2 Illinois EMS Workers Charged With Murder for the Death of a Patient
Two Illinois EMS workers have been arrested and charged of murder following the death of a patient.
According to WAND, the Sangamon County State's Attorney said Earl Moore Jr., 35, died while in the care of two Lifestar EMS personnel.
Police reportedly arrested Peter Cadigan and Peggy Finley for first-degree murder.
According to State's Attorney Dan Wright, the two emergency medical workers were called to Moore's house last December.
Wright detailed how Cadigan and Finley secured Moore to the gurney by tightening the straps, facing down. Moore died at a local hospital on December 18 at 3:14 p.m.
According to WAND, an autopsy found that Moore died of compressional and positional asphyxia as a result of being placed face down on a stretcher with straps tightened across his back.
Victim's Death in Illinois Classified as Homicide
The death of Earl Moore Jr. was ruled a homicide, leading to the charges against Peter Cadigan, 50, and Peggy Finley, 44.
According to Miami Herald, the two are EMS workers for Lifestar Ambulance Service. Moore was initially sent there because he had "hallucinations related to a medical condition."
"Following the arrival of EMS, Earl Moore Jr. became the victim of acts which caused his death at the hands of individuals called by police to provide emergency medical care," Wright noted.
The state's attorney said if Cadigan and Finley are found guilty, they will face a prison sentence of 20 to 60 years. They are being jailed in the Sangamon County jail on a $1 million bond each.
Based on their education and expertise, Wright noted that Cadigan and Finley should know that placing a patient in such a position would generate a considerable probability of grave bodily harm or death.
Illinois Incident Captured on Video
Three separate agencies, namely the Sangamon County State's Attorney's Office, the Sangamon County Coroner's Office, and the Illinois State Police, are looking into Earl Moore Jr.'s death.
Springfield NAACP President Teresa Haley said a family member contacted 911, and police were dispatched to the area. They informed the police that Moore was not intoxicated but rather detoxing.
Haley claimed a police officer's body camera recorded the entire incident. One officer tried to calm Moore while the other was on the phone calling for EMS.
She said paramedics turned Moore over on the gurney when paramedics arrived.
"What I must say is the Springfield Police Department did an awesome job, and without the body cams, we wouldn't have this information," she noted.
She added that the two Illinois EMS workers lacked sympathy and had a hostile attitude toward Moore, a Black man, as evidenced by the police body camera footage, NPR Illinois reported.
"For me, it's not about him being a Black man. It could have been a white family. If we were called in, we would have the same opinion. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect," Haley said.
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Written by: Bert Hoover
WATCH: Body Camera Footage of Two Springfield EMS Workers Charged With Murder Released - From WCIA News