MartinLeeAnderson.com

Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Justice for Martin Lee Anderson, who died of suffocation at the hands of Charles Helms Jr, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Henry Mcfadden, Joseph Walsh II, Kristen Schmidt. Martin died after enrollment at Bay County Boot Camp in January of 2006. Dr Charles Siebert ruled Martin Lee Anderson died of complication of sickle cell trait, manner of death was natural causes. Forced ammonia inhalation and occlusion of the mouth suffocated Martin Lee Anderson. The ammonia caused a spasm of the vocal cords, the hand of the mouth blocked Martin Anderson’s airway.
Charles Helms Jr
Henry Dickens
Charles Enfinger
Patrick Garrett
Raymond Hauck
Henry Mcfadden
Joseph Walsh II
Kristin Schmidt


What happened

Martin was running laps with the rest of the youth offenders. According to reports he made the comment, "this is bullshit.". This is were the first altercation begins, with DI Walsh and DI Enfinger. Martin was pinned against the compounds wooden fence(wall) and a pressure point applied. He gave no resistance to the "counseling" and was ordered to return to his run. If so, this would be the point when someone with trait stops for rest, and rapidly recovers. After another 2 laps, Martin fell to his knees. It is possible he was beginning to experience what is called exertional sickling, a result of the increased demand for oxygen from his body due to exercise, and for whatever reason, his inability to take in enough. It is also equally as possible that Martin did not want to continue, was "malingering". Either way, he indicated to the DI's that he was having trouble breathing. What followed was several minutes of brutality. During that time, Martin's condition, if it was indeed exertional heat illness(EHI), only got worse. Ammonia was applied, with force. To insure Martin got the full effects, the drill instructors covered his mouth and held the capsules under his nose for a period of minutes. There were a number of these applications over a 15 minute period, during which time Martin Anderson was being restrained. When Martin tried to resist the ammonia, he was struck. There was between 5 and 7 capsules used. It is reported that one of the capsule at some point was shoved in one of Martin's nostrils, although the Special Master's Final Report found no evidence to support this claim. I on the other hand have seen evidence this happened, keep reading and you will as well.

The force used during this altercation included several hammer strikes to the forearms, knee strikes to the thigh area, pressure points, take-downs, and a number of different restraint positions. The result of this treatment both physical and mental trauma, as these actions interjected constant stress on young Martin's system. All of the doctors who testified in the criminal case stated these alone did not kill Martin. Although the accumulating effect of these actions, it is irrational to believe they did not play some part. Further, there is at least one point in the video that DI Garrett places his knee on Martin's back while he is face down prone. This action is known to restrict breathing, and for a person who may be experiencing sickling due to exertional heat illness, oxygen can mean the difference between life and death. By that time, Martin's physical state was approaching the threshold. The end came when LT Helms took over for SGT Garrett and applied a fresh ammonia capsule. The time in between Hauck stepping back and Helms placing his capsule is only a matter of seconds. The time that elapsed from the beginning of the episode, to the end, was approximately 5 minutes. From the time Martin collapsed, till the moment he became unresponsive, at least 5 ammonia caplets were used on him, for a total of at least 7 minutes. DI Walsh, DI Garrett, DI Hauck, and DI Helms, each used ammonia on Martin at least once. There is substantial evidence, many claim does not exist, that proves ammonia vapor causes spasm of the vocal cords, which greatly reduces to completely closing the upper airway. This coupled with covering the mouth would logically suffocate an individual.

It was obvious Martin was reacting to the application of ammonia, struggling to breathe. Soon after these administrations began, Martin's condition progressively deteriorated to the point of no return. It is during the last application administered by DI Helms, that Martin becomes completely unresponsive. He is mostly brain dead before leaving the Bay County Boot Camp. It is also during this time there is reported to be a capsule in his nostril.

Did Martin suffocate? I think the evidence below indicates yes to any reasonable standard. A known reaction to ammonia is difficulty in breathing. Less common, in fact a real rarity, is Exercise-Related Deaths associated to sickle cell trait. Still suffocation, that sounds like his airway was blocked completely. Now, I cannot speak from experience, but it makes sense to me that it would probably not be very difficult to suffocate a person suffering from some form of EHI, especially when it is complicated by sickle cell trait. Why? Because there is already a blood oxygenation problem associated to the condition, every bit of oxygen the victim can get is the difference between life and death. So in a sense, if Martin was suffering from his cells sickling, he was already suffocating to some degree, on a cellular level. Covering his mouth and forcing him to inhale ammonia began the manual suffocation. Add to this the fact that Martin attempted to hold his breath for a period of time, to avoid the discomfort of the ammonia. This was testified to by DI Walsh.

Oxygen. Can a person breathe in more air quicker through their mouth, or their nose? That is a question for an expert, but logically, we all know the answer. Your body naturally does not want to breathe in the fumes coming out of the capsule. This is a stated safety precaution, noting the administer may cause further injury, depending on the injury. This is due to a natural reaction to turn or "snap" the head away from the source, and likely the reason Martin struggled in the beginning.

I am not a doctor, that should be obvious to anyone reading this. Still it seems perfectly reasonable to me that the above actions all contributed to some degree, in Martin's death. Some to a greater extent than others obviously, but all add up together. For instance, I think it is fair to say that the manhandling of Martin by the drill instructors placed stress on his system and continued the situation down a path of exertion, which is what started the problem to begin with. It is, in my mind, also fair to say that a person who has exhausted them self, who is already experiencing a lack of oxygen, could be further asphyxiated by clamping their mouth shut. In addition, I feel scientific evidence (you will find below) indicates that ammonia irritates the respiratory tract, and causes unwanted reactions such as vocal cord dysfunction and pulmonary edema.

"in fact what it looks like, was a whole bunch of little things that went wrong, that led up to his death." Dr. Vincent Di Maio -

I agree with the above statement, perhaps with the exception of the word "little". Where the major disconnect is, if the guards actions intensified Martin's condition, or otherwise helped in the circumstances that caused his death, then it is not of "natural causes". In other words, in the absence of the drill instructors actions, would Martin still have died?

Quick Links

What Happened - 10/17/07
Autopsies - 11/01/07
Court of Public Opinion - not available
Matter of Law - 10/03/07
Ammonia Facts - 10/03/07
Sickle Cell Trait and EHI - 10/10/07
Dr. Siebert 10/13/07
Dr. Adams
Dr. Andrews 11/26/07
Dr. Gravenstein 11/29/07
Dr. Downs 10/29/07
Dr. Steinberg 11/27/07
Dr. Eichner
Science for Suffocation - Must read 10/10/07

 

This site is dedicated to the memory of Martin Lee Anderson. For information, send mail to justice@martinleeanderson.com