Massachusetts
Enrique Delgado-Garcia death investigation: What we know 6 months later
It has been six months since Enrique Delgado-Garcia died.
The recruit, pinned as a state trooper on his deathbed, was hospitalized after participating in a boxing training exercise at the Massachusetts State Police Academy in New Braintree last September.
His stepfather says the family still has not received information about his cause of death as the investigation remains ongoing.
In a recent exclusive interview with Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra, he said his wife cries every morning and sometimes they feel powerless, but he has faith that the authorities will reach a conclusion about what happened.
Attorney General Andrea Joy Cambpell appointed former prosecutor David Meier to lead an independent investigation into his death after the Worcester County District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. recused his office due to Delgado-Garcia’s previous employment there as a victim witness advocate.
An investigation is ongoing after the 25-year-old Massachusetts State Police recruit died last week, one day after authorities say he became unresponsive and suffered a “medical crisis” during a defensive tactics training exercise.
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Meier has hired eight investigators to his team with experience in local, state and federal law enforcement. In a release, he wrote the following information about each team member:
- Lisa Holmes is a retired Superintendent at the Boston Police Department, where she was a Supervisor in the department’s Bureau of Professional Development and the Boston Police Training Academy.
- Thomas Larned is a former FBI Assistant Special Agent in Charge at the FBI Boston Field Office, now managing his own investigative firm.
- Gretchen Lundgren is a former Assistant District Attorney in the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and a Special Assistant United States Attorney in the United States Attorney’s Office in Boston, now with the Mission Advisory Investigative Group.
- Kimberly Lawrence is a former senior Supervisory Special Agent for the FBI in Worcester, now a security specialist with the Edward Davis Investigative Company.
- Norma Ayala Leong is a former Deputy Superintendent with the Boston Police, where she worked as a Supervisor at the Boston Police Training Academy and in the Bureau of Professional Development.
- Paul Joyce is a former Superintendent at the Boston Police Department, where he supervised the Anti-Gang Unit and Criminal Investigations Bureau, and is presently an Assistant Professor of Criminal Justice at Salve Regina University.
- Robert Harrington is a former Superintendent with the Boston Police, where he was a Supervisor in the Homicide Unit and the Bureau of Internal Affairs.
- Edith Ayuso is a former Victim Witness Advocate in the Homicide Unit of the Suffolk County District Attorney’s Office and is working with me during our regular meetings and conversations with the family of Mr. Delgado-Garcia.
Meier noted that none of the members of his investigative team have “any past or present affiliation with the Massachusetts State Police.”
“When I was appointed, I made a commitment to Enrique Delgado-Garcia’s family to conduct the investigation into his death professionally, thoroughly, and responsibly. The Independent Investigative Team with whom I am working is doing exactly that. The investigation is active and it is ongoing,” said Meier in a statement.
A copy of their contract obtained by NBC10 Boston from the Attorney General’s Office says Meier is paid a rate of $500 an hour, while the other investigators have an hourly rate of $100 an hour.
“These are people of high integrity. I’m expecting a 100% high-quality, high-integrity result,” said Jack Lu, retired judge and adjunct faculty member at Boston College Law, who said he is familiar with some of the investigators through their previous work in law enforcement.
It’s been almost six months since Massachusetts State Police recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia died from injuries suffered during a training exercise at the academy. As the investigation continues, some state lawmakers are calling for more information on what happened — and his stepfather, grateful for the lawmakers’ questions, says they haven’t gotten updates either.
Asked about the amount of time that has passed without a public update on the investigation, Lu said, “Sometimes they take a very long time to resolve and that gives the suggestion that the police are getting special treatment. That is undesirable and for that reason they should do it quicker, but they are not yet into the area where it would be considered long for a police investigation.”
“I know that matter is with the Attorney General’s Office and the special investigator she has assigned,” Gov. Maura Healey said this week. “I’d like to see, and I join with my entire administration in wanting to see, that investigation completed as quickly as possible so that there is resolution for the family, and so we also have final determination as to what happened.”
“The Massachusetts State Police Academy plays a vital role in preparing the next generation of troopers to protect and serve our communities statewide,” Col. Geoffrey Noble, superintendent of the Massachusetts State Police, said in a statement. “The Department has commissioned an independent assessment to provide valuable insight into the ways in which our training can best equip recruits to become highly skilled, community-focused troopers. We remain committed to ensuring that all training curriculum, staff instruction, and physical space fosters professionalism, integrity, and excellence, while prioritizing the health and well-being of our recruits.”
Three months after Massachusetts State Police recruit Enrique Delgado-Garcia died in a training exercise, his family is still waiting for answers.
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The boxing program at the Massachusetts State Police Academy remains suspended. State police added that other changes are underway, including Noble’s appointment of Det. Lt. David Pinkham as the academy’s new commandant.
“In this role, he will oversee the selection of teaching staff for the upcoming Recruit Training Troop,” a spokesperson said in a statement.
The department added that it is in the process of seeking an independent assessment of its academy, focusing on areas including training methods, attrition and injury rates, injury prevention, fitness standards, organizational culture, leadership and alignment with national standards.
“Additionally, the Massachusetts State Police is implementing a pilot program to bifurcate this year’s class of recruits, a change designed to enhance training and operational efficiency,” the spokesperson added. “Instead of a large single class, recruits will be divided into two smaller cohorts, with one beginning in May and another in October.”
Massachusetts
Two men indicted for Hinsdale robbery after ‘cigarette trail’ leads through Vermont, Massachusetts
HINSDALE, N.H. (ABC22/FOX44) – Two men from Massachusetts have been indicted after they allegedly stole more than $200,000 in cigarettes and fled in a stolen U-Haul van before setting it on fire.
According to court documents, the men robbed the T-Bird Mini Mart on Brattleboro Road in Hinsdale, New Hampshire back on March 15. They then allegedly drove the U-Haul north into Brattleboro, Vermont before heading south on Interstate 91 down in Massachusetts.
Cartons of cigarettes reportedly fell from the back of the van as it drove through Brattleboro, which were estimated to be worth more than $50,000. The “trail of cigarettes” was reportedly used by investigators examining surveillance footage to track the path of the van leading up to the arrest of two suspects last week.
Richard Conner, 64, of Greenfield, Massachusetts, and James Ferguson, 66, of Worcester, Massachusetts, were arrested on Friday.
According to court documents, Ferguson was also seen on camera earlier in March stealing the U-Haul van in Northampton, Massachusetts.
The two men now face federal charges under the Hobbs Act and, if convicted, could spend up to 20 years in prison.
BOSTON (WWLP) – The Healey-Driscoll Administration and the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation announced the opening of 24 swimming pools for the summer season across the state.
This initiative includes the return of its free Learn to Swim Program for children and expanded lifeguard services at 30 DCR swimming areas. Registration for the free swimming lessons begins on Monday, June 22, providing children between the ages of 4 and 12 the opportunity to learn life-saving skills.
The DCR’s efforts aim to provide residents, visitors and families with safe places to swim and cool off during the summer. This commitment to water safety is supported by extending lifeguard coverage to seven days a week, which began last Saturday, running from 10:15 a.m. to 5:45 p.m., though continued coverage is subject to staff availability.
DCR Commissioner Nicole LaChapelle emphasized the importance of aquatic education. “Every child deserves the opportunity to learn how to swim. Swimming is more than a summer activity –it’s a life-saving skill that helps children safely enjoy our pools, lakes and beaches with confidence,” LaChapelle said. “By offering free swimming lessons at pools across Massachusetts, we’re helping remove barriers for families while helping more children safely enjoy the outdoor spaces that belong to all of us.”
The Learn to Swim Program will be offered at 19 DCR pools throughout Massachusetts and is structured into three sessions during the summer. Each session consists of eight half-hour group swim classes tailored for beginner-level swimmers and organized by age.
The curriculum for the classes is based on the American Red Cross and focuses on water safety and basic swimming skills. Registration is required and will operate on a first-come, first-served basis, closing once classes at each facility are full.
Participating DCR pools for the program are located in Agawam, Boston, Cambridge, Chelsea, Chicopee, Clinton, Fall River, Fitchburg, Hyde Park, Lawrence, Malden, Melrose, Milford, Somerville, Springfield, Watertown and Worcester.
The DCR is also actively recruiting certified lifeguards for its beaches and swimming pools for the current summer season. Positions are available through Labor Day and offer competitive hourly wages ranging from $22 to $27, depending on the position and associated certifications. More information about lifeguarding opportunities and application details are available on the agency’s lifeguarding webpage.
Beyond lifeguard services, the DCR maintains water safety at its state beaches and waterfronts through regular water quality testing at all 79 designated swimming areas. These areas are equipped with ropes and buoys to delineate swimming sections. Safety signage, which can be translated into nine languages including Spanish, Portuguese, Vietnamese and Traditional Chinese via a QR code, is also present.
To enhance safety, life rings are available for public use at both guarded and unguarded swimming areas in case of an emergency. All DCR swimming pools are equipped with chair lifts to provide water access. Several pools also feature ramps or zero-depth entry and select pools and spray decks offer beach wheelchairs for use.
All facts in this report were gathered by journalists employed by WWLP. Artificial intelligence tools were used to reformat information into a news article for our website. This report was edited and fact-checked by WWLP staff before being published.
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If you watch a movie, send an email, or put your photos in the cloud, there is a data center involved. With the rise of AI, there is more need for data storage and that means more power and more water. So, more Massachusetts communities are saying they don’t want them.
Data centers are growing increasingly unpopular. How unpopular? Polling shows people would rather live near a nuclear power plant. A Gallup poll found 71% of Americans would oppose a data center being built near their home and 53% would oppose a nuclear reactor.
Communities across the country have been fighting to stop the construction of mega sized data centers used to power the future of artificial intelligence.
In Massachusetts, several projects have been put on hold. The city of Lowell recently passed a one-year moratorium to stop the building or expansion of data centers. Lowell is the site of the largest data center in the state.
Markley data center in Lowell
The Markley data center is a mammoth building. It was built by Markley in 2015 on the site of an old Prince Spaghetti factory. Markley cleaned up the lot, painted the building black and set up a complex digital warehouse which stores data from more than a hundred customers ranging from hospitals to universities to police stations.
Like all things data center, this one comes with controversy. Jake Fortes lives in his childhood home where he takes care of his elderly parents. The data center, about 100 feet away, dwarfs his home.
Fortes says the building has nicknames including the “dungeon” and the “Death Star.”
“It’s nicknamed by a lot of residents in the neighborhood the dungeon,” Fortes said. “Because it seriously is just this black building that looms over us.”
Fortes said the rows of industrial air conditioners on the roof of the data center constantly hum and he claims exhaust from the four metal chimneys that rise from the data center’s emergency generators flow toward his bedroom windows.
“You will hear the A/C units. That’s a constant. And it’s worse in the summer,” Fortes said.
Markley has two data centers in Massachusetts. They built their first on top of Macy’s in downtown Boston in 2013.
From Lowell to Los Angeles, there are coast to coast concerns about what these data centers can do to the environment. From the massive amount of energy they use, to the incredible amount of water they need to keep the equipment from overheating. Some large data centers can use up to five million gallons of water every day. But the owners of the Lowell data center say it is not a drain on resources.
WBZ-TV’s David Wade asked Markley for tour of the data center, which they never do, and they agreed. They have grown frustrated with the negative narrative of data centers across the country and wanted to show they are different than the huge data centers built solely for AI companies.
Markley’s corporate VP Adam Burnham took him around the 350,000 square foot facility. The front entrance is teeming with a few dozen people, filled with colorful artwork and a TV monitor showing old video of a train that used to run through the property.
Beyond that there are long hallways with white tile floors and white walls that lead to rooms full of loud machines taking in, transforming and distributing large amounts of electricity throughout the building. How much electricity? Markley doesn’t say. Most data centers don’t. It’s why some lawmakers like Senator Elizabeth Warren are calling for more transparency from all data centers. But Markley’s Boston location boasts up to 30 megawatts of power, which is comparable to what tens of thousands of homes could use at any given time.
“Many petabytes” of data
There is a constant hum from the air conditioning machinery that helps to cool down the racks of servers.
How many servers are in the building? “There must be thousands,” Burnham said. “From hundreds of different customers.”
And how much data is that? “It would be hard to even quantify it. To use technical terms, it would be petabytes,” Burnham said. “Many petabytes for many customers.”
You have heard of megabytes and gigabytes but what is a petabyte? Well, just one petabyte is equal to roughly 250 million high resolution photos or the storage capacity of 250,000 smartphones or 13 years’ worth of continuous high-definition movies.
Markley says it stores data from all different types of companies. Financial companies, life science companies, universities, public safety companies. All those servers need lots of water to feed the system that keeps them cool.
How much water is used?
Some data centers use millions of gallons of water every single day. Markley says over the past year, they have used between 60,000 and 120,000 gallons of water per day. Those numbers match up with some of their water bills that WBZ was able to obtain.
Besides the effect on water and power, another criticism of data centers is once construction is done, they don’t create many jobs. Markley brought Lou Antonellis, a representative from the IBEW, an electrical workers union, to our shoot. Wade asked how many union workers he had working inside the building.
“Right now, it’s a little bit of a slow period. Probably about a dozen,” Antonellis said. That’s it. A dozen. Antonellis said there were also another dozen pipe fitters inside. He said there can be 80-100 workers when there’s a big project on site.
Hopes to expand in Lowell
But Antonellis and the IBEW say they really want Markley to expand. New buildings mean new construction jobs. WBZ learned Markley has been buying more land nearby with hopes of expanding, including an old power plant up the road. But they have a problem. The city of Lowell recently voted for a one-year moratorium on data centers. It means no new building, and no expansion.
On the final stop on the tour, the Markley people wanted to show the emergency generators that neighbors have complained about.
An hour earlier, Jake Fortes, the neighbor who calls the building the Death Star, had predicted they would take David Wade to the generators, and it would be less noisy than usual.
“Usually when they detect that there’s a reporter coming, they will turn it off and it will go very quiet and you will hear the birds,” Fortes said.
When they took David Wade to the emergency generators, which they fire up for a test every week for five minutes, you could barely hear the machines over the sounds of chirping birds.
“So, it’s not under a complete load, but this is the typical noise you’re going to get,” Burnham said.
Wade asked if the generators weren’t running at “full load” were they running at 20%, 50%, 80%? They couldn’t answer.
Then Wade asked if he thought neighbors had been exaggerating about the noise at the data center and the answer was clear. “I think they’re exaggerating, yes,” Burnham said.
If you have a question you’d like us to look into, please email questioneverything@cbsboston.com.
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