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Manslaughter Charges Against Three TX Guards Dismissed
In the July '97 issue of PLN we reported the beating death of Texas prisoner Gary Crenshaw, 31, at the hands of French Robertson unit guards. On June 30, 1997, a Jones County grand jury indicted Sgt. Monte Baker and guards Michael Helms and Bradley Johnson on manslaughter charges [See: "Three Texas Guards Indicted in Beating Death," PLN Oct '97]. One of the three has resigned, but two others are still employed by the Texas prison system.
Trial was set for August, 1998. But in July, state District Court Judge Quay Parker dismissed the charges against the three guards "amid questions about the wording of the indictment," reports the Houston Chronicle .
Crenshaw's family has filed a civil lawsuit in Abilene federal court. Attorneys for the family submitted a grainy video tape into evidence. The tape shows guards carrying an unconscious and motionless Crenshaw, arms and ankles shackled, face down through several hallways to the prison infirmary -- but not until after a 10-minute delay. The family claims that Crenshaw's death resulted from a sadistic and brutal beating, coupled with the delay in providing medical treatment to the critically-injured man.
Houston Chronicle, Pecos Enterprise
Trial was set for August, 1998. But in July, state District Court Judge Quay Parker dismissed the charges against the three guards "amid questions about the wording of the indictment," reports the Houston Chronicle .
Crenshaw's family has filed a civil lawsuit in Abilene federal court. Attorneys for the family submitted a grainy video tape into evidence. The tape shows guards carrying an unconscious and motionless Crenshaw, arms and ankles shackled, face down through several hallways to the prison infirmary -- but not until after a 10-minute delay. The family claims that Crenshaw's death resulted from a sadistic and brutal beating, coupled with the delay in providing medical treatment to the critically-injured man.
Houston Chronicle, Pecos Enterprise
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