The late-night "fight club" at the Corpus Christi State School — orchestrated, authorities say, for the entertainment of those responsible for protecting the students — was uncovered in March after the images were found on a lost cell phone.
On Monday, jurors were expected to be picked for the trial of Timothy Dixon, 30, D'Angelo Riley, 23, and Jesse Salazar, 25, all charged with multiple counts of causing bodily injury to a disabled person. In a separate courtroom, Stephanie Garza, 21, was to face a lesser charge of not intervening to stop the fights. Two other former employees are scheduled to go on trial later this year.
"These people did horrific things," said Jeff Garrison-Tate, of the advocacy group Community Now!, which has called for closing the state schools in favor of community-based services. "But they were given silent permission for these heinous acts."
District Attorney Carlos Valdez did not return calls for comment. Defense attorneys for the accused declined to comment.
Almost 20 videos dating back to 2007 were found on a cell phone turned in to police, showing staff at the Corpus Christi State School forcing residents into late-night bouts, even kicking them to egg them on. Eleven staff members were identified and six were charged.
Dixon is believed to have shot the videos, though other staff members can been seen pointing cell phone cameras toward the brawls. None of those charged still works at the facility.
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- ClipsFC
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@stevenh123 on twitter says "4 on trial over Texas school fight club: Grainy cell phone videos showing developmentally disabl.. From MSNBC News"
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- twitterbot
- 4 months ago
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wtf. not cool.
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- Alex_French
- 4 months ago
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Project Mayhem is spreading.
But on a serious note, that is seriously fucked up to be forcing challenged kids to fight each other. Not cool.
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I'm waiting to hear the defense. I don't know if it will be any good or not but it should be at least colorful. They obviously did justify this to themselves, the question is how.
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- bombastinator
- 4 months ago
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Ugh. Fucking people, man.
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- JamesAJanisse
- 4 months ago
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The first rule of Fight Club is: you do not talk about Fight Club....
But to be serious, this is quite preposterous. If you have to make handicap people fight for fun, you deserve a great big beating yourself. There are plenty of us to condone and orchestrate that. What a bunch of pussies.
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- Buddha2112
- 4 months ago
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CRIPPLE FIGHT !!!!!!!!
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- onemalefla
- 4 months ago
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i'd pay money to see the retards go at it.
AND i'm sure that they weren't even that retarded. I bet they just as minor autism, or bipolar , or something minor and they automatically call them mentally impaired to make this story seem worse then it is.
Obviously they were intelligent enough to stand and fight and attend public schools for the most part.
And i think its super fucked up they are charging some 21 yr old girl for just standing by. like... you've got to be retarded yourself to get between two retards fighting. amirite lol
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- deeblackangel
- 4 months ago
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If allowing developmentally disabled high school students to hurt each other is a crime, then maybe Texas should ban high school football.
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- AaliasChrisCarter
- 4 months ago
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People who support entertainment via violence of the disabled are ignorant douche-bags.
As a parent of a child with "minor autism", I can tell you that this is indeed child cruelty. ALL PERSONS INVOLVED, including those who did NOTHING to stop the madness, should be prosecuted.
"Retards" are people, deeblackangel; just like you and I.
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- americanhistorynow
- 4 months ago
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wow. this is disgusting. just, wow...
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- randallr01
- 4 months ago
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Leave it to Texans to come up with something this despicable and heartless for entertainment. If the people responsible for this don't serve real jail time than the Texas criminal justice system is a joke.
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What is this the Middle Ages?
Honestly who thinks of this as entertainment?-
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- Geoff_Paul
- 4 months ago
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Just because they are from Texas does not make them retards!
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- StandaboveUnderstand
- 4 months ago
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Texas pays its State School employees, (at least at the grunt level), the EXACT SAME WAGE that was payed in the mid 90s. Many of these folks are the sort not expected by "Burgers are Us" to make assistant manager probational trainee. They [ the low end staff] just don't give a shit and Texas tax payers by in large just do not really give a damn,....but they act "surprised" when there is a mess.
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There one at my school, got shut down by parents though...
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Hopefully the perps will get a taste of their own medicine when they are in prison.
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- johnniewalker
- 4 months ago
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