Guards acquitted in Fla. boot camp death

PANAMA CITY -- An all-white jury found all defendants not guilty in the death of Martin Lee Anderson after 90 minutes of deliberations here today.

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 news 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.

Justice Department to review

WASHINGTON -- The Justice Department announced Friday it will review evidence concerning the death of Martin Lee Anderson, who collapsed at a Bay County boot camp for juvenile offenders.

The announcement came shortly after a Florida jury found the eight facility employees on trial for Anderson’s death not guilty.

“The Civil Rights Division and the U.S. Attorney’s Office will conduct a thorough and independent review of all of the evidence, including the state trial transcripts, and take appropriate action if the evidence indicates a prosecutable violation of federal criminal civil rights statutes,” the Justice Department said in a statement.

“This is an on-going criminal investigation, therefore, the Department can make no further comment on this case at this time.”