Kelly Thomas (April 5, 1974 – July 10, 2011) was a homeless man diagnosed with schizophrenia who lived on the streets of Fullerton, California. He was beaten and ultimately killed by Jay Cicinelli, Manuel Ramos, and Joseph Wolfe, three members of the Fullerton Police Department, on July 5, 2011. Thomas was taken to St. Jude Medical Center before being transferred to the UC Irvine Medical Center, where he was comatose on arrival and not expected to recover. He never regained consciousness, and died on July 10, 2011.[2][3] Medical records show that bones in his face were broken and he choked on his own blood.[4] The coroner concluded that compression of the thorax made it impossible for Thomas to breathe normally and deprived his brain of oxygen.[5] His parents removed him from life support five days later, and he died from his injuries on July 10, 2011.[6] Officer Manuel Ramos was charged with one count of second-degree murder and one count of involuntary manslaughter; Corporal Jay Cicinelli and Officer Joseph Wolfe were each charged with one count of felony involuntary manslaughter and one count of excessive force.[5][7][8] All three pleaded not guilty. A judge declined to dismiss the charges against the officers in January 2013, finding that a reasonable person could infer that the use of force was excessive and unreasonable.[9] An appeals court judge also denied a request to overturn the lower courts decision.[10] On January 13, 2014, Ramos and Cicinelli were found not guilty of all charges,[11] while the trial for Joe Wolfe was pending.[12] Following the verdict for the two officers, the district attorneys office announced it would not pursue the case against Officer Wolfe.[13]
Posted on: Mon, 22 Dec 2014 09:33:26 +0000
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