Millvale, Pa., police officer
Nicole Murphy was wrong in repeatedly Tasering a drunk, handcuffed suspect, her
ex-partner testified. (YouTube)
John Luciew
The lead prosecution witness in a federal
trail for a suspended Pa. police officer was none other than her ex-partner.
But there was no thin blue line on this case.
The officer testified that
Millvale police officer Nicole Murphy was wrong for thrice Tasering a drunk,
handcuffed suspect.
According to WTAE in
Pittsburgh, Officer Casey Bonincontro told the federal jury in the civil rights
case tha
In addition, Bonincontro was
identified as the person who recorded a cellphone video of Murphy using a Taser
on the handcuffed, drunken man – the key piece of evidence which garnered media
attention and generated public outrage and federal scrutiny in the Allegheny
County case.
According to WTAE, Bonincontro
testified that Murphy, his former partner, shocked prisoner Thomas Smith three
times. But the officer used the words "she assaulted him" to describe
in court each of the three times she used the Taser on the suspect.
The officer also described her
use of force as excessive and testified that the prisoner was under control,
the news station reported.
More from WTAE: Bonincontro
testified that the prisoner was a loud nuisance, hitting his own head against
various surfaces, but not a threat to police.
Bonincontro told the jury that
he didn't criticize Murphy while in the presence of the prisoner or emergency
medical technicians but later told her ''that wasn't cool."
If found guilty of violating Smith's
civil rights, Murphy could face a sentence of up to 10 years in prison.
If she is found guilty of the
felony, she would not be able to work in law enforcement, even if she was not
sentenced to prison.
