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Two EMS workers plead "not guilty" to murder charges
On Friday afternoon, Peter J. Cadigan, 50, and Peggy J. Finley, 44, pleaded "not guilty" to murder in the death of Earl Moore, Jr., 35.
On Friday afternoon, Peter J. Cadigan, 50, and Peggy J. Finley, 44, pleaded "not guilty" to murder in the death of Earl Moore, Jr., 35.
The two Illinois EMS workers were were accused of murder after strapping their patient facedown on a stretcher. The caller, Earl Moore Jr., was reportedly suffering from withdraws and unable to walk when he was put on a stretcher. Moore then suffered asphyxiation while being transported in the prone position. A coroner classified his death as a homicide resulting from the unusual actions taken by the EMS workers to transport Moore Jr. facedown.
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Body cam footage of the call can be seen here:
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It is unclear if this was the crew’s first interaction with Moore, or if he was known as a “frequent flyer.” This being slang for a patient EMS crews routinely are called to provide assistance for.
However, the footage prompted the family of Moore to file a civil lawsuit against the workers, and the ambulance company they worked for. The family claiming there was a distinct “lack of humanity” in the way Moore was treated by all responders present.
In the video, one the responders can be heard saying, “I’m seriously not in the mood for this dumb sh*t tonight.”
At the end of an alternate body camera recording, one of the responders can be heard saying “Aw he strapped him in good and tight. He ain’t going nowhere.”
(Sangamon County Sheriff’s Dept.)
Why call 911?
Earl Moore Jr. called 911 reporting that he saw people ‘inside’ with guns. Three Springfield, Illinois officers were dispatched to respond to the situation. Upon arrival, they were told Moore was experiencing a hallucinatory episode by a bystander.
Finley and Cadigan, the EMS workers, were called by Springfield Police to transport Moore to a hospital. They then proceeded to put Moore Jr. facedown on a stretcher after carrying him from his residence.
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Autopsy
Asphyxiation was the cause of death, but Earl Moore Jr. was also found to have rib fractures, and cuts on his knees, fingers, and foot as well. The full autopsy can be found here.
