Three Mass. Police Plead Not Guilty in Recruit Death

Three Massachusetts State Police members pleaded not guilty Thursday to charges stemming from the death of a recruit during a defensive tactics training exercise at the state police academy. The incident, which investigators described as involving an unapproved and unsafe boxing match, has drawn national attention to the risks of police training programs.

Enrique DelgadoGarcia, a 25-year-old recruit, died on September 13, 2024, at a hospital following a medical crisis. Authorities reported that he became unresponsive during a sparring session in a boxing ring at the academy in New Braintree the previous day. An investigation found that DelgadoGarcia suffered a concussion from unsafe sparring, followed by multiple blunt force injuries to the head and massive brain bleeding after academy staff failed to halt the exercise.

Lt. Jennifer Penton, who supervised the defensive tactics unit and was a sergeant at the time, along with instructors Troopers Edwin Rodriguez and David Montanez, entered not guilty pleas in Worcester Superior Court before Judge J. Gavin Reardon Jr. They face charges of involuntary manslaughter and causing serious bodily injury to a person in a training program....