Need Opinions on This One Folks

 

Ok folks, I need some help and this one is complicated and tricky!

 

So, a friend of mine has a legal issue that seems to be getting buried, covered up and hidden.

I will admit I had doubts until I did a public records request for the coroners’ report. Yes, this one involves someone’s death.

After hearing what my friend told me about the situation and then reading the report, it is clear that this death never should have happened. I do NOT want to color your opinion of the situation with my own beyond saying the death should not have happened.

I will explain some details, summarize the report and all I ask is your feelings on the matter. Also, if you feel this is a case of wrongful death then I will need help to point my friend in the right direction to get justice.

 

This occurred in 2018 and did involve minor drug use. Let’s call my friend Clara and her husband Charlie for the purposes of this article. Locals may know this event but I beg you do NOT say the actual names!!!

There was a minor domestic incident, no weapons so let’s make sure people understand Charlie was not armed, never armed and never had a weapon. Chalie had Clara by the hair and was trying to “save her” by putting “holy water” on her. No one could get Charlie to let go, but he was NOT hurting Clara, just had her hair very securely.

Clara was trying to get other people to stop hitting Charlie. The friend called 911 and one deputy responded. The deputy used his service baton to beat Charlie, repeatedly while Clara was begging the deputy to stop. The deputy continued to beat Charlie until he became unresponsive. He cuffed Charlie and took him outside. At this point the deputy realized there was a problem, Charlie had stopped breathing.

The deputy had called for an ambulance and there are some differences in what happened at this point. Clara says she heard Charlie pronounced dead over the radio before the ambulance pulled out. The report says Charlie was pronounced after he arrived at the hospital and life saving measures had been tried.

Now this is where the report is strange. Charlie’s personal items were documented in multiple places, each place has a different account of what Charlie had. Clara never received most of Charlie’s personal belongings that are listed in the report.

The report details over 160 individual injuries to Charlie. None of which he had prior to this incident. This means each injury was given to Charlie by the deputy. This screams of excessive force.

The report also details minor amounts of drugs in his system. So, I decided to look up the amounts, types etc since I am not versed in such things. What I learned is that the drugs listed, in the amounts listed would NOT have been near fatal levels. Charlie likely was not even buzzed by the low amounts in his system. No way those amounts caused a fatal overdoes but the report states his manner of death was OVERDOSE, accidental.

I am not an expert on overdoses by any means but the 2 drugs in his system RARELY cause overdoses according to the research. So, with that in mind and the low levels in his system I was puzzled as to why his report claimed accidental overdose when he has over 160 injuries caused by the deputy. Charlie has wounds and broken bones all over his body, including head wounds.

Charlie had so many injuries that the diagram on the report could not list them all. It is written up. Now, Charlie’s body was sent out of county for his autopsy. The locals did not do it. The report was not redacted thankfully. It should have been but someone goofed. I received a full, unredacted version.

Clara said that both of Charlie’s arms were shattered, his head gushed blood and he had injuries all over. 160 plus injuries documented, some of which could have been fatal but the report claims accidental overdose.

Once I have Clara’s permission I will post the report I received, for now this is what I can share with you.

What I am asking you is this excessive force and did the coroner cover up a murder?

If you feel this has been a cover up, how do we help Clara get justice?