Courts and Prosecutors

Essex District Attorney Paul Tucker said Tuesday that seven Haverhill, Massachusetts police officers will not face criminal charges in the July 11, 2025 death of 43‑year‑old Francis Gigliotti, who became unresponsive while being held prone outside a fish market during what relatives described as a mental‑health crisis. Tucker said an autopsy found Gigliotti died from cardiac dysrhythmia in the setting of combined cocaine and alcohol intoxication while being restrained face‑down, and noted the medical examiner found no injuries to his nose, throat, neck or back, though there were bruises on his limbs. Witness video shows multiple officers holding Gigliotti on his stomach as he cries out; Tucker said they kept him prone for 2 minutes and 25 seconds before he went unresponsive, then administered Narcan and CPR until EMS arrived. The case drew scrutiny because officers were not wearing body cameras and because federal guidance has warned since the 1990s that prolonged prone restraint can cause asphyxia, an issue thrust into national focus by the killing of George Floyd in neighboring Minnesota. Tucker framed the review — which included an outside expert — as "comprehensive" and said the evidence could not support criminal charges under Massachusetts law, a conclusion likely to be challenged by civil‑rights advocates who argue prone holds remain dangerously overused in mental‑health and intoxication encounters.