Guards suffocated teen, examiner says

[Judi Lynn]

Source: Miami Herald

Guards suffocated teen, examiner says
Tampa's medical examiner testified that Martin Lee Anderson died because boot camp guards deprived him of oxygen.
Posted on Sat, Oct. 06, 2007

BY SUSANNAH A. NESMITH
[e-mail]

PANAMA CITY -- Martin Lee Anderson would be alive today if Bay County Boot Camp guards hadn't repeatedly kept him from breathing, a medical examiner testified Friday in the guards' manslaughter trial.

Tampa's chief medical examiner, Dr. Vernard Adams, told the jury Anderson died of suffocation because the guards held their hands over his mouth while pushing ammonia close to his nose three separate times -- once for a full five minutes.

His findings contradicted the results of the first autopsy performed by Bay County Medical Examiner Dr. Charles Siebert, who ruled that Anderson died of sickle cell trait, a normally benign condition.

Adams blamed Anderson's death on the guards, who punched and kicked him for 30 minutes and covered the teen's mouth while using the ammonia -- all of which was captured on videotape.

The teen died Jan. 6, 2006, the day after he was admitted to the Bay County Boot Camp. The seven guards and a boot camp nurse, who watched the entire incident, were charged with manslaughter after Adams released his findings.



Read more: http://www.miamiherald.com/top_stories/story/262339.html

[Kagemusha]

1. His findings "contradicted" the first autopsy? Extreme understatement.

No excuses. The guards are guilty as hell, and shame, shame on the nurse for not lifting even her voice when they were suffocating the boy.

[FooFootheSnoo]

12. I saw that nurse on the video

she just stood there and watched with her hand on her hip the whole time. She should lose her license. She doesn't deserve to be a nurse.

[Kagemusha]

14. I was withholding judgment but now I'm sure she should.

A nurse should be able to tell when someone's being suffocated for five minutes straight!

[Divine Discontent]

16. well, I think she needs arrested for watching someone be tortured to death, that's just me N/T

[superconnected]

32. She's charged with Manslaughter.

That at least is something.

I hope she goes to prison for a very long time.

[truthisfreedom]

2. Remember when the far right claimed that Clinton caused an explosion of oral sex in teens?

bushco is responsible for ALL of this torture and terror. They've made it "OK" to murderously torture people.

[Paulie]

3. And the Bay County Medical Examiner

Dr. Charles Siebert should lose his license and also be charged with conspiracy in trying to cover up the murder.

[Kolesar]

4. Just what kind of "boot camp" is this?

That kills a 16 year old man? The articles at the Miami Herald don't explain. It looks like a paramilitary/penal system.

[UpInArms]

5. here's a better article on the boot camp and who supported it

http://www.nospank.net/n-p68r.htm

Sheriff to shut boot camp
The Bay County sheriff says he will cancel the camp's contract in 90 days: Its "integrity ... has been compromised."

By CURTIS KRUEGER, LETITIA STEIN and ABBIE VANSICKLE St. Petersburg Times, February 22, 2006

A Panama City juvenile boot camp will be shut down and Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark Ober will investigate the death of a teenager who had been beaten by guards at the camp.

In rapid-fire developments Tuesday, the treatment of another boy raised new questions about operations at the camp, and the medical examiner who concluded the teenager died of a blood disorder renewed his medical license, which expired last month.

Despite the controversy, Gov. Jeb Bush reaffirmed his support of Florida's five boot camps.

"I believe that boot camps are worth having," said Bush, who appointed Ober as special prosecutor. "We need to learn from this tragic case and make some standard, regulatory proposals to the Legislature."

Boot camps are military-style programs designed to shock juvenile delinquents into complying with the law and to teach them discipline, study skills and work habits. They require rigorous physical training such as pushups and running.

...lots more...

[Frances]

9. I wonder why Jeb

didn't send Nicole (his daughter) to one of these camps if they are so wonderful.

[orleans]

21. ooh, well well well

i see jeb likes it dirty and mean just like his prick brother
("Despite the controversy, Gov. Jeb Bush reaffirmed his support of Florida's five boot camps.")

[nebenaube]

24. re-education camps n/t

[Kolesar]

26. A perverted mix of Republican messages (militarism, law & order) and RW messages (racism)

[jpak]

6. A John Ellis Bush "boot camp"

n/t

[notadmblnd]

7. I was watching a piece of the trial on Court TV

the other day and all of these guys looked like thugs. I've always said it was a fine bewteen those who enforce the law and the criminals. All of those people will fit right in where they're going.

[xchrom]

8. the ''shock and awe'' approach to dealing with kids.

we are cowards if we cannot come up with different ways to deal with these teens.

this ''boot camp'' approach will always always degrade to incidents like these.

it is simply a given of human nature.

[Judi Lynn]

10. Here's an 8 minute YouTube video of the guards and the kid they killed.

I believe this is the same video which was posted here by DU'ers earlier. The woman in the white jacket standing around is the camp nurse.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=902787885765752340&q=Martin+Lee+Anderson+%2B+boot+camp&total=9&start=0&num=10&so=0&type=search&plindex=3

[seafan]

11. Criminal trial of guards in Florida boot camp death begins October 3, 2007.

Martin Lee Anderson


Day One:

Panama City News Herald

By David Angier
October 4, 2007

There were gasps and quiet moans Wednesday from audience members as they watched segments of the black and white video of boot camp employees striking and manhandling a limp Martin Lee Anderson.

“Oh, my God” often was repeated by some in the thick crowd of onlookers as prosecutor Pam Bondi played short excerpts from the video of Anderson’s first day at the boot camp on Jan. 5, 2006, and his last full day of life.

“The last conscious moment of Martin Lee Anderson’s life was with his mouth being covered by a hand and ammonia capsules shoved into his face as he struggled to breathe,” Bondi said.

Former boot camp drill instructors Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Charles Helms Jr., Henry McFadden Jr. and Joseph Walsh II, along with former camp nurse Kristin Schmidt, face charges of aggravated manslaughter of a child and 30 years in prison each if convicted as charged.

.....

In her opening statement, Bondi pointed out three episodes where the drill instructors used ammonia capsules, or “smelling salts,” on Anderson during the 23-minute encounter. She said one lasted 55 seconds, another 54 seconds and the third “well over five minutes with three separate applications.”

She said Anderson didn’t die from natural causes, as Panama City Medical Examiner Charles Siebert Jr. opined in the first of two autopsies. She said Anderson died from oxygen deprivation, the result of having his mouth covered and forced to inhale ammonia fumes.

.....

More background here:


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2240580&mesg_id=2240580">March On Florida Capitol Shows Growing Furor Over Boot Camp Death, Apr-21-06


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2239719&mesg_id=2239719">Florida top cop resigns post under cloud (FDLE-boot camp death), Apr-21-06


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2303333&mesg_id=2303333">FL officials in boot camp death end meeting before allowing group to speak, May-24-06


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2570525&mesg_id=2570525">Anderson supporters march on FL Capitol, demand arrests (Jeb traveling), Oct-19-06


Parents claim coverup in bootcamp death (Accuse Gov Jeb Bush & Tampa State Att'y), Nov-20-06



And Jeb strolled out of the governor's mansion in January, 2007, leaving behind yet another monstrous Bush legacy for Florida.


He's very concerned about his legacy.

[Trillo]

13. According to the Brookings Institution,

"Quasi-military" (boot camp) type schools are a good thing.

All hail authoritarianism.

[NOLALady]

15. Clearly, It's the kids fault.

He should have cooperated with the thugs.:sarcasm:

It's open season on children.

[killbotfactory]

17. Lock these nazi's away for the rest of their life

fucking bastards.

[sasquatch]

18. Is the Death Penalty ok in this case?

Remember we executed the Nazi's for similar actions, maybe we should execute the guards as well. Although I'm opposed to capital punishment as a whole, sometimes it is the only option. I'm afraid as of right now this might be the only option.

[frog92969]

25. It is with me!

In a case like this, when guilt can't be questioned, why should they be allowed to eat our food and breathe our air. Predators only pollute the human race.

[sasquatch]

30. That's how I feel

[sasquatch]

19. Dr. Charles Siebert should have his medical license revoked immediatly

[Name removed]

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[Name removed]

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[Bonescrat]

23. The worst part.

" 'But for Martin Lee Anderson's sickle cell trait, would he have survived boot camp?' defense attorney Bob Sombathy asked.

'There's where we differ,' Adams said. 'My opinion is . . . this suffocation would have killed anybody.'"

That's the worst part...

[ThePowerofWill]

27. It's happened in my community.

Anyone remember the bulldogish white guy from Jenny Jones? Well the camp he was from/operated is close to where i live. He was kinda a local celebrity....untill someone got hurt, and others came forward.

After all this came to light dude had to split town. The consensus was he'd be killed here. He sadly id not get shut down completely. He moved south to our sister state which is a bit more back-wards.

On a personal note. If it was my kid, the person involved would most likely died a slow painful death.

[sasquatch]

29. What state is that?

[flashl]

28. IIRC Martin had been at that camp only 24 hrs? n/t

[cosmicdot]

31. looks like Virginia has a quasi-military boot camp

"Commonwealth Challenge"

Hard work and hope symbolize boot camp for dropouts

By LAUREN ROTH, The Virginian-Pilot
October 8, 2007

VIRGINIA BEACH

Staff Sgt. Lloyd Muldrow flipped over the rolling black suitcase, dumping white socks, underwear, flip-flops, envelopes and detergent in a small mound on the carpet.

The pile was all that 16-year-old Christopher Mahoney would have for the next six months.

With glasses and a round belly, the teen didn’t appear to be cut out for Commonwealth Challenge, a six-month quasi-military training program based at the Camp Pendleton National Guard installation.

“He wants to work. He doesn’t want to do well in school,” said Mahoney’s mother, Lisa Morris, who learned about the program from another parent. “He’s not real responsible.”

More than 200 dropouts age 16 to 18 converged there in July, each with a parent or mentor who cared enough to try to change the trajectory of their lives.

Students in the program often have disdained school or have had run-ins with the law or problems with authority.

Commonwealth Challenge is trying to teach them discipline, give them coping skills and help them become productive. The odds of such turnarounds aren’t great, but in this place, they’re mostly succeeding .

The program has been expanding in the past few years, admitting a record number of wayward teens this summer. To enroll, applicants must be free of drugs and have no felony convictions.

About half of the graduates get jobs, 20 percent join the military and 20 percent go on to higher education, said retired Marine Col. Thomas Early, a decorated Vietnam veteran and director of the program.

“Ten percent do get lost.”

~snip~

http://content.hamptonroads.com/story.cfm?story=134192&ran=55504&lpos=spot3&lid=homePO

http://www.vachallenge.org