A former Georgia cop has been sentenced to life in prison after a jury found him guilty of tasering a handcuffed man to death. This case is a stunning victory for justice, while simultaneously turning long held beliefs about the Taser and safety on their head. Former officer Marcus Eberhart stood silently in the courtroom as the judge read the sentence.
“There is only one sentence allowable under the law. I sentence you to life,” were the words that Judge Henry Newkirk announced to a shocked courtroom. Eberhart’s co-defendant Howard Weems received just five years for his involvement in the death of Gregory Towns. According to police, Towns was handcuffed and unable to make the walk to Officer Eberhart’s patrol car. This was a case of officers using Tasers to torture the man into walking, instead of lifting the man up to help him.
Witnesses stated that Eberhart threatened to use the Taser on Towns unless he cooperated. Towns kept falling over while walking, a sign of some sort of injury, however the officers didn’t want to hear it. Both Eberhart and Weems proceeded to use the Taser on Towns in what is called the “drive stun” mode. This is where the Taser probe is removed and an electrical charge is delivered directly to the skin. Police have long held that the drive stun mode is safe and is used as “pain compliance” and doesn’t short-circuit the nervous system like Taser probes do. This case upends that belief, drawing many past cases of Taser use into question.
Weems and Eberhart pulled the trigger no less than 13 times for a total of 74 seconds. The Taser is designed to deploy for a total of five seconds. This is the Taser limit deemed was safe for human exposure. Multiple deployments should cease after their ineffectiveness has been determined; other options should then be pursued. Unfortunately for Gregory Towns, this blatant violation of policy, procedure and training has cost him his life. The cause of death was determined to have been hypertensive cardiovascular disease “exacerbated by electrical stimulation.”
The family of Gregory Towns had wasted little time in filing a lawsuit. By the end of August 2014, they had made their preliminary filings. Their suit revolved around the abuse of the Taser and the countless number of victims having died at the hands of police while using them. As is the case with most police settlements, the city of East Point was tight lipped in regards to how much they had to pay out. The city’s insurance policy covers up to $1 million, but they refused to comment on whether this was sufficient.
The attorneys for Eberhart stated that they will fight the sentence. “There has never been a case with a Taser in stun gun mode, that has caused a death. This is unprecedented and we will appeal.” Regardless of how you feel about police and this particular death, a mandatory sentence of life seems a little harsh even for a hardened killer. That being said, Eberhart may have some hope with an appellate court who have the ability to modify the sentence.
The real story here is that Taser and police have been lying for years about the safety of the Taser device. While Eberhart and Weems were both personally responsible for the death of Gregory Towns, they do not hold the blame alone. Anyone who has ever advocated for the safety of the electrical-stimulation device – including police and Taser themselves – bear some of the responsibility. Unfortunately, taking on Taser is like taking on the system itself. The death of Gregory Towns was the first Taser drive stun related casualty, but he will most certainly not be the last.
This article (Georgia Cop Sentenced to Life in Prison for the Taser Death of Gregory Towns) is a free and open source. You have permission to republish this article under a Creative Commons license with attribution to the author and AnonHQ.com.
Supporting Anonymous’ Independent & Investigative News is important to us. Please, follow us on Twitter: Follow @AnonymousNewsHQ
