It has been six months since a Massachusetts State Police recruit died from injuries he suffered at the training academy in New Braintree.
It has been six months since Enrique Delgado-Garcia died.
The recruit, pinned as a state trooper on his deathbed, was hospitalized after participating in a boxing training exercise at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree last September.
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His stepfather says the family still has not received information about his cause of death as the investigation remains ongoing.
In a recent exclusive interview with Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, he said his wife cries every morning and sometimes they feel powerless, but he has faith that the authorities will reach a conclusion about what happened.
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Attorney General Andrea Joy Cambpell appointed former prosecutor David Meier to lead an independent investigation into his death after the Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. recused his office due to Delgado-Garcia's previous employment there as a victim witness advocate.
Meier has hired eight investigators to his team with experience in local, state and federal law enforcement. In a release, he wrote the following information about each team member:
- Lisa Holmes is a retired Superintendent at the Boston Police Department, where she was a Supervisor in the department's Bureau of Professional Development and the Boston Police Training Academy.
- Thomas Larned is a former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Boston Field Office, now managing his own investigative firm.
- Gretchen Lundgren is a former Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney's Office in Boston, now with the Mission Advisory Investigative Group.
- Kimberly Lawrence is a former senior Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI in Worcester, now a security specialist with the Edward Davis Investigative Company.
- Norma Ayala Leong is a former Deputy Superintendent with the Boston Police, where she worked as a Supervisor at the Boston Police Training Academy and in the Bureau of Professional Development.
- Paul Joyce is a former Superintendent at the Boston Police Department, where he supervised the Anti-Gang Unit and Criminal Investigations Bureau, and is presently an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Salve Regina University.
- Robert Harrington is a former Superintendent with the Boston Police, where he was a Supervisor in the Homicide Unit and the Bureau of Internal Affairs.
- Edith Ayuso is a former Victim Witness Advocate in the Homicide Unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney's Office and is working with me during our regular meetings and conversations with the family of Mr. Delgado-Garcia.
Meier noted that none of the members of his investigative team have "any past or present affiliation with the Massachusetts State Police."
"When I was appointed, I made a commitment to Enrique Delgado-Garcia's family to conduct the investigation into his death professionally, thoroughly, and responsibly. The Independent Investigative Team with whom I am working is doing exactly that. The investigation is active and it is ongoing," said Meier in a statement.
A copy of their contract obtained by NBC10 Boston from the Attorney General's Office says Meier is paid a rate of $500 an hour, while the other investigators have an hourly rate of $100 an hour.
"These are people of high integrity. I'm expecting a 100% high-quality, high-integrity result," said Jack Lu, retired judge and adjunct faculty member at Boston College Law, who said he is familiar with some of the investigators through their previous work in law enforcement.
Asked about the amount of time that has passed without a public update on the investigation, Lu said, "Sometimes they take a very long time to resolve and that gives the suggestion that the police are getting special treatment. That is undesirable and for that reason they should do it quicker, but they are not yet into the area where it would be considered long for a police investigation."
"I know that matter is with the Attorney General's Office and the special investigator she has assigned," Gov. Maura Healey said this week. "I'd like to see, and I join with my entire administration in wanting to see, that investigation completed as quickly as possible so that there is resolution for the family, and so we also have final determination as to what happened."
"The Massachusetts State Police Academy plays a vital role in preparing the next generation of troopers to protect and serve our communities statewide," Col. Geoffrey Noble, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, said in a statement. "The Department has commissioned an independent assessment to provide valuable insight into the ways in which our training can best equip recruits to become highly skilled, community-focused troopers. We remain committed to ensuring that all training curriculum, staff instruction, and physical space fosters professionalism, integrity, and excellence, while prioritizing the health and well-being of our recruits."
The boxing program at the Massachusetts State Police Academy remains suspended. State police added that other changes are underway, including Noble's appointment of Det. Lt. David Pinkham as the academy's new commandant.
"In this role, he will oversee the selection of teaching staff for the upcoming Recruit Training Troop," a spokesperson said in a statement.
The department added that it is in the process of seeking an independent assessment of its academy, focusing on areas including training methods, attrition and injury rates, injury prevention, fitness standards, organizational culture, leadership and alignment with national standards.
"Additionally, the Massachusetts State Police is implementing a pilot program to bifurcate this year's class of recruits, a change designed to enhance training and operational efficiency," the spokesperson added. "Instead of a large single class, recruits will be divided into two smaller cohorts, with one beginning in May and another in October."
