Guards, nurse acquitted of manslaughter in boot camp case
PANAMA CITY, Florida -- An all-white jury found all defendants not guilty in the death of Martin Lee Anderson after 90 minutes of deliberations.
Anderson's mother, Gina Jones, stormed out the courtroom after the final verdict was read.
"I can't see my son no more, but everybody sees their family!" Jones shouted.
Six jurors cleared the seven former Bay County juvenile boot camp drill instructors and a camp nurse not responsible for the 14-year-old boy's death. They were seen on a video kicking, kneeing and punching the boy, but the defense proved he died from a benign blood disorder, sickle-cell trait, not by the guards' actions.
The case has been racially charged since five of the defendants were white, two black and one Asian.
"You kill a dog and go to jail, you kill a little black boy and nothing happens," said Ben Crump, attorney for Anderson's parents.
Jurors in the case were escorted out by sheriff deputies as they entered their vehicles, and were given escorts by deputies driving patrol cars.
A number of defense attorneys appeared on Court TV following the verdict, and Bay County Circuit Judge Michael Overstreet, who presided over the case, watched from a chair in the courtroom on a television, sometimes laughing at the commentary.
The three Hillsborough County prosecutors who tried the case left immediately after the verdict.
Defense attorneys were more than happy to give media interviews.
Hoot Crawford, who represented Henry McFadden Jr., said the prosecution's witnesses hurt their own case.
"Two experts having conflicting testimony," Crawford said. "Their witnesses killed them."
The prosecution had one medical examiner testify Anderson died from suffocation, while another disagreed and said the boy died from lack of oxygen.
Lawmakers react to verdict
The not-guilty verdicts came just as Florida's Legislature was concluding its budget-cutting special session.
House Speaker Marco Rubio, however, said he had not followed the trial closely and was reluctant to pass judgment.
"The Martin Lee Anderson is a tragic episode in Florida's history. It's an understatement to say it's not one of our proudest moments," said Rubio, R-West Miami and the first Cuban-American to be elected Florida House Speaker.
However, Rubio said, "I'm not a member of that jury, I don't know the evidence. I, quite frankly, didn't follow the trial at that level of detail. I can tell you what I saw in that videotape is not something anyone's proud of around here."
Reaction from Florida's black legislators was swift, and angry.
"It is a sad day in the state of Florida. Martin Lee Anderson did not receive justice, and I am livid," said Sen. Frederica Wilson, D-Miami Gardens.
She called on the U.S. Justice Department to immediately intervene, and investigate how Bay County handled the trial, including the selection of an all-white jury.
"We will not stop until we see justice," she said. "President Bush needs to make sure there is a thorough investigation. Even Martin Lee's parents had to leave Panama City because of harassment."
Wilson said the trial was conducted in an atmosphere of racism. "I'm surprised they didn't have nooses outside the courthouse," she said. "This is the Florida of yesterday."
Some of them called on African Americans throughout the United States to boycott Bay County and its tourist-driven economy.
"We need to look at making Bay County off-limits," said Rep. Frank Peterman, D-St. Petersburg. "I would encourage African Americans to not go there -- don't patronize anything there."
The call for a civil rights investigation was echoed by Rep. Joe Gibbons, R-Pembroke Park. "The federal government should get involved," he said.
Others remained stunned by the verdict itself.
"I expected some charges ...not for them to just walk away," said Rep. Betty Reed, D-Tampa.
Sen. Al Lawson, D-Tallahassee and a veteran member of the black caucus, said his feelings were mixed.
It's unlikely the guards went to work intending to harm an inmate, he said. At the same time, the jury was also probably confused by conflicting medical evidence.
"I didn't think you could get a conviction in Bay County and I was correct," he said. "I don't know whether justice was served."
Students protest
Some students walked out of classes at Florida A&M University and Florida State University today to protest the not-guilty verdict.
"I just got several phone calls. Please let everyone know that we are not organizing this, these people walked out on their own. The kids are just mad," said Vanessa Baden, an organizer for the Student Coalition for Justice.
Baden said she received several phone calls from angry students shortly after the verdict was announced and was told they planned a spontaneous march on the Capitol. Their calls were followed by calls from Capitol Police asking if a protest was planned, Baden said.
By 2:15 p.m., the Capitol Courtyard was empty of protesters.
Baden said the verdict was devastating and called for a federal investigation.
"We are going to pursue federal charges, we are going to work with the NAACP," she said. "It's very difficult to comprehend how the jury could come back with a verdict in 90 minutes. Nevertheless, we can't say we didn't expect this."
Baden said the verdict will only stiffen her resolve.
"Justice has not been served," she said. "One day, we are going to be able to tell our kids that a black life is just as worthy as a white life."
Stephen D. Price, Paige St. John and Jim Ash, Florida Capital Bureau
