State Trooper Turned Off Body Camera Before Breaking Teen’s Eye Socket Over ‘Ding-Dong Ditch’ Prank: Attorney General

A Delaware State Police trooper badly beat two teens following an apparent "ding-dong ditch" prank at his home — and turned off his body-worn camera to punch a handcuffed 15-year-old boy in the face, fracturing his eye socket, the state’s attorney general alleged Tuesday.

In dashcam footage, the boy cries out for his mother and screams that he can’t breathe as he’s allegedly assaulted by cops. 

The teen's aunt said last month that he also suffered a concussion and needed surgery to repair "severe eye damage" after troopers "beat the living hell" out of the boy.

Trooper Dempsey Walters, 29, allegedly attacked the boy after the trooper’s girlfriend reported the teen kicked the front door of their home on Aug. 21, according to a news release from Attorney General Kathy Jennings.

Authorities allege Walters also assaulted a 17-year-old boy earlier that night — four days after the two had an argument while Walters was off duty. 

Walters allegedly looked up that teen’s address in a law enforcement database and went to his home with local police, who had the unarmed boy step outside the house at gunpoint, video released by Jennings’ office shows.

Walters has been suspended without pay.

“As a mother and grandmother, the footage in this case is hard to watch. As a prosecutor, the constitutional violations are stunning,” Jennings said.

“Over the course of the evening, [Walters] chose to extract his own form of personal justice by embarking on a violent rampage, assaulting two defenseless minors, and attempting to conceal his misconduct,” Jennings added. “He will now face criminal consequences for his actions."

Prosecutors say the 15-year-old boy allegedly kicked the front door of Walters' home as a prank with friends on Aug. 21. 

Walters was on duty at the time, but his girlfriend was home, officials said. She called him after she heard the noise and gave a description of the boy after the incident was caught on video by a doorbell security camera, authorities said.

"Walters drove to his neighborhood and, en route, called [other Delaware State] troopers and other police departments for assistance," officials said.

When the boy and his friends were found walking the streets by other officers, Walters met them and "almost immediately upon arriving," dropped his knee into the back of the minor's head and neck, authorities alleged.

In video caught by a camera in a State Police cruiser, the boy could be heard screaming, calling out for his mother and telling officers he couldn’t breathe. 

The teen told police several times, “I don’t have anything,” the video shows. He also repeatedly asked Walters and other troopers what he did, but they didn't respond.

As the boy shrieks, Walters can be heard demanding, “Where are you coming from?”

Walters shut off his body-worn camera then allegedly punched the boy in the face as the teen sat handcuffed in the back of a police vehicle, according to authorities. 

Walters turned the camera back on after the teen was injured, officials said.

Soon after the alleged attack last month, Tara Murphy, the boy's aunt, posted 13 pictures showing the boy's injuries and a lengthy description of the assault on Facebook.

She described how State Police troopers "beat the living hell out of" her 15-year-old nephew.

“My nephew currently has a concussion, needs surgery to repair severe eye damage (as the cops stomped on him and kicked him multiple times),” she wrote. “He is covered in bruises, scrapes and scratches up and down his entire body.”

Troopers apparently came to their senses when they called an ambulance for the boy, the woman wrote.

“We will not allow my nephew to be another statistic of police brutality and men/women who feel that they are superior to those around them,” she wrote. “‘Protect and Serve’ seems to only matter when you’re protecting your own.”

The trooper also allegedly assaulted a 17-year-old the same night. 

The minor and Walters got into an argument on Aug. 17 while Walters was off duty, the attorney general’s office said. Walters called local police, who brought the boy home, officials said.

The next day, Walters looked up the teen’s address in a law enforcement database and did so again after he learned about the teen who allegedly kicked his door, prosecutors said.

“[The teen] and a friend came to the front door, unarmed, and complied with all orders,” prosecutors said about Walters’ encounter with the boy on Aug. 21. 

“Walters forcibly pulled [the teen] out of the doorway and forced him onto the ground, causing injuries. [The boy] was handcuffed and detained, but never formally arrested.” 

Delaware State Police Col. Melissa Zebley said in a statement Tuesday that the alleged assaults came to the department’s attention during an internal review of body-worn cameras.

“This indictment is a stark reminder that all citizens of this great state will be held accountable for their actions,” Zebley said. “Ensuring public safety and continuing to rebuild trust are our top priorities, and we are committed to achieving them no matter how long it takes.”

The case against Walters marks the first time prosecutors have invoked the state’s new Deprivation of Civil Rights Statute. Under the law passed last year, anyone who causes a physical injury while knowingly withholding a person’s civil rights can be convicted of a Class D felony.

Walters is charged with deprivation of civil rights, several counts of assault and two counts of official misconduct.