(BOSTON 2/19/2024) — Worcester Senators Michael Moore, Robyn Kennedy, and Peter Durant this week sent a letter to Massachusetts Attorney General Andrea Campbell requesting an update on the status of the investigation into the tragic death of Massachusetts State Trooper Enrique Delgado-Garcia last year. Delgado-Garcia, who was just weeks away from graduation, died after reportedly being injured during a training exercise in a boxing ring at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree in September 2024.
A Worcester native, Delgado-Garcia received his trooper badge and the State Police oath of office was administered in his UMass Memorial Medical Center hospital room in the final hours of his life on September 13th. An independent investigation was announced by Attorney General Campbell just over a week later, led by veteran attorney and former prosecutor David Meier.
Although specific details around the circumstances that led to his death remain unclear, media reports indicate that Delgado-Garcia sustained severe injuries during a training exercise that took place in a boxing ring on September 12th. He slipped into a coma and succumbed to his injuries a day later at UMass Memorial Medical Center in Worcester. It is unconfirmed what injuries Delgado-Garcia sustained, though an autopsy was reportedly completed. The State Police Academy’s boxing program was suspended and subsequently reintroduced in the 1990s in response to injuries.
These looming questions, along with allegations of hazing and harassment, remain unanswered almost five months later. “Trooper Delgado-Garcia’s family has patiently waited for answers to some of the hardest questions they will ever have to ask. Any information that you may be able to share related to the status of the investigation, the estimated duration of the investigation, and any preliminary factual findings would be deeply appreciated,” the Senators wrote in the letter.
In the days following Enrique Delgado-Garcia’s death, Senators Moore, Kennedy, and Durant sent a letter to Attorney General Campbell requesting the appointment of a conflict-of-interest Special Assistant Attorney General to investigate his death and to conduct a broader probe into the Academy’s culture and tolerance of harassment. The letter also requested that all findings be issued as a public report, and for it to include recommendations for changes to policy, practices, and culture at the State Police, including any changes to state laws or regulations.
Enrique Delgado-Garcia graduated from Worcester’s North High School in 2017. Following his graduation, he became a victim-witness advocate for Worcester County District Attorney Joseph D. Early Jr.’s office before leaving to join the Massachusetts State Police. Because of his connection to District Attorney Early’s office, the authority who would typically investigate an incident like this, the DA declined to handle the investigation, citing the potential conflict of interest.
The full letter is available online here.
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