MARTIN LEE ANDERSON

Teen died of rare genetic disorder after one day at boot camp, defense experts say

October 11, 2007
By Emanuella Grinberg

PANAMA CITY, Fla. — Martin Lee Anderson's death the day after he entered a boot camp for juvenile offenders was an "unforeseeable" consequence of a rare genetic disorder, two physicians testified Wednesday in the trial of eight former boot camp employees accused of contributing to the teen's death.

Lawyers for seven drill instructors and a nurse rested their case Wednesday night after jurors heard from two medical experts who testified that the teen died of complications from sickle-cell trait after a physical altercation with the guards in the nurse's presence.

The experts' testimony contradicted findings of prosecution medical experts, who last week told jurors that Anderson, 14, died of suffocation and ammonia inhalation at the hands of his keepers at the Bay County Sheriff's Office Juvenile Boot Camp on the Florida panhandle.

Former drill instructors Henry Dickens, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Charles Helms Jr., Henry McFadden Jr., Charles Enfinger, Joseph Walsh and nurse Kristin Schmidt each face up to 30 years in prison if convicted of aggravated manslaughter for the teen's death.

The testimony Wednesday also brought a close to evidence in a case that has polarized the community in Bay County ever since authorities released surveillance camera footage of the 30-minute melee.

Throughout the six-day trial, the parents, children and friends of the eight defendants, who range in age between 30 and 60, have filled the gallery.

Seated across the aisle behind the prosecution team, Anderson's parents and relatives have been accompanied by supporters, including a local pastor, their civil attorneys and representatives from the NAACP.

The doctors' testimony Wednesday capped an 11-hour court day that was high on drama at times, including a moment when Circuit Judge Michael Overstreet banned Anderson's father from the courtroom for making noise and another when Anderson's mother ran from the courtroom in tears. There was also a medical emergency that landed defendant Joseph Walsh in the hospital, where he remained overnight.

Closing arguments are scheduled for Thursday morning in the Panama City courthouse. Before jurors begin deliberations Friday, Overstreet will instruct the panel to consider whether Anderson's death was a "foreseeable" consequence of the defendants' actions or if they acted with "reckless disregard" for his life.

Dr. Charles Siebert, who performed the first of two autopsies on Anderson after he died on Jan. 6, 2006, testified Wednesday that the teen died of massive hemorrhaging caused by complications from sickle-cell trait, a condition that impedes the flow of oxygen through the blood. Anderson's family directed doctors to discontinue life support the day after the altercation.

Siebert stood by his controversial findings, which led to his ouster as 14th District medical examiner after he announced them last year, in the face of heated cross-examination from a special prosecutor appointed to the case by former Gov. Jeb Bush.

Siebert's determination that Anderson died of natural causes stemming from the condition sparked allegations of a cover-up in the Bay County Sheriff's Office, which had operated the boot camp since it opened in 1994. The program and others like it in Florida closed a few months after Anderson's death.

Last week, the jury heard from Dr. Vernard Adams, who performed a second autopsy at the request of the Hillsborough County State Attorney's Office after the prosecutor in Bay County recused himself from the case.

Siebert was allowed to attend the second autopsy, which resulted in Adam's conclusion that the guards suffocated Anderson by covering his mouth while administering "excessive" amounts of ammonia capsules after he refused to finish a mandatory fitness run.

Siebert testified that, when he entered the autopsy room, civil attorneys for the Andersons implored him to the change the cause of death on the teen's death certificate from "natural" to "homicide," promising that they would not hold him responsible.

Before Adams' findings were officially announced, Siebert claimed he received a phone call from the state attorney's office directing him not to talk about the case with the media. Despite the request, Siebert admitted that he appeared on the Fox Morning Show to discuss his findings.

"Did you feel a need to defend yourself?" assistant state attorney Scott Harmon asked the witness. "Did you feel you were defending your career?"

"It's always been about the truth," said Siebert, who faces a hearing next week to determine whether he should keep his medical license. "My career and my reputation in this state are already over, so there is no reason for me to fight for that."

Siebert's findings were supported by the testimony of hematologist E. Randolph Eichner, a pioneer in the field of sickle-cell studies and a physician for the University of Oklahoma football team.

Eichner testified that evidence of the footage and clinical findings in Anderson's autopsy presented a "classical" case of collapse from sickle-cell exertion.

Referring to the video, Eichner said that Anderson was displaying signs of complications from sickle-cell trait from the moment he began struggling to stand on his legs as they turned to "Jell-O."

Medical experts for both sides agree that Anderson's cells presented signs of sickling, a deformity in the red blood cells which prevents them from carrying oxygen to the muscles.

But Adams and other prosecution medical experts who testified last week claimed that the guards' actions aggravated the condition, triggering his eventual death.

In his second time ever testifying as an expert witness, Eichner told jurors that the lack of oxygen resulted in high levels of lactic acid in Anderson's blood, sending him into a coma.

Eichner also called Adams' theory that the ammonia capsules contributed to the teen's suffocation a "red herring," claiming that the chemical compound actually helps open up the airway.

The doctor said that the levels of the chemical were too low to have a significant impact on anyone, adding that the University of Oklahoma football team uses them regularly to revive the players from fatigue.

"We used at least 100 of them beating Texas on Saturday," Eichner said, referring to the team's win this past weekend, prompting one male juror to lean forward in his seat and smile.

The defendants, most of whom came to the boot camp as a second career after leaving the military, testified that they used the ammonia capsules on Anderson in an effort to bring him to his feet.

All of the defendants have testified that they did not believe Anderson was in true medical distress when he became "woozy" during a mandatory fitness run.

To the contrary, retired naval officer Henry Dickens testified Wednesday that he believed Anderson's refusal to complete the 1.5-mile run was a matter of choice.

"He looked at me and said, excuse the language, 'F--- you. I'm not doing it anymore,'" testified Dickens, a retired Vietnam veteran who started working at the boot camp in 2005.

Dickens said that he had heard "every excuse in the book" from offenders who did not want to complete the run, including one teen who told him he had rigor mortis.

The drill instructor testified that, even while he struggled to stay on his feet, Anderson appeared alert and continued to resist his commands.

In response, Dickens said that he and the others continued using ammonia on the teen and instructing him to finish the run until he finally became limp and passed out.

"I don't know what condition he was in," said Dickens. "If I'd seen anything wrong out there, I would have put an end to it."

MORE NEWS:

VIDEO COVERAGE: