Guards/nurse acquitted for juvenile's death

This makes me sad. You may have heard of this story. In Jan 2006, a 14yr boy Martin Lee Anderson was sent to a boot camp for juvenile offenders in Florida after stealing his grandmother's car and trespassing at school (not major offenses). On his first day at the camp, he collapsed while running laps and the guards thought he was "faking illness to avoid exercising on his first day in the camp." In a videotaped altercation, the drill instructors hit and kicked him and "the guards 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."

[Quotes are not meant to be sarcastic, just pulling straight from the article on CNN instead of rewriting them.]

Martin "had undiagnosed sickle cell trait, a usually harmless blood disorder that can hinder blood cells' ability to carry oxygen during physical stress" and died the next day when he was taken off life support.

From the article:

Defense attorneys argued that the guards properly handled what they thought was a juvenile offender faking illness to avoid exercising on his first day in the camp.

Anderson's family had long sought a trial, claiming the state tried to cover up the case, and repeatedly sat through the painful video as it played during trial.

The all-white jury took about 90 minutes to decide whether the guards were responsible for the death of Anderson, who was black. The guards, who are white, black and Asian, stood quietly as the judge read the verdicts.

An initial autopsy by the medical examiner for Bay County found Anderson died of natural causes from sickle cell trait. A second autopsy was ordered and another doctor concluded that the guards suffocated Anderson through their repeated use of ammonia capsules and by covering his mouth.

The Legislature agreed to pay Anderson's family $5 million earlier this year to settle civil claims.

Then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed Mark Ober, state attorney for Hillsborough County, as special prosecutor in the case. Bush also scolded Tunnell for exchanging e-mails with current Bay County Sheriff Frank McKeithen, in which he criticized those who questioned the effectiveness of the boot camp concept. He also made light of the protesters in the state capital.

And:

The defendants would have faced up to 30 years in prison had they been convicted of aggravated manslaughter of child. The jury could have convicted them of lesser charges, including child neglect and culpable negligence, but did not.

Not being a lawyer but here's my two cents. What were they intending when they kicked and hit him even as he had collapsed? This is the standard procedure for kids they think are faking sick? I don't think physical abuse should be condoned for any of the juvy kids. I know the reality is it happens but it means when it comes to the forefront and it's VIDEOTAPED and someone DIED, people should be held responsible.

An all-white jury -really? C'mon. They should at least have been convicted on the lesser charges like child neglect and culpable negligence. Who were the defense lawyers? How expensive were they and who paid for them? I doubt the drill instructors, in not a high-paying profession.

The article also says:

The death led to the resignation of Florida Department of Law Enforcement chief Guy Tunnell, who established the camp when he was Bay County sheriff.

The video of a limp Martin Lee Anderson being hit and kicked by the guards after he collapsed while exercising drew protests in the state capital and spelled the end of Florida's system of boot camps for juvenile offenders.

That's good and over-needed that the camp be rexamined/shut down. But for Martin's mother, that doesn't bring her son back.