Violent, Bigoted Cop Accused Of Beating Another Cop Is Upset His Text Messages Expose Him As A Violent Bigot

from the petard-toting-mfers-getting-themselves-hoisted dept

Lawyers for a cop accused of beating an undercover cop during a 2017 protest are pretty angry prosecutors have let the public know just what kind of bigoted dirtbag the indicted officer is.

St. Louis police officer Dustin Boone -- along with four other officers -- attacked undercover officer Luther Hall. Boone is white. Detective Hall is black. This is relevant information, even if Boone's lawyers are claiming his texts -- which contain plenty of bigotry -- aren't. Boone's legal rep is seeking to have prosecutors sanctioned for bringing Boone's texts to his prosecution.

Boone's attorney, Patrick Kilgore, argues in a court filing that the now-public information is "inflammatory, irrelevant, and highly prejudicial" and disclosing them violates a judge's order to file much of the information under seal. He notes that the St. Louis Post-Dispatch wrote about the texts and other information from the prosecutors' filing and claims it could taint the jury pool and keep Boone from receiving a fair trial.

They're definitely "inflammatory." How could they not be? These are former officer Boone's own words. And they seem relevant as they make it pretty clear how easily a bigot like Boone could "mistake" a black undercover officer for a protester in need of a beating. Here's Boone in a group text [PDF] to other St. Louis police officers a few months prior to the beating he's now facing charges for:

It's already a state of emergency! There are r niggers running wild all across the city and even if/when we catch them..... they don't get in any trouble because there are plate lips running the CAO!

Here's what the CAO reference means:

CAO is apparently a reference to the St. Louis Circuit Attorney's Office, which is under the supervision of the city's first Black circuit attorney, Kim Gardner.

That's not the only one containing the n-word. This term was used in a group text to "Kayla, Kelsea, Mom, Ashley Marie, Dad" that reads:

What city r we in?

These fuckin niggers r the same as St. Louis niggers.

So, the lawyer for this lovely person wants these texts tossed and prosecutors sanctioned for introducing "highly prejudicial" information. And, to be fair, it will certainly make jurors feel things about Boone that they likely wouldn't have felt without them. But is it too unfair? It certainly seems relevant -- not just because of how Boone apparently views black people, but because it also shows how gleefully he participated in the beating of a fellow officer.

Prosecutors say that Boone hooked his phone on his uniform and livestreamed Hall's beating for Ditto. The hour-long video wasn't saved, but prosecutors say Ditto's messages back and forth with Boone prove that she watched what happened — and that Boone was involved. Afterward, Ditto wrote "That was SOOOOOO COOL!!!!"

Perhaps the most memorable part of this exchange (other than Boone's sudden contrition after the news came out he had beaten an undercover detective) is his girlfriend's response to the beating. Everyone tells you "just comply" with cops' orders if you don't want to get hurt. Here's a civilian take, and it's a good one considering it's from someone who was in a personal relationship with a cop:

But damn you guys need to practice more. Even I was confused. One guy was sayin HANDS DOWN, HANDS DOWN.

Next dude saying HANDS UP.

Then HANDS DOWN, HANDS DOWN, GET YOUR FUCKIN HANDS UP.

And that's not the end of the disturbing communications. There are multiple texts celebrating excessive force use -- including Boone's efforts to ensure these beatings weren't captured by nearby CCTV cameras or bystanders. There's a text suggesting Boone stole money from a crime scene. There's a whole string of texts detailing he and his fellow officers' abuse of prescription drugs like Adderall and Concerta.

Here's his recommendation to fellow officer Kyle Santa who was asking on behalf of another police officer.

Depends on if he wants to feel like he feels like seeing in HD and making night turn into day (adderall) or if he just wants to feel a really really focused white guy (concerta). Adderall is essentially cocaine base in a compressed pill form……. It's pretty special. It makes u chew on ur tongue and like ur lips like a crack head and u can't stop talking for the first 8 hours. It is also nearly impossible to get drunk AND cures hangovers in a matter of 11 minutes.

Sure, I can see why Boone's lawyer wants these messages kept out of court. They make his client look like a violent, racist drug addict. That's certainly not going to help -- not when his lawyer is trying to clear him of charges related to the violent beating of a black man… one that Boone seemingly would never have regretted if the beating victim hadn't turned out to be a fellow officer.

Even if Boone's lawyer manages to get these texts tossed and the prosecutors sanctioned, they'll hopefully be enough to prevent Dustin Boone from ever wearing a badge again. And it should serve as a wakeup call for all the officers he worked with -- the ones who ignored his violence, racism, and drug abuse until he made the only unforgiveable mistake: beating up another cop.

Filed Under: dustin boone, luther hall, police, police brutality, racism, st. louis, text messages