Prosecutor Closes Argument in Bootcamp Death Case
JURORS are set to begin delibrations today on a case that has drawn international media attention and had The United States Senate demanding answers about policies and procedures in an industry many claim is out of control and dangerously unregulated.
The case has a long and socially and racially divided history, because an original autopsy attributed the death naturally to a genetic disease, Sickle Cell Anemia, a blood disease in which the red blood cells are abnormal and sometimes unable to deliver sufficient oxygen to the body in times of extreme physical stress.
The condition is found almost exclusively among blacks.
As details of the death emerged, public outrage exploded, prompting the unusual executive order by Republican Governor Jeb Bush for a seperate autopsy, which found the cause of death was suffocation. Guards held an amonia soaked rag against the face of Martin Lee Anderson, 14, as they beat him. Mr. Anderson died after being taken off life support a day after the incident.
In closing arguments, Prosecutors Pam Bondi and Scott Harmon showed jurors segments of a half-hour video in which the accused seven guards and one nurse are shown voilently beating Mr. Anderson, who collapsed on his first day in a Florida bootcamp for "troubled teens".
The accused, if convicted, face up to thirty years in prison.