8 Charged In Teen's Boot Camp Death

In Florida Case That Sparked Closing Of Juvenile Detention Camps

(AP)  Seven former guards at a juvenile boot camp were charged with aggravated manslaughter Tuesday in the videotaped pummeling of a 14-year-old boy who later died — a case that led to the dismantling of Florida's military-style detention system for young offenders.

Also charged was a nurse who can be seen on the tape watching as guards repeatedly kneed and hit Martin Lee Anderson during a 30-minute scuffle on Jan. 5. Guards said the boy was uncooperative and had refused to participate in exercises.

The teen collapsed in the exercise yard at the camp in Panama City and died at a hospital the next day.

The death sparked protests at the state Capitol and led to a shake-up in Florida's criminal justice system and the resignation of Florida's top law enforcement officer.

If convicted, the former guards and the nurse could get up to 30 years in prison. Bail was set at $25,000 each.

Nurse Kristin Anne Schmidt did not show up for an initial appearance Tuesday, and her attorney did not return a phone call from The Associated Press.

Bob Pell, an attorney for former guard Joseph Walsh II, said: "I was hoping cooler heads would prevail, but we will deal with this as it comes down. We understood the political pressure that was brought to bear."

Waylon Graham, attorney for Lt. Charles Helms, the highest-ranking officer charged, said that he had long anticipated charges and that Helms' family has saved money for bail.

Anderson had been sent to the boot camp for violating probation in a theft case. Boot camps often use grueling exercise to instill discipline in juvenile delinquents.

An initial autopsy found Anderson died of complications of sickle cell trait, a usually benign blood disorder. But after an uproar and cries of a cover-up, a second autopsy was conducted by another medical examiner, and it concluded Anderson suffocated because of the actions of guards.

Dr. Vernard Adams, who performed the second autopsy, said the suffocation was caused by hands blocking the boy's mouth, as well as the "forced inhalation of ammonia fumes" that caused his vocal cords to spasm, blocking his airway.

The guards said in an incident report that they used ammonia capsules five times on Anderson to gain his cooperation.

"Today is a good day for me," said Gina Jones, Anderson's mother. "I'm finally getting justice for my baby."

Benjamin Crump, the lawyer for the boy's parents, who have been demanding for months that the guards be charged with murder, said the videotape leaves no doubt the guards are guilty.

"You wouldn't do this to your dog," Crump said. "Stuffing ammonia tablets up his nose, pulling his neck back, covering his mouth."

In April, college students staged a two-day protest in Gov. Jeb Bush's office. The Revs. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton joined the students and Anderson's parents for a march on the Capitol.

Florida Department of Law Enforcement chief Guy Tunnell, who started Bay County's boot camp when he was sheriff there, resigned under criticism after he compared Jackson to Jesse James and Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., to Osama bin Laden in an agency meeting.

Bush signed a bill in May to replace Florida's boot camps with programs that offer job training and counseling and prohibit physical discipline.

Anderson's family has sued the state Department of Juvenile Justice, which oversaw the boot camp system, and the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which ran the camp. The family is seeking more than $40 million.

"We also hope that once the process is completed that Martin Lee Anderson's family will have the answers to the questions that they legitimately have," the governor said.

[kjgal]

Oh, and there was no care or love shown to this boy, not by those ***!

[kjgal]

trueprogress

Have you lost your mind? Beating the life out of a boy an accident? It wasn't like someone hit him once, it was several people doing it over and over again! How would you feel if a group of animals did that to you or your child? I doubt you would call it an accident then! No we weren't there, but we may as well been! It's all on tape for the world to see! ACCIDENT????

[trueprogress]

Also money is not the answer. Care and Love is.

[trueprogress]

TIME TO MOVE ON. PUT ASIDE OUR ANGER.


What is wrong with those guards ? We don't know what their background is, what kind of childhood problems, stresses etc could lead them to this act. We were not there. Given that, if they do not have any prior acts of violence, and his was not premeditated, it was probably an accident. They need conselling, help and understading. They probably have families as well, depending on them . I am sure they are repentent, for this terrible tragedy, for all. Punishing them will not bring back this boys life. Is it time to put aside our anger and move on ?
We can learn from this, but it would be wrong to blame an individual when society in total has total responsibility.
What they did was terrible, very bad and there has to be solid message that this is not acceptable.

[ieg5234]

I agree with me4prezz. Some blacks need to quit blaming everything on slavery witch went out over a hundred years ago. Take responsibility for your life and quit blaming all white people for the problems you have caused in your own life.

[pearlshole]

We should not be surprised by these actions,we live in a world were being a bully and hurting the weak is excepted,more so if your different,it happens in our schools in the work place and in our goverment,we ca'nt even drive a car without rage,let's face it, we as a race are cruel by nature.we sit back and say how can this happen,there are no answers,tomorrow it will be another child,another death.

[themartyred]

""You wouldn't do this to your dog," Crump said. "Stuffing ammonia tablets up his nose, pulling his neck back, covering his mouth.""

the fact they did this to a boy, and kept kicking him, and kneeing him, and that nurse stood and watched this - shows a total thought process that they believed he was just an

ANIMAL that needed put down.

They're rightfully getting punishment for torturing and murdering a 16 yr old, would you have it any other way? If it was 6 black men who beat a scrawny little white boy with diabetes going into a coma, or something?

[me4prezz]

Akarsno, have you ever considered that these parents are suing because they need to do SOMETHING, ANYTHING, to ease the pain they feel? They just brutally lost a child. That was not their fault. Who know how the child got there. Perhaps they put him there as a last resort hoping it would put him on the right path and stop going down the path that would put him in a harsher world of criminals or perhaps the justice system took it out of their hands and did it themselves. Nevertheless, they never put him there with a death wish or a death sentence and that is what they got. That is the problem. The problem is not how he got there, what he did, who is to blame for the reasons he got there, what color the people were or what nationality the people were who put him there, but the horrible fact that guards were videotaped brutally beating and suffocating a 16-year-old child to death while a nurse looked on. It makes me believe that you have no children of your own or else you would never make that kind of statement.

[me4prezz]

By the way, Agnim, my family is from Scotland and never sold, traded, bought or held slaves. That was long before your time and long before mine. Many people come here from all over the world and many against their will that were not Africans and they etch out a life for themselves through hard work, dedication and a strong personality in believing in themselves. Stop using a crutch in believing we owe you something when we never did anything to YOU and the last time I checked, my state was involved in the fight to free the slaves while my ancestors were in Scotland fighting against their imprisonment from the English.

[me4prezz]

Racism will not end until everyone becomes color blind.

FACTS:
Guards and a nurse were VIDEOTAPED brutally beating and suffocating a 16-year-old child. I don't care if anyone involved was black, white, or purple with pink polka dots. It was wrong. No child...and yes he was a child, deserves to die and especially not in that manner.

For those of you who believe this is the parents' fault, let me give you something to think about: My parents were WONDERFUL parents. They did everything they could. I had an outside experience that changed me forever, outside of my parents control, and I ended up hospitalized twice for trying to commit suicide, self-mutiliation, bulimia, and drug use. I am clean, not bulimic, and not a cutter anymore and I have 3 children of my own. I try my best to always be there for them, but at some point it becomes their choice. You can teach right from wrong, but you can't make them choose right from wrong.

A child was brutally murdered and the videotape shows who did it. What else do you need besides that? Not participating in exercises does not warrant a death sentence.