|
Mar 18, 2006
Autopsy: Illness
Didn't Kill Boot Camp Boy
(CBS)
TAMPA, Fla.
A second autopsy indicates
that a 14-year-old boy who was punched and kicked by guards at a
juvenile boot camp may not have died of natural causes as a medical
examiner initially ruled, prosecutors said Tuesday.
Martin Lee Anderson was sent to the Bay County Sheriff's Office boot
camp on Jan. 5 for a probation violation. A surveillance video
showed guards kicking and punching him after he collapsed while
exercising on his first day at the camp, and he died at a hospital
early the next day.
The second autopsy was ordered after his parents questioned the
findings of Bay County's medical examiner, who concluded the
teenager died from complications of sickle cell trait, a usually
benign blood disorder.
The new autopsy was conducted Monday by Hillsborough County Medical
Examiner Vernard Adams and observed on behalf of Anderson's family
by Dr. Michael Baden, a noted pathologist. Baden said it was clear
the teen did not die from sickle cell trait, or from any other
natural causes.
"My opinion is that he died because of what you see in the
videotape," said Baden, referring to the surveillance video.
Baden, who reviewed medical evidence in the slaying of Martin Luther
King Jr. and worked for a congressional committee that
reinvestigated the assassination of President Kennedy, said it will
be several weeks before Adams can determine the exact cause of death
because tissue samples must be analyzed and other evidence
considered.
Pam Bondi, a spokeswoman for Hillsborough County State Attorney Mark
Ober, confirmed Baden's assertion but would not elaborate, saying it
will be months before the investigation is complete. Ober was
appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to investigate the case.
Anderson's mother, Gina Jones, said she was glad the truth was out.
"But I already knew what the truth was. Now that the truth is out,
and I want justice," she said.
The pathologist says that teenager was probably already brain dead
when he was taken to a hospital after the beating.
But initial medical examiner, Doctor Charles Siebert, said he
witnessed the second autopsy and saw nothing to change his mind.
Sickle cell is a usually benign drug disorder that affects mostly
black people.
No
guards have been arrested or fired but the camp has been closed.
The U.S. Attorney's office in Tallahassee and the Justice
Department's Civil Rights Division also have opened investigations.
Related Stories
Related Links
"My opinion is that he
died because of what you see in the videotape," said Baden,
referring to the surveillance video.
Martin Lee Anderson (File)
|
