George's Note: 85-year-old Louise Salcedo is my hero. She has single handedly lifted the veil of secrecy regarding grand jury deliberations in the death of Matthew Walker, who was clearly beaten by multiple corrections officers in violation of prison policy. Find out how Grand Juries really work. From now on, you will question the validity of grand jury findings that are shaped by "legal advisers" from state attorney's offices unwilling to prosecute on behalf of a "criminal" or their family.
I would rather have my taxpayer dollars be spent in a losing effort to convict amoral, sadistic guards than winning a conviction against the severely mentally ill who end up in prison for no more than a manifestation of their mental illness. State attorneys are too concerned about their conviction records to care about true justice. They fear prosecuting correctional officers and police - whose unions will shift support in future elections to prosecutors who will look the other way in prison and police brutality cases.
AUGUST 16, 2015
Charlotte County
BY ADAM KREGER
Sun Newspapers
PUNTA GORDA
A local grand juror, among the group that decided in June not to charge any
Charlotte Correctional Institution officers in the homicide of inmate Matthew
Walker, feels she’s been silent too long.
“It has really bothered me all this time,” said Louise Salcedo. “We all knew
they were guilty and should have been prosecuted, but we were talked out of
indicting them. This man was beaten to death.”
For Charlotte County
grand juries, like the one that heard testimony for the Walker case, the state attorney’s office for
the 20th Judicial Circuit is in charge of examining witnesses, presenting
potential evidence and giving legal advice to grand jurors. There were three
legal advisers from the state attorney’s office assigned to the Walker case on behalf of
Stephen Russell, the circuit’s State Attorney.
“They told us the chances of convictions were very slim,” Salcedo said. “I find
it baffling ... very confusing.”
Russell, saying he couldn’t comment on a specific case, said, “I appoint legal
advisers I am confident will be fair, balanced, straightforward and make it
very clear the grand jury makes the final decision.”
Multiple state agencies examined Walker ’s
death, which was ruled a homicide by the medical examiner. The prisoner got
into an altercation with correctional officers after he refused to tidy up his cell during a late-night cell check in April 2014 (the check was later found to be a policy violation).
Walker’s larynx was crushed, and he took several blows to the head, neck and torso. Investigators determined five of the dozen corrections workers involved could have potentially faced criminal charges.
Salcedo said the legal advisers told the grand jury a conviction was unlikely because it is difficult to determine which guards delivered which strikes to the inmate. The incident was not caught on video because the cameras in that part of the prison weren’t working, and much physical evidence was tainted. So, a conviction would have had to rely heavily on testimony of uninvolved witnesses, who were prisoners themselves.
Walker’s larynx was crushed, and he took several blows to the head, neck and torso. Investigators determined five of the dozen corrections workers involved could have potentially faced criminal charges.
Salcedo said the legal advisers told the grand jury a conviction was unlikely because it is difficult to determine which guards delivered which strikes to the inmate. The incident was not caught on video because the cameras in that part of the prison weren’t working, and much physical evidence was tainted. So, a conviction would have had to rely heavily on testimony of uninvolved witnesses, who were prisoners themselves.
Tom Flynn was a defense lawyer for more than three decades in St. Louis before retiring to Punta Gorda a
few years ago. He represented clients that were the subject of grand jury
proceedings, and said the grand jury goes along with the prosecutors’
recommendations “99 percent of the time.”
“We had a couple cases similar to” the Walker
case, Flynn said. “When prosecutors don’t want to prosecute someone, the grand
jury is a perfect way to take the heat off of them. They hide behind a grand
jury to get a decision they want, but don’t get the blame.”
Flynn said he doesn’t always understand why prosecutors don’t push for charges.
“If you go to trial and lose, at least you tried,” Flynn said. “I think [Walker ] deserved that.”
Others agree.
A community-driven candlelight vigil was held outside the Charlotte
Correctional Institution on Wednesday. The ceremony remembered Walker ’s death and aimed to let state
officials know people want justice for the homicide and others who have died at
the prison.
The names of grand jurors are not released. The Sun was able to reach the grand
jury foreman in the Walker
case only because his signature is legible on the grand jury’s report of
findings, or presentment — a rare public record available in the case. Contacted
by the Sun, the foreman said he didn’t want to talk without first checking with
the state attorney’s office. He later declined comment, citing the oath that
swore him to secrecy.
Salcedo swore to the same oath, but the 85-year-old Port Charlotte woman has
been second-guessing the decision she helped the grand jury make, and says
others might be, too.
Salcedo risked a felony charge by contacting the Sun after no other grand
jurors came forward to talk about what happened for those eight days they met
this summer.
“After reading everything in the paper, I feel guilty that I maybe could have
done something better,” Salcedo said.
The grand juror said she believes all the guards present during the fatal
beating “were guilty of watching this and not stopping this.”
“You couldn’t get anybody to admit anything [on the witness stand], which makes
sense because they all cover each other’s butts,” Salcedo said.
All these prison guard scum should all go to prison their own selves...I myself when in twenties was harassed illegally with cops breaking into my apartment and testifying against them in court and they had to retire early....I think I saw the same nutcase cop about 3 years ago with a political action group and he was yelling at them and threatening them like the nutcase he is.
ReplyDeleteLouise rocks! WHO would have known?! Still nothing about the FL prisons, the torture, the sadistic guards is published in other than 2 newspapers: Miami Herald and Tampa....the populace, taxpayers throughout the State of Florida need to hear of the criminal activity of those hired to supposedly keep the public safe. And as always, it goes right up the chain.
ReplyDeleteEvery individual warehoused in the FL prison system has had, whether justly or unjustly, ACCOUNTABILITY forced on him/her. How come it's a one-way street, with exemption for those wearing the badge?
Yeah, Louise! We owe you a huge debt of gratitude. Jane