Justice Served in Boot Camp Case

Published: Oct 13, 2007

It's hard to grasp how a 14-year-old boy can be exercising one minute, then dying during a struggle with adults the next, and yet no one is found criminally responsible.

But despite the jury's not-guilty verdicts Friday in the manslaughter trial of seven former guards and a nurse, justice has been served in the tragic death of Martin Lee Anderson at a Bay County juvenile boot camp in January 2006.

Foremost, Anderson did not die in vain. The harsh tactics used by guards during the struggle prompted the state to get out of the juvenile boot camp business. His family, outraged by Friday's verdicts, can take some comfort in this.

State government also recognized that Anderson's death was the result of negligence, and the Legislature and Gov. Charlie Crist awarded his family $5 million in May, more than four months before the criminal trial.

As Crist simply put it that day: "What's being done … is the right thing to do. No dollar amount can bring Martin back. It's just."

Hillsborough State Attorney Mark Ober, whose office was appointed by Gov. Jeb Bush to handle the case, oversaw a thorough investigation and did not yield to intense political and civic pressure to file charges quickly after a videotape was released showing the struggle. Ober and his prosecutors took their time, concluded Anderson died as a result of aggravated manslaughter and filed that charge. His decision should be respected.

The jury ruled after both sides presented evidence during a fair trial. The defense contended that the victim's sickle cell trait, a typically benign genetic disorder, was responsible for his death, and called medical experts to back the claim.

It should be stressed that the jury considered three other felony counts, including culpable negligence and child neglect, and concluded they didn't apply, either. Their decision should be respected.

After the verdicts were read, Ober summed up the feelings of fair-minded people who followed the proceedings. Though he said he was extremely disappointed in the verdicts, he voiced "tremendous respect" for the jury's decision. "This case brought needed attention and reform to our juvenile justice system," Ober said.

More than anything, that is what should be remembered about Anderson's needless death, even by critics of Friday's outcome.