Panama City, FL - The medical examiner who concluded a juvenile offender died from suffocation after an altercation with employees at the Bay County boot camp testified in the case on Friday.

Seven former drill instructors and a nurse from the Bay County Sheriff's Office boot camp are charged with aggravated manslaughter of a child in the death of a juvenile offender.

Martin Anderson died in January 2006, the day after a videotaped altercation with the guards on his first day at the boot camp.

If convicted, Henry Dickens, Charles Enfinger, Patrick Garrett, Raymond Hauck, Charles Helms, Henry McFadden, Kristin Schmidt, and Joseph Walsh face up to 30 years in prison.

A lot of debate revolves around two conflicting autopsies. A first autopsy by Bay County chief medical examiner Dr. Charles Siebert says Anderson died from complications of sickle cell trait. 

Two months later, Tampa medical examiner Dr. Vernard Adams performed a second autopsy.  He concluded Anderson suffocated because the guards putt their hands over his mouth and held ammonia capsules up to his nose.

Adams was the first witness called to the stand by the prosecution on Friday morning.  Prosecutor Mike Sinacore asked Adams to describe what he believes caused Anderson's death.

Adams told the court Adams suffocated after three separate episodes of the guards' holding their hands over his mouth while holding up ammonia capsules to his nose.  That caused Anderson's vocal cords to spasm, said Adams, suffocating him.

When asked, Adams told Sinacore if there had been no physical restraint, no ammonia used, and no hands blocking his mouth, Anderson would still be alive.

After a short break, the defense won the right to question Adams on whether he was pressured by 13th Circuit State Attorney Mark Ober to come to a certain conclusion.

Attorney Bob Sombathy then began cross-examination for the defense.  Upon questioning, Adams agreed that if his interpretation of the video is wrong, then his opinion on cause of death would be wrong as well.

Waylon Graham also questioned Dr. Adams for the defense.  Graham closely quesitoned Adams about whether or not he was pressured by special prosecutor Mark Ober to come to a certain conclusion, and whether he allowed external pressures, political or otherwise, to influence his opinion.

After lunch, Dr. Cynthia Lewis-Younger, a toxicologist, testifed about ammonia capsules, what they are, how they're supposed to be used, and what potential dangers exposure to ammonia capsules might pose.

Younger says it's possible the ammonia fumes could cause the spasms that Adams believes caused Anderson's death but admits she knows of no cases where that has happened.

Court ended before 3:00 p.m. CT and will resume on Monday at 8:30 a.m.

Stay tuned to wmbb.com and News 13 for the latest on the trial.  You can watch live streaming video by tuning to digital channel 13.2 or clicking on the link below.

Full Boot Camp Trial Coverage >>