Massachusetts State Police Face Manslaughter Charges in Recruit’s Death
Attorney General announces indictments against four officials following the September 2024 death of Enrique Delgado-Garcia, sparking renewed scrutiny of the state’s police academy.
A statewide grand jury has indicted four Massachusetts State Police officials – including three instructors and a supervisor – on manslaughter charges in connection with the death of 25-year-old recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia. The indictment, announced Monday by attorney David Meier, who was appointed by Attorney General Andrea Campbell to independently examine the case, marks a significant escalation in the fallout from the tragedy that occurred in September 2024.
According to Meier, the grand jury found sufficient evidence to charge Sgt. Jennifer Penton, Trooper Edwin Rodriguez, Trooper David Montanez, and Trooper Casey LaMonte with involuntary manslaughter and causing serious bodily injury to a person participating in a training program. Penton faces an additional charge of perjury for allegedly providing false statements to investigators.
“Enrique should be alive today,” Campbell stated at a press conference Monday, emphasizing the gravity of the situation. She added that the investigation was not intended as a condemnation of all law enforcement, but rather a pursuit of accountability for those responsible for Delgado-Garcia’s death.
The investigation revealed a pattern of “wanton and reckless acts” committed by the academy staff during defensive tactics and physical confrontation training exercises in the weeks leading up to Delgado-Garcia’s death. Specifically, the recruit suffered concussion-like symptoms on September 11, 2024, as a result of “unauthorized, unapproved and unsupervised boxing-related sparring exercises” during academy training.
The following day, September 12, 2024, Delgado-Garcia sustained “multiple blunt force injuries to the head and massive brain bleeding” when academy staff failed to intervene and stop a competitive boxing match between him and a fellow trainee. The investigation did not reveal any pending consequences for the other trainee involved in the match.
Delgado-Garcia’s death, and subsequent reports of alleged hazing and harsh conditions at the training academy, have prompted a wave of scrutiny directed at the Massachusetts State Police, an organization that has faced a series of controversies in recent years.
Meier noted that members of the academy’s command staff possessed the authority to address the circumstances surrounding Delgado-Garcia’s death, but the evidence presented to the grand jury did not support criminal charges against them. However, Campbell indicated that further information regarding the non-criminal findings of Meier’s probe could be released as the investigation continues.
State Police Superintendent Col. Geoffrey Noble, appointed by Gov. Maura Healey in the wake of Delgado-Garcia’s death, described Monday as “a difficult and somber day for the Massachusetts State Police.” He affirmed the department’s full cooperation with Meier’s investigation and announced that boxing has been suspended as part of the academy’s defensive tactics curriculum.
In the aftermath of the tragedy, the department has initiated several steps to strengthen training at the academy, including commissioning an independent review by the International Association of Chiefs of Police and expanding support for recruits. “As the IACP review nears completion, our work continues with focus and resolve, guided by Enrique’s memory, and committed to the highest standards of professionalism, leadership, and training,” Noble said in a statement. The department will remain engaged with the legal process and will refrain from further comment to protect its integrity.
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