AUTOPSY - BOOT CAMP GUARDS KILLED TEEN

Second Coroner's Examination Finds 14-Year-Old Suffocated

A teenager who died at a Florida boot camp was suffocated by guards
who were restraining him, a medical examiner has determined.

The teen's mother hailed the findings, saying "the truth is out," but
a lawyer for one of the guards accused the examiner of giving in to
political pressure.

Martin Lee Anderson, 14, died in January after he was restrained and
struck by workers at the boot camp for juvenile offenders.

No charges have been filed in connection with Anderson's death.

Initial autopsy results in February had determined Anderson died from
complications from sickle cell trait, which had not been previously
diagnosed in the teenage athlete.

Hillsborough County Chief Medical Examiner Vernard I. Adams conducted
a second autopsy after Anderson's family, other medical experts and
civil rights leaders balked at the conclusion of the first examination.

"Martin Anderson's death was caused by suffocation due to actions of
the guards at the boot camp," Adams wrote.

"The suffocation was caused by manual occlusion of the mouth, in
concert with forced inhalation of ammonia fumes that caused spasm of
the vocal cords resulting in internal blockage of the upper airway."

But an attorney for Lt. Charles Helms, one of the guards, told CNN
that he was disappointed by Adams' findings.

"It appears he caved in to the pressure of the politicians," said
attorney Waylon Graham. "This is going to be a battle of the coroners."

Graham said it was "a foregone conclusion" that the guards would face
criminal charges and said the first medical examiner, Dr. Charles
Seibert -- who has said he stands by his conclusions -- would be "our
star witness."

The entire investigation, he said, is "a witch hunt."

Parents allege cover-up Anderson's parents, Robert Anderson and Gina
Jones, said they were unconcerned with Seibert's position and accused
him of participating in a cover-up.

"My baby was murdered in the boot camp and he tried to cover it up,"
Jones told reporters.

"The truth is out," she said. "I am relieved and happy today. It's a
beginning. Justice needs to be served."

Anderson collapsed January 5 at the Bay County Sheriff's Office Boot
Camp program in Panama City, Florida. He had complained earlier in
the day, his first at the facility, of breathing difficulties while
running around a track as part of the admission process.

At one point, Anderson told the officers he couldn't breathe well
enough to continue running. The report said he resisted repeated
attempts to get him to complete the exercise by pulling away, tensing
his body, struggling and balling his fists.

Videotape of the incident showed Anderson being forced to the ground
by various takedown methods, including knee strikes to his thigh,
pressure points to his ear and punches to his arms.

Later, another camp staffer hit him from behind, forcing Anderson to
lurch forward. A nurse stood by, and on at least one occasion she
determined his vital signs were normal.

Anderson was taken away on a stretcher and died later that day.

Adams reported that the blows "did not contribute to his death."

Adams studied the video, having it enhanced by engineers at NASA. The
intake process at the facility is videotaped as a matter of policy.

'Offender refused to comply with instructions' The boot camp staff
prepared a report detailing the techniques used on Anderson,
including holding ammonia capsules under his nose, knee strikes, a
straight arm-bar takedown, bending his wrist and pouring water over his head.

To explain the use of force, one staff member wrote, "I ordered [the]
offender to stop resisting and relax his arms. Offender refused to
comply with those instructions."

Some experts on juvenile justice have called it excessive force. But
the sheriff's office said Anderson was restrained for being
"uncooperative." The family has accused the officers of murder and
demanded an independent investigation.

Florida Gov. Jeb Bush assigned the case to Mark Ober, the special
prosecutor in Tampa, who in turn ordered the second autopsy and
appointed Adams to conduct it. Bush on Thursday said he was
"disturbed" by the medical examiner's reports and considers the camp
guards' actions "deplorable."

"I assure Gina Jones and Robert Anderson that the state remains
committed to providing any resources State Attorney Ober deems
necessary to complete this investigation as quickly as possible," he
said in a written statement.

"We all have one goal, and that is to see justice is served for
Martin Lee Anderson."

The state has shut down the Bay County boot camp. At the time of
Anderson's death, Florida operated five boot camps for troubled
children as a substitute for prison.

The Bay County Sheriff's Office said the boot camp's closure had
nothing to do with Anderson's case but also said the eight people
involved in the incident were not offered new jobs.

A federal probe into whether Anderson's civil rights were violated by
the use of excessive force is also under way, according to the U.S.
attorney's office. The investigation was requested by the boy's
parents and local leaders.

Adams and Ober said they would not comment on the case beyond their
respective news releases announcing the results of the autopsy.

CNN's John Zarrella and Susan Candiotti contributed to this report.