State Police Academy staffers face criminal charges in connection with recruit's death

The state is seeking criminal charges against three full-time instructors and their supervisor at the Massachusetts State Police Academy's Defensive Tactics Unit in connection to the September 2024 death of recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia.

David Meier, the attorney tapped by Attorney General Andrea Campbell to "independently and impartially" examine the case, announced Monday that evidence presented to a special grand jury supports charges of involuntary manslaughter and causing serious bodily injury to a person participating in a training program against the four people.

The four individuals charged are: Sgt. Jennifer Penton, Trooper Edwin Rodriguez, Trooper David Montanez and Trooper Casey LaMonte. Penton will also face a perjury charge, he said.

Meier announced at a press conference Monday that a special statewide grand jury had returned indictments against the four Massachusetts State Police officials.

Meier said those members of the academy staff "committed a series of wanton and reckless acts in connection with various defensive tactics and physical confrontation training exercises conducted at the academy" in the days and weeks before Delgado-Garcia's death.

Those acts "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 Sept. 11, 2024 and "culminated in Enrique Delgado-Garcia suffering multiple blunt force injuries to the head and massive brain bleeding as the result of the failure of academy staff to intervene and bring a stop to a competitive boxing match between Mr. Delgado-Garcia and a fellow trainee that occurred during academy training activities the following morning, on Thursday, September 12, 2024."

Delgado-Garcia's Sept. 13, 2024 death — and subsequent reports about alleged hazing and intense conditions at the training academy — prompted renewed scrutiny of the Mass. State Police, which has been rocked by a series of controversies in recent years.

Superintendent Col. Geoffrey Noble, who took over atop the department weeks after Delgado-Garcia's death, has said he would review the agency's training model. Gov. Maura Healey also said she would order Noble "to review academy training and policy practices to ensure they best serve the men and women of the State Police."

"Trooper Enrique Delgado-Garcia should be alive today, fulfilling his dream of serving as a Massachusetts State Trooper," Campbell said. "I first thank his family and the public for their tremendous patience. I am grateful for Attorney David Meier’s diligent and extensive efforts to follow the facts and seek accountability for those responsible for Enrique’s death."