Glas Defends Police Officer in Manslaughter Case
November 3, 2010
New Orleans, LA – Winnfield Police Officer Scott Nugent's criminal trial for the charge of manslaughter lasted three weeks, but Nugent only had to wait three hours for the jury to return a verdict of "not guilty." On Friday, October 29, 2010, when the verdict was read, Nugent gasped with relief, started to cry, and then turned to John Jerry Glas of Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, in New Orleans, and simply said: "Thank you, Jerry."
On January 17, 2008, Officer Nugent administered eight TASER X26 drive stuns to a handcuffed criminal suspect who refused to stand up and walk to the police car. When the suspect died more than twenty minutes later, the "in-custody" death launched racial protests and marches in the small community. Dr. Michael Baden, the celebrated New York forensic pathologist and host of HBO's "Autopsy," declared that the death was a "homicide" and insisted that the TASER drive stuns caused cardiac arrest. Glas, who represents TASER International, Inc., in the parallel civil lawsuit, enrolled as co-counsel for Nugent in the criminal proceedings. Glas proved that the electrical current from the eight TASER X26 drive stuns could not have delivered any electricity to the suspect's heart. Glas argued that the suspect, who was obese and had sickle cell trait, actually died as a result of "exertional sickling," a rare event that was triggered by his sprinting "like a gazelle" from officers. At Nugent's request, Glas delivered the opening statement, handled all eight expert witnesses, and delivered the closing argument for the defense. "Did the TASER trigger the exertional sickling?" Glas asked the jury rhetorically during closing statements. "No, the exertion triggered the exertional sickling."
Throughout the trial, Glas ridiculed and attacked Dr. Baden for failing to properly investigate the death, for having no understanding of bioelectricity, and for recklessly issuing a report that "ripped this community in half." During closing argument, Glas told the packed courtroom: "For every night a member of [the deceased's] family went to sleep thinking he was the victim of a homicide, Dr. Michael Baden should be held accountable . . . for every night Scott kissed his 2 year-old daughter goodnight as an accused murderer, Dr. Michael Baden should be held accountable . . . for every birthday party she was not invited to . . . for every time a member of this community turned their back on Scott . . . Dr. Michael Baden should be held accountable." The jury agreed, and exonerated Officer Nugent.
State of Louisiana v. Scott A. Nugent, Criminal Docket No.: 41475,41476, Judge John R. Joyce, 8th Judicial District Court for the State of Louisiana, Parish of Winn.
About Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles
Deutsch, Kerrigan & Stiles, L.L.P., is a premiere regional law firm concentrating on legal counseling and complex, high-stakes litigation defense. The firm is on the forefront of the industries it serves and prides itself on unwavering responsiveness to client needs. Deutsch, Kerrigan, & Stiles consists of approximately 60 attorneys practicing in the areas of Civil Litigation, Commercial Litigation and Transactions, Construction, Labor & Employment, Marine & Energy, Professional Liability, and Toxic Tort & Environmental Law from offices in New Orleans, Louisiana; Monroe, Louisiana; and Gulfport, Mississippi.
