From [HERE] The five white law enforcement officers indicted in connection with the May 2019 beating death of Black motorist Ronald Greene pleaded not guilty Tuesday to the respective charges they face.

The defendants — four Louisiana State Police troopers and one Union Parish Sheriff’s deputy — were arraigned at the Third Judicial District Court in Union Parish.   

Master Trooper Kory York faces the most serious charges, including one count of negligent homicide and 10 counts of malfeasance in office. 

After entering their pleas and deciding on dates for the next hearing, the defendants and their attorneys left the Union Parish Courthouse without speaking to reporters who had gathered outside.

Lt. John Clary, the ranking officer on the scene almost four years ago, faces charges of malfeasance and obstruction of justice. An internal investigation revealed Clary mislabeled his body-camera footage. Once it was eventually found, it showed graphic parts of Greene’s beating not captured on any other cameras at the scene. 

York and Clary were suspended from State Police in January but are still entitled to receive any leave and compensatory pay.

Trooper Dakota DeMoss and Capt. John Peters each face a count of obstruction of justice. Union Parish Sheriff’s deputy Chris Harpin faces three counts of malfeasance in office. 

DeMoss was fired in 2021, and Peters has since retired

Greene died May 10, 2019, following a vehicle pursuit outside of Monroe. Body-camera footage of the incident, which State Police withheld for two years, shows the troopers beating, choking, stunning and dragging Greene before leaving him shackled in a prone position for at least nine minutes and failing to render aid. He was dead when paramedics arrived on the scene, according to testimony given to a Louisiana House of Representatives committee that investigated the alleged cover-up. 

State Police initially failed to investigate the incident, which only came to light when Greene’s family filed a wrongful death lawsuit in May 2020 that spurred news reports. Troopers initially told Greene’s family that he had died on impact after his car struck a tree. 

It took 474 days for state police to launch an internal inquiry and officials from Gov. John Bel Edwards on down refused to release body camera video for more than two years. That was until the AP obtained and published it in May, showing white troopers beating Greene and dragging him by his ankle shackles, even as he pleaded for mercy and wailed, “I’m your brother! I’m scared! I’m scared!”

Greene’s mother, Mona Hardin, spoke to reporters after Tuesday’s court hearing and called on Gov. John Bel Edwards to do more to prevent police killings of unarmed Black men. 

“What we saw on those videos clearly without a doubt — everyone knows — was the murder of a Black man,” Hardin said. “You can’t continue to sugarcoat the murder of a Black man while he was driving.”

But they did - none are charged with murder.

The next hearing in the case has been set for May 12.

According to the civil complaint filed on behalf of Mr. Greene:

On or about 12 a.m. on May 10, 2019, Greene was driving a silver Toyota CH-R on U.S. 80 in Monroe, Louisiana. Trooper Demoss contends that he attempted to initiate a traffic stop of Greene’s car. Trooper Demoss does not define any violation of the motor vehicle code that would justify a stop. Instead, he contends that he observed a “traffic violation”. Greene did not stop his car and a vehicle pursuit ensued.

Greene traveled along US 80 to LA 143 and into Union Parish where his car swerved, spun, and crashed into a wooded area.

The front of Greene’s car did not make impact with a tree and his airbag did not deploy. The highest level of impact sustained by the car occurred in the rear driver side and said impact was moderate.

Greene was able to exit the vehicle without assistance. Green was not injured and could walk, speak and otherwise function in a healthy manner after the crash.

Almost immediately thereafter, Trooper Demoss and Master Trooper Hollingsworth arrived on the scene. Shortly thereafter, Captain Peters, Lieutenant Clary, Sergeant McElroy, Master Trooper York, and Deputy Sherriff Harpin arrived at the scene.

Greene exited his car and began to apologize to the officers, telling them he knew he should have stopped the vehicle earlier. Officers pinned Greene down on the ground while he screamed ‘Oh my God.’”

Greene was moaning, begging the officers to stop, and repeatedly saying “I’m sorry.” Despite Greene’s contrition and surrender, Trooper Demoss, Master Trooper Hollingsworth, Master Trooper York, Captain Peters, Lieutenant Clary, Sergeant McElroy, and Deputy Sherriff Harpin individually and in concert used lethal force against Greene.

Trooper Demoss beat, smothered, and choked Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat. Master Trooper Hollingsworth beat, smothered, and choked Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat.

Master Trooper York beat, smothered, and choked Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat.

Lieutenant Clary beat, smothered, and choked Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat. Sergeant McElroy beat, smothered and choked Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat. Captain Peters beat, smothered, and choked Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat. Deputy Sherriff Harpin beat, smothered, and choked Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat.

Despite Greene’s contrition and surrender Defendant officers used an electronic control weapon against Greene at least three times thus attacking his heart with massive amounts of electricity. It is currently unknown which officer or officers used electronic control weapon(s) because the Louisiana State Police refused to produce or release bodycam footage, dashboard cam footage, discharge logs, use of force reports or any number of investigative materials that would identify who used lethal force.

Trooper Demoss watched other officers beat, smother, choke, and use an electronic control weapon on Greene despite the fact that he had surrendered, was not resisting, was in custody, and posed no threat.

The force used against Greene was unjustified, unreasonable, excessive, and in violation of Greene’s Fourth Amendment rights.

The force used against Greene left him beaten, bloodied, and in cardiac arrest. An officer called for an ambulance at 12:29 a.m.

When the Emergency Medical Technicians arrived at 12:51 a.m. they found Greene unresponsive. He was propped up against an officer’s leg, covered in blood with multiple “TASER” Barbs penetrating his body.

Emergency Medical Technicians determined that Greene was in cardiac and respiratory arrest.

Greene was placed on a gurney and transported to Glenwood Medical Center. He remained unresponsive when he arrived at 1:25 a.m. Greene was pronounced dead at 1:27 a.m.

An initial report from Glenwood Medical Center listed the principle cause of Greene’s death as cardiac arrest. He was also diagnosed with an “unspecified injury of head.”

Master Trooper Hollingsworth confirmed the vicious and unconstitutional nature of the Officers’ conduct by confessing that he choked and “beat the ever-loving fuck” out of Greene until he was spitting blood and went limp.

Master Trooper Hollingsworth confirmed that this vicious and unconstitutional beating was inflicted by multiple officers and in the presence of multiple officers.

All Defendants immediately began efforts to obfuscate the true nature of the conduct that caused Greene’s death. The following are examples of the Officers’ deceptions:

Greene’s family was told that he had been killed in an auto accident.

Greene’s mother was told that he had been killed immediately after hitting a tree.

The call for Emergency Medical Services omitted any mention that force had been used. The sole police report produced to date does not indicate that force was used.

Inconsistent versions of the Officers’ involvement with Greene were provided to medical treatment providers at Glenwood Hospital.

The sole police report produced to date asserted that Greene was intoxicated prior to any toxicology examinations being conducted.

Greene’s body was sent out of the State of Louisiana to conduct an autopsy, denying the right of the family to have a representative observe same. Green’s family has been denied access to video footage of the use of lethal force. Doctor Omokhuale, an emergency room physician at Glenwood confirms the Officers’ deception and stated as follows: “obtaining more history from different law enforcement personal, the account of what happened was disjointed and does not add up. Different versions are present and family did not come to the emergency room. Family states they were told by law enforcement that patient died on impact with tree immediately after motor vehicle accident, but law enforcement state to me that patient out of the car and was running and involved in a fight and struggle where them where he was tased 3 times.”