very severe yan, talagang wasak yung lumbar vertebrae, spinal cord. Yung aorta tinamaan so you would expect a lot of bleeding there but how come wala? Magbi-bleed ka kung buhay ka pa. Ang patay, hindi na,” she explained.

Meanwhile, Fortun added that Acosta’s right hand may have been shot way before he was killed.

“Namamaga at maitim yung kamay. So that means there was time for this injury to develop. So ano yan, way before the fatal shots? Kasi kung binarily siya same time, hindi yan mag-eedema, hindi ganyan magiging itsura niyan,” she said.

In Fortun’s autopsy report, she determined that the manner of Acosta’s killing was homicide.

• Groups say poet-activist Ericson Acosta killed by military in Negros Occidental

The Armed Forces of the Philippines has claimed that Acosta, who was a consultant for the National Democratic Front, died in an alleged clash with the military on November 30 along with his companion, peasant organizer Joseph Jimenez in Kabankalan City, Negros Oriental.

But the NDF and human rights groups belie this claim, insisting that the two were captured alive by soldiers but were later tagged as casualties in an encounter.