Four St. Louis police officers were brought to trial for the beating and coverup of an undercover cop during an anti-police brutality protest last year.
according to the U.S. Department of Justice officers Dustin Boone, Randy Hays, Christopher Myers, and Bailey Colletta are accused of beating of a 22-year veteran identified as Luther Hall, during a 2017 protest.
Myers was also charged with destroying evidence. Officer Bailey Colletta was indicted on a charge of providing false statements to a federal grand jury in connection with the incident.
on the afternoon of September 15, 2017, a series of protests took place in St. Louis, Missouri, following the acquittal of former St. Louis police officer Jason Stockley in the Shooting of Anthony Lamar Smith, an African American man. Over 160 people have been arrested during the first three days of demonstrations, with largely peaceful protests ongoing. There has been significant criticism around the police and governmental response to the protest.
Dustin Boone, Randy Hays, Christopher Myers. A fourth cop, Baily Colletta, who was in a romantic relationship with Hays, is accused of providing false statements to federal investigators about the beating.
electronic messages shared between the officers Prior to the beating revealed that the cops were looking forward to beating the protesters as Boone said in a message.
"We really need these f**kers to start acting u(p) so we can have some fun," he said in another text "Yeah. A lot of cops getting hurt, but it's still a blast beating people that deserve it."
One of the charges carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison. The other three carry a maximum of 20 years. All four counts have a maximum of $250,000 in fines.
