Henry Glover, 31, was shot in the chest by a New Orleans police officer in the Algiers section of New Orleans on Sept. 2, 2005. His charred remains were later discovered inside a burned out Chevrolet left on the banks of the Mississippi River. For years, his friends and family attempted to find out who was responsible for his death and the desecration of his body. Until recently, their questions went unanswered.

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Henry Glover, 31, was shot in the chest by a New Orleans police officer in the Algiers section of New Orleans on Sept. 2, 2005. His charred remains were later discovered inside a burned out Chevrolet left on the banks of the Mississippi River. For years, his friends and family attempted to find out who was responsible for his death and the desecration of his body. Until recently, their questions went unanswered.

News Accounts

In Dec. 2008, a ProPublica reporter published a story detailing the final moments of Glover's life. The reportage was supported by several nonprofit journalism organizations, including the Nation Institute.

The story, which ran in The Nation magazine and on the ProPublica website, revealed key facts about the matter, explaining that Glover been shot near an Algiers strip mall and had been discovered by a good Samaritan named William Tanner. Tanner used his car to drive Glover to a police encampment at Paul B. Habans Elementary School. He was accompanied by two other men, Bernard Calloway, and Glover's brother Edward King.

Tanner and King said the police at the school physically and verbally attacked them and refused to treat Glover, who died in the back seat of the car, a white Chevrolet Malibu.

Eventually, the men said, the police released them, along with Calloway. However, the officers seized Tanner's Chevy, and drove off in it, hauling Glover's lifeless body in the back seat.

Glover's burnt body -- it was reduced to ashes, charred flesh, and bone fragments -- was later discovered in the Chevy, which had been left on a Mississippi River levee close to the New Orleans Police Department's 4th District Station. The car was incinerated as well.

The sequence of events led Glover's family to suspect that his corpse had been defiled by the police. A law enforcement source showed the reporter pictures of the scorched remains and suggested that police had been responsible for the arson.

Subsequent stories by the New Orleans Times-Picayune and ProPublica uncovered more details about the Glover killing. In Feb. 2010, the media organizations revealed that former New Orleans police officer David Warren may have shot Glover while guarding a police office at the strip mall in Algiers. By March 2010, the Times-Picayune and ProPublica had obtained a police report allegedly written by Sgt. Purnella "Nina" Simmons, which documented the Glover shooting. Sources said Simmons's original report had been rewritten by somebody else. In May 2010, the Times-Picayune discovered a "missing persons" report made by Glover's mother, Edna Glover, who had visited the 4th District station in Nov. 2005 and provided officers with information suggesting Glover had been murdered and that police had been involved in his death.

The Federal Investigation

The U.S. Department of Justice launched a criminal investigation of Glover's death in early 2009, shortly after the original news story about the matter was published. Apparently, no local or state law enforcement agencies ever mounted a genuine probe of the incident.

In June 2010, the Justice Department announced the indictment of five current or former New Orleans police officers in connection to Glover's death. In the 11-count indictment:

• Warren was charged with using a Sig Arms .223 caliber assault rifle to shoot Glover;
• Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann and officer Greg McRae, both members of the NOPD SWAT team when the hurricane hit, were charged with kicking and hitting William Tanner and Edward King "without legal justification," illegally seizing Tanner's car, burning the car and Glover's body, and obstructing a federal investigation;
• Former Lt. Robert Italiano and Lt. Travis McCabe were indicted for authoring a false report on the Glover shooting and misleading federal investigators.

The Trial

The five men stood trial in U.S. District Court in New Orleans, with testimony commencing on Nov. 10, 2010 and concluding Dec. 3; the case went to the jury on Dec. 7.

Two days later, the federal jury convicted three current or former New Orleans police officers and acquitted two. They found ex-cop David Warren guilty of shooting Glover, officer Greg McRae guilty of burning Glover's body, and Lt. Travis McCabe guilty of creating a false police report and misleading federal authorities when questioned about the case. Lt. Dwayne Scheuermann and former Lt. Robert Italiano were acquitted of all charges against them.

On March 31, David Warren was sentenced to 309 months, more than 25 years, in prison by U.S. District Judge Lance Africk. Former officer Greg McRae was sentenced to more than 17 years.

New evidence that former Lt. Travis McCabe says exonerates him will be the subject of an April 21 evidentiary hearing presided over by Judge Africk. The hearing will determine whether the judge grants or rejects McCabe’s motion for a new trial.