WORCESTER, MA — A supervisor and three instructors with the Massachusetts State Police Academy were indicted in connection with the death ofEnrique Delgado-Garcia, a recruit who died following a training exercise on defensive tactics in 2024, authorities announced Monday, Feb. 9.
Delgado-Garcia, 25, died on Sept. 13, 2024, a day after becoming unresponsive during a boxing match at the State Police Academy in New Braintree, a town about 68 miles west of Boston. At the time, theWorcester Telegram & Gazette, part of the USA TODAY Network, reported that the boxing program was previously halted due to injury concerns.
Following his death, state police suspended full-contact boxing training activities for recruits, and Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell appointed attorney David Meier toconduct an independent investigationinto the incident.
After anine-month grand jury investigation, Meier said evidence revealed that members of the State Police Academy committed a "series of wanton and reckless acts" in connection with various defensive tactics and physical confrontation training exercises.
The head of the academy's defensive tactics unit, Sgt. Jennifer Penton, and three troopers under her command – Edwin Rodriguez, David Montanez, and Casey LaMonte – were each charged with involuntary manslaughter and causing serious injury to a person participating in a physical training exercise, Meier said.
Penton has also been charged with perjury for allegedly giving false testimony to a special statewide grand jury, according to Meier.
"Each of these individuals owed a duty of care to Enrique Delgado-Garcia and to his fellow trainees," Meir said during anews conferenceon Monday, Feb. 9. "Each of them interacted with Mr. Delgado-Garcia and his fellow trainees on a daily basis, and each of them committed a series of wanton and reckless acts and omissions that resulted in Enrique Delgado-Garcia's death."
Autopsy: Enrique Delgado-Garcia died from blunt trauma
Delgado-Garcia was rushed to a hospital in Worcester, a city about 20 miles east of New Braintree, on Sept. 12, 2024, after being injured during a training exercise.
In a statement, Meier said "wanton and reckless conduct resulted in Enrique Delgado Garcia suffering concussion-like symptoms as the result of unauthorized, unapproved, and unsupervised boxing-related sparring exercises that occurred during Academy training activities on Wednesday, September 11, 2024."
He added that Delgado-Garcia sustained multiple blunt force injuries to the head and "massive brain bleeding" after instructors at the State Police Academy failed to stop a training boxing match on Sept. 12, 2024. Delgado-Garcia died the next day as a result of the "head injuries sustained during the recruit-on-recruit boxing match," according to Meier.
Last year, Michael Wilcox, a lawyer representing Delgado-Garcia's family, confirmed that Delgado-Garcia died from blunt trauma to the head. Citing an autopsy report from the medical examiner, Wilcox said Delgado-Garcia suffered a myriad of injuries to his head, including contusions in both his eyes, thyroid, and neck.
The autopsy report also found that Delgado-Garcia had contusions on his chest and back, as well as on one of his arms and knees, according to Wilcox. Delgado-Garcia's family has previously said they were told the 25-year-old suffered injuries during a few minutes of boxing, which was part of the training program at the academy.
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Law enforcement, lawyers react to indictments
During the news conference, Campbell said it was necessary to conduct an independent investigation into Delgado-Garcia's death due to the "extraordinary nature of these events and the complexity of this case."
Delgado-Garcia's death rocked the Worcester District Attorney's Office, where he had once served as a victim witness advocate, and left members of his family calling for answers. The Worcester District Attorney's Office recused itself from the investigation due to its close connection to Delgado-Garcia.
In response to the indictments announced on Monday, Feb. 9, Massachusetts State Police Col. Geoffrey Noble said in a statement that it was a "difficult and somber day" for the department, which he said has "cooperated fully" with Meier's probe.
Noble said the department has taken several steps to strengthen the academy, including "expanding support" for recruits and commissioning a forthcoming "independent review" by the International Association of Police Chiefs.
Brian Williams, president of the State Police Association of Massachusetts, said "veteran training staff indicted today are entitled to the same presumption of innocence and due process guaranteed to every citizen."
Williams added that the association "stands firmly behind its members and intends to vigorously defend them against these charges as we continue to work collaboratively with the Department to strengthen and enhance training standards, ensuring Troopers are fully prepared to meet the complex and demanding realities of the job."
Lawyers for Civil Rights, a nonprofit based in Boston, praised the charges, saying that while state police "failed" Delgado-Garcia, it was "heartened" to see troopers would be held accountable.
"The grieving Delgado-Garcia family deserves justice, and this tragedy must lead to meaningful reforms," the nonprofit said in a statement.
Most charges to be tried in Worcester
As of 5 p.m. local time on Monday, Feb. 9, it did not appear that arraignment dates for the troopers had been set.
Online court records indicated the manslaughter and training injury-related charges against the troopers will be prosecuted in Worcester Superior Court, while the perjury charge against Penton would be prosecuted in Middlesex Superior Court.
Campbell's office did not immediately respond to the Worcester Telegram & Gazette's query about the reason for the different sites. Meier noted during the news conference that the indictments had been brought by a statewide grand jury.
Lawyers for Penton and LaMonte declined to comment. The Worcester Telegram & Gazette has reached out to lawyers listed for other troopers.
State police also did not immediately respond to queries about the job status of the charged troopers. Online records listed Penton as a lieutenant. Campbell's office, which identified her as a sergeant, didn't immediately return a request for clarification.
This article originally appeared on Telegram & Gazette:Enrique Delgado-Garcia case: 4 charged with manslaughter
