Case 2:10-cr LMA-DEK Document 520 Filed 03/31/11 Page 1 of 5 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA

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1 Case 2:10-cr LMA-DEK Document 520 Filed 03/31/11 Page 1 of 5 UNITED STATES DISTRICT COURT EASTERN DISTRICT OF LOUISIANA UNITED STATES OF AMERICA CRIMINAL ACTION: versus SECTION: "I" GREGORY MCRAE REASONS FOR SENTENCE Your conduct was barbaric. That is not the Court s characterization of your conduct in this case. It is the characterization testified to by your co-defendants. Notwithstanding your oath to serve the public, the tragic death of Henry Glover was compounded by your actions. Your conduct is a significant reason why Henry Glover s family is devastated by his loss and why they still have difficulty coping with the tragic details surrounding his untimely death. You have been a law enforcement officer for more than 26 years. You held the rank of police officer IV and you received numerous commendations. You served as an instructor at the Louisiana State Police Academy. You carried a firearm and wore a badge. You had the authority to arrest those who violated the law. The citizens of this community trusted the fact that you would do your job with integrity, civility, and honor. The Court understands the burdens associated with employment as a police officer. The Court understands that, post-katrina, your burden was especially challenging in the midst of chaos. 1

2 Case 2:10-cr LMA-DEK Document 520 Filed 03/31/11 Page 2 of 5 However, you took an oath when you decided to serve and you violated that sacred oath in several unforgivable ways. It was unforgivable that you burned Henry Glover s body notwithstanding the fact that there was no legitimate law enforcement reason to burn it. Although you testified that you no longer wanted to be exposed to decaying bodies, you placed Henry Glover s body in an area where it would not have been so exposed. There is no record of other bodies of Katrina victims being burned. Your purported reason for burning the body was nonsensical at best and pure fabrication at worst. It was also unforgivable that you destroyed Mr. Tanner s automobile. There was no legitimate law enforcement reason to destroy that automobile. It was unforgivable that you knew that Henry Glover s death was a homicide, yet you burned his body. You understood the importance of securing evidence and that burning Henry Glover s body would significantly affect the pathologist s ability to perform an autopsy. Determining with any degree of certainty the exit and entry wounds of the bullet fired by David Warren was made virtually impossible as a result of your conduct. Carrying a flare and a firearm, you charred and burned Henry Glover s body beyond recognition. You had an opportunity, driving to the levee, to rethink your actions. You had an opportunity, once the flare did not provide the expected results, 2

3 Case 2:10-cr LMA-DEK Document 520 Filed 03/31/11 Page 3 of 5 to rethink your actions. Instead, you were so intent on desecrating Henry Glover s body that you fired into the vehicle in an effort to fuel the fire. There are certain things that we, as human beings, just know not to do. In addition to the fact that as an experienced police officer you knew that you were destroying evidence, your callous and depraved conduct deprived the Glover family of the ability to bury Henry Glover with the respect to which he was entitled. At trial, you testified that you heard one of the three men on the scene claim that he was Henry Glover s brother. Henry Glover was loved by his family as you are by yours. As you drove Mr. Tanner s automobile to the levee, Henry Glover s lifeless body lying in the backseat, you had to know that he had a family, somewhere, who loved him. Thanks to you, the last picture that the Glover family has of Henry Glover is a pile of bones. Thanks to you, it was months before Henry Glover s family learned what had happened to their beloved Henry. You never even had the decency to write a report with respect to what you did. If you really thought that there was some legitimate reason for burning Henry Glover s body, you should have at least documented the same so that Henry Glover could be traced. You failed to advise Sgt. Dugue that you burned Henry Glover s body. Your entire course of conduct has the stench of a coverup as opposed to mere ignorance. The Court cannot begin to imagine the despair 3

4 Case 2:10-cr LMA-DEK Document 520 Filed 03/31/11 Page 4 of 5 that the Glover family endured not knowing what had become of their beloved Henry. The devastation caused by Hurricane Katrina was made uglier by your disturbing actions. At some point, you lost your compass. The harsh conditions following Hurricane Katrina cannot, in any way, shape, or form justify your actions. As a law enforcement officer, you are held to a higher standard. At a time when more was expected of you, you failed miserably. As I stated to Mr. Warren, Henry Glover mattered. You may not have believed that to be the case, but twelve ordinary citizens of this community heard all of the evidence, including your testimony, and unanimously disagreed with your conduct. You will be significantly punished for your actions as one of the counts with which you are charged mandates a ten year sentence to be served consecutive to the other counts. You will be separated from your family for an extended period of time. Henry Glover will be separated from his family and his five children forever. I have considered the factors enumerated in 18 U.S.C. 3553(a). Specifically, I have considered the need for the sentence to reflect the seriousness of the offense, to promote respect for the law, and to provide just punishment for this offense. There is a need for the sentence to afford adequate deterrence to criminal conduct. I have also considered the need 4

5 Case 2:10-cr LMA-DEK Document 520 Filed 03/31/11 Page 5 of 5 to provide restitution to Mr. Tanner and the kinds of sentences available. New Orleans, Louisiana, this 31 st day of March, LANCE M. AFRICK UNITED STATES DISTRICT JUDGE 5