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Boot camp staff cleared of killing
teenager
October 13, 2007
By Tom Leonard
Seven former boot camp guards and a
nurse have been acquitted of manslaughter concerning the death of a
14-year-old boy who was hit and kicked in a videotaped altercation.
 Martin's
mother, Gina Jones (centre) stormed out of the courtroom after the
verdict
An all-white jury took about 90
minutes to clear the defendants of killing Martin Lee Anderson, a
black teenager who collapsed while running laps on his first day at
the camp in Florida.
Prosecutors said the guards – who
are white, black and Asian – neglected Martin by ignoring his
medical needs and suffocated him by forcing him to inhale ammonia.
In the video, shown repeatedly
during the trial in Panama City, Florida, the guards could be seen
striking the boy with their fists and knees.
They also dragged him around the
military style camp's exercise yard and forced him to inhale ammonia
capsules in what they said was an attempt to revive him. The nurse
stood by and watched.
Martin's mother, Gina Jones
(centre) stormed out of
the courtroom after the verdict
The verdict came shortly after the
publication of a US Congress report which catalogued widespread
brutality, including the deaths of at least 10 children, in such
camps.
Martin's mother, Gina Jones,
stormed out of the courtroom after the verdict. The family had long
sought a trial after they alleged that authorities initially tried
to cover up the death in January 2006.
The incident sparked outrage and
prompted Florida lawmakers to close down all military-style juvenile
camps.
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