Family Members Speak Out at Martin Lee Anderson's Grave Site
Save Email Print
Bookmark and Share
Updated: 9:10 PM Jan 11, 2010
Family Members Speak Out at Martin Lee Anderson's Grave Site
Say They Still Seek Justice
It has been more than two years since drill instructors and a nurse were acquitted in the Martin Lee Anderson boot camp case. But, the family is pushing for federal civil rights charges against the guards.
Posted: 9:10 PM Jan 11, 2010
Reporter: Matt de Nesnera
Email Address: matthew.denesnera@wjhg.com
width:200 and height: 150 and picwidth: 200 and pciheight: 150
Font Size:

11-month-old Martin Lee Anderson sat in his grandmother's arms Monday morning, watching his family celebrate his uncle's life while continuing the struggle to find peace.

The child is not yet old enough to know the story that most in Bay County know all too well. On January 5, 2006, 14-year-old Martin Lee Anderson was admitted to the Bay County Juvenile Boot Camp. He collapsed during a fitness run.

Camp guards thought he was faking, and tried to force him to continue the run. At some point in the altercation, they realized he was in medical distress and called for help. But, Anderson died the next day at a Pensacola hospital.

The first autopsy found the teen died of complications from sickle cell trait. A second autopsy found the guards were responsible. A grand jury indicted the guards and the camp nurse on aggravated manslaughter charges.

In October 2007, they were acquitted, and Anderson family supporters immediately began lobbying for federal civil rights violation charges. That's the story everyone knows; what we don't know is if U.S. attorneys will ever file those charges.

At her son's grave site Monday, Martin's mother, Gina Williams, spoke out for the first time since the trial. She asked, "Why is it taking so long for justice? Everything is right there in black and white, everything that was done to him, how he was killed on the field."

Martin's grandmother, Reto Williams, said she is trying to heal, but still thinks justice was denied in her grandson's death: "I do forgive the seven guards and the nurse, and I want to make that clear. But, I also believe they need to be held accountable. They are the ones that have to live with that. We do not, my conscience is clear."

But, not all of Martin's family members forgive. Gina said, "I don't think so. Something was taken away from me, my child. I would never forgive those. All that were involved in killing my son. The answer is no, no forgiveness for me, his mother."

The Bay County chapter of the NAACP and the RainbowPUSH Coalition support Martin's family, saying they did not get a fair trial. But last week, one of the guards' defense attorneys said he thinks this case is over.

"I've got news for them. Justice was served a couple of years ago when the jury found those men not guilty, and it disappoints me that they just will not let this go, they will not let this go," said attorney Waylon Graham.

Martin Lee Anderson would have turned 19 on Friday.


Latest Comments

Posted by: George Location: Lynn Haven on Jan 14, 2010 at 03:20 PM

I saw the whole video, and anyone can say what they want. The guards were beating him and stomping on him. Why didn't the prosecution show that portion of the video, the most vital part? There should have never been an acquittal. I remember some of the stuff that rooted out after that verdict. They had a shooting threat at Rutherford, and we had the NAACP come down here in droves. It's sad that a family has lost a child, and the ensuing injustice added to the grief.
Posted by: Jay Location: PCB on Jan 13, 2010 at 04:37 PM

Anon and Helen, you both need to do better research. Boot camp officials from the state already said that even if having sickle-cell trait was listed on the application that he still would have been more than likely admitted. The problem was when he said he couldn't run any longer that should have been a refusal to participate and he should have been turned back over to the court system. He should have never been forced and this situation would be moot. They don't even force you in boot camp or put their hand on you. They just separate you from service.
Posted by: ScottC Location: PCB on Jan 13, 2010 at 02:24 PM

All standing around in their fur coats,dripping with gold.Probably rolled up in the Escalade on Dubs.I can't wait for the $$$$ to run out,Gina be right back on the corner.
Headlines - msnbc.com
  • Recovery is gathering speed, jobs data show

    The U.S. economy is like a flywheel: it takes a lot to get it going. Once it starts moving, it can pick up speed pretty quickly.The U.S. economy is like a flywheel — it takes a lot to get it going. But once it starts moving, it can pick up speed pretty quickly. Friday’s January jobs report shows it’s accelerating.


  • Nasdaq hits 11-year high as stocks jump
    A surge in hiring last month boosted stock prices Friday, with the technology sector hitting an 11-year high as the data boosted hopes the world's largest economy has turned a corner.
  • Jobless rate lowest in almost three years
    The U.S. economy creates jobs at the fastest pace in 9 months and the jobless rate drops to an almost 3-year low, raising hopes that the labor market is picking up steam.
  • Do you think economy has turned the corner?
    The government reported Friday that the U.S. economy created jobs at the fastest pace in nine months in January. Do you think the recovery is accelerating?
  • Micron CEO Appleton dies in plane crash
    By msnbc.com staff and wire Steve Appleton, Chairman and CEO of Micron Technology, has passed away in a small plane accident in Boise, Idaho, the company said Friday.
  • N.Y. foreclosure lawsuit could slow home seizures
    Bankers struggling to deal with faulty foreclosure paperwork just got hit with another major headache. New York State Attorney General Eric Schneiderman, recently tapped by President Obama to head a new task force to investigate mortgage fraud, sued three major U.S.
  • Where the (good) jobs are coming from

      We already know that one key way to make more money and stay employed is to get more education.  We already know that one key way to make more money and stay employed is to get more education.


  • Companies paid even lower tax rate than Romney
    According to new data from the Congressional Budget Office, U.S.-based companies paid only 12.1 percent in taxes on profits earned domestically. This is the lowest rate in four decades.
  • Woman accused of selling fake Facebook stock
    A Wisconsin woman has been charged with theft over accusations she tried to profit from Facebook's much-anticipated plans to go public by selling fake stock in the social media giant.
  • Slideshow: What you can get for ... $400,000

    Each week, TODAY real estate expert Barbara Corcoran looks around the U.S. to see what home buyers can get for their money. Each week, TODAY real estate expert Barbara Corcoran looks around the U.S. to see what home buyers can get for their money.


  • Lawsuit: Gulf oil spill still leaking after 7 years

    Environmental groups on Thursday sued an oil company over the pace of its cleanup of a Gulf of Mexico spill that continues seven years after it was triggered by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.Environmental groups on Thursday sued an oil company over the pace of its cleanup of a Gulf of Mexico spill that continues seven years after it was triggered by Hurricane Ivan in 2004.




    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • Forecasters in stormy debate over climate
    Whether mankind is behind warming temperatures is an issue that's divided the American Meteorological Society, whose members are Americans' prime source of news about weather.

    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • Glacier theft suspects on thin ice with Chilean police

    Thieves have stolen 11,000 pounds of ancient ice from a Chilean glacier to make designer cubes for cocktails in bars in the nation's capital, Santiago, authorities have told local media.Thieves have stolen 11,000 pounds of ancient ice from a Chilean glacier to make designer cubes for cocktails in bars in the nation's capital, Santiago, authorities have told local media.




    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • US: Mid-Atlantic wind farms take step forward
    Offshore wind farms from New Jersey to Virginia took a big step closer to reality with the completion of a review that showed the renewable energy source would leave no major environmental damage, officials said Thursday.

    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • US estimates tritium release at Illinois reactor
    The trace amount of radioactive tritium released in steam to cool a reactor during a shutdown at an Illinois nuclear plant was not enough to present a danger to the public, according to the first estimates by the U.S. Nuclear Regulatory Commission.

    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • Sponsored By:
  • Air shipment of 60 lab monkeys blocked, PETA says

    A daylong bombardment of emails, social media posts and phone calls led Air France to cancel a planned shipment Wednesday of monkeys to a testing lab in the U.S.A daylong bombardment of emails, social media posts and phone calls led Air France to cancel a planned shipment Wednesday of monkeys to a testing lab in the U.S.




    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • Filmmaker arrested at House hearing on shale gas
    The director of a U.S. documentary that portrays shale gas production as dangerous was arrested and escorted out of a Republican-dominated Congressional hearing on Wednesday, touching off a dispute over public access to the event.

    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • Feds declare Atlantic sturgeon endangered species
    The Atlantic sturgeon, a prehistoric fish whose once bountiful populations were depleted by anglers seeking its coveted caviar, has been declared an endangered species by federal officials, a decision that could lead to moves to protect its habitats along the East Coast.

    Email this Article Add to Newsvine
  • Small radiation amount 'could have' escaped plant
    An "extremely small" amount of radiation could have escaped from a Southern California nuclear power plant after a water leak prompted operators to shut down the reactor, a utility spokesman said Wednesday.

    Email this Article Add to Newsvine