© 2024 Peoria Public Radio
A joint service of Bradley University and Illinois State University
Play Live Radio
Next Up:
0:00
0:00
0:00 0:00
Available On Air Stations

Murder charges filed against two Springfield EMS personnel

Police body camera footage of Earl Moore Jr. being loaded into an ambulance
Sangamon Co. State's Attorney's Office

Sangamon County State’s Attorney Dan Wright announced the charges Tuesday in connection with the death of Earl Moore Jr., 35, of Springfield, who they transported to a hospital. Wright said the two Lifestar EMS employees, Peter Cadigan and Peggy Finley, were responsible for Moore suffocating.

According to details released at a news conference, 9-1-1 was called to Moore’s home on Dec. 18. Indications are he was having a hallucinatory episode.

Once police arrived, Coroner Jim Allmon said EMS was notified. Lifestar, a private ambulance service, took Moore to HSHS St. John’s Hospital’s emergency room where he was pronounced dead.

Wright, who refused to answer questions due to the ongoing investigation, said Moore was placed face down on a stretcher and restrained across the back and lower body. The coroner’s report determined the cause of death to be compression and positional asphyxia.

“Knowing, based on their training, experience and surrounding circumstances, that such acts would create a substantial probability of great bodily harm or death,” said Wright.

Springfield NAACP President Teresa Haley said she viewed police body camera footage that showed the EMS personnel lacked compassion when dealing with Moore, a Black man, and brought a hostile attitude toward him.

“For me, it’s not about him being a Black man. It could have been a white family. If we were called in, we would have the same opinion. Everyone deserves to be treated with dignity and respect,” she said.

Cadigan and Finley were arrested Monday and taken to the Sangamon County Jail. If convicted, they could each face 20 to 60 years in prison.

Tuesday afternoon, authorities released footage from police-worn body cameras during the incident. See below:

Officer 1

Officer 2

Officer 3

Dr. J. Scott Denton’s Report of Postmortem Examination following the autopsy of Earl Moore, Jr.

Results of toxicology report