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Worcester DA’s office will not lead investigation into death of State Police recruit, citing conflict

Enrique Delgado-Garcia died Friday following a training exercise at the State Police Academy. He previously worked in the Worcester County District Attorney's Office.

Enrique Delgado-Garcia, a Massachusetts State Police recruit who died Sept. 13, 2024, from injuries received during training at the State Police Academy. Photo provided by Delgado-Garcia's family through the Worcester District Attorney's Office

By Abby Patkin

September 16, 2024

4 minutes to read

Citing a conflict of interest, Worcester District Attorney Joseph Early Jr. said Monday his office will not handle the investigation into the death of a Massachusetts State Police recruit injured during a training exercise last week, as the young man previously worked for the DA’s office.

“There’s no way this office can handle this,” Early said, visibly emotional at times as he stood with members of Enrique Delgado-Garcia’s family and briefed reporters on the status of the case.

“Everyone loved Enrique,” he added.

Early said the 25-year-old Worcester resident worked as a victim witness advocate for about a year-and-a-half before leaving the DA’s office in April to fulfill a lifelong dream of joining the State Police. Delgado-Garcia died at a hospital Friday, a day after he became unresponsive during a training exercise at the State Police Academy in New Braintree.

Previously:

Mass. police recruit dies after a ‘medical crisis’ during training exercise

Early said Delgado-Garcia was injured “in the boxing ring” but did not elaborate. He also said the incident was videotaped. Authorities have completed an autopsy, but Early did not share a cause or manner of death Monday, explaining that the autopsy report is not yet finalized.

State Police administered the oath of office to Delgado-Garcia shortly before he died, fulfilling his dream of becoming a trooper.

“This is a heartbreaking and tragic loss. Enrique constantly worked to make life better for others,” Early said. “He was one of the first ones to help, whether it was the victims he was advocating for or his fellow coworkers, he always did so with one of the biggest smiles that you’ve ever seen.”

He recalled leaving his office many nights and seeing Delgado-Garcia still hard at work, talking on the phone with a victim or their loved ones. Early said he and Delgado-Garcia’s supervisor would encourage the young man to head home for the day.

“And he’d say, ‘No, Mr. Early. I’ll be leaving soon. I’ve got a few things I still need to do,’” Early said, choked up. “He’d always say, ‘I’ve got a little bit more here to do.’”

Citing this “close relationship” he and his coworkers shared with Delgado-Garcia, Early said the DA’s office will look for someone else to handle the investigation moving forward.

Early also cited “the family’s concerns” as another factor that prompted his office to hand the investigation off to someone who “does not have a stake in its outcome.” While Delgado-Garcia’s relatives opted not to address reporters at Monday’s press conference, his family and friends previously told NBC10 Boston and Telemundo Nueva Inglaterra they want an explanation for his injuries.

Enrique Delgado-Garcia, a Massachusetts State Police recruit who died Sept. 13, 2024, from injuries received during training at the State Police Academy. – Photo provided by Delgado-Garcia’s family through the Worcester District Attorney’s Office

“I don’t understand why it was so rough if it was just training,” his mother, Sandra Garcia, told the news outlets in Spanish. “I want them to explain it to me, that the state explains to me what happened with my son. … Why did he hit him so hard that it killed him, that it destroyed his brain and broke all of my son’s teeth and he had a neck fracture too, my son.”

Gov. Maura Healey said over the weekend Delgado-Garcia’s death left her “heartbroken.”

“He was a beloved member of his academy class, known for his compassion and devotion to service,” Healey said in a statement. “This is a devastating time for all who knew and loved him, and we are holding Enrique’s family and his State Police community in our hearts.”

The State Police detectives assigned to the Worcester DA’s office will continue to investigate the matter, Early told reporters.

“They’ve continued to investigate, and continue to do so, just as they would on any other case,” he said. “And they will also work with whoever takes this matter.”

Fielding questions from reporters, Early declined to say whether the matter should be handled by federal authorities, given recent scrutiny of how State Police handle investigations involving other members of law enforcement. He emphasized that the troopers assigned to his office are “some of the finest, most professional people that I’ve ever dealt with in my life, and I am certain that they will continue to do this in a professional way.”

Early said he likely won’t hand the case off to another district attorney, given each DA’s office is assigned State Police detectives with their own chain of command.

“I’m looking for someone who can look at this with an independent view, who doesn’t have a stake in its outcome,” he added. He said he spoke with four different “entities” Friday afternoon about possibly taking over the investigation but did not elaborate.

“This is as hard as it gets,” Early said, reflecting on Delgado-Garcia’s death. “I mean, I love that kid. Love that kid. He’s just the nicest kid in the world. I say kid, he was 25 — he was a young man with his whole life in front of him.”