Deerfield voters have a right to know all the facts about Blake Gilmore, a candidate for Select Board in the May 6 election.

In 1988, when I worked as a Boston Herald reporter, Gilmore emerged as a central figure in the 1988 death of Pittsfield Police cadet Timothy M. Shepard, 25.

Gilmore, then a Massachusetts State Police trooper, was director of recruit training at the police academy in Agawam when, on Sept. 19, 1988, Shepard collapsed during a harsh training session in hot weather that included vigorous exertion and restricted water intake, according to court documents.

Gilmore and Trooper John Richardson were in charge of the training, according to news accounts and court records. Fellow cadets who tried to assist the fallen Shepard were told: “Leave him alone; he’ll get up,” several cadets told the Boston Herald.

Shepard suffered extreme dehydration and liver failure. He underwent a liver transplant and died from complications on Nov. 2, 1988. He left behind his pregnant wife, Holly Shepard, and other family members. An autopsy concluded the “root cause” of Shepard’s death was heavy exercise, with little water allowed during the training session.

The state attorney general called for an inquest, conducted in Springfield before Judge Irving Goldblatt. In his 76-page report filed in June 1989, Goldblatt concluded there was probable cause to support involuntary manslaughter charges against Gilmore and two other state law enforcement officials. Former state attorney general James Shannon declined to prosecute.

Besides Shepard, 15 other cadets in the class of 50 became ill that day and 10 were hospitalized for ailments including renal failure and dehydration.

You might ask, what does a tragedy that happened 30-plus years ago have to do with elections today? It’s relevant because it raises questions about a candidate’s judgment, temperament and leadership style.

If 16 cadets became ill and 11 were hospitalized on that day, and Gilmore was either unwilling or unable to comprehend that something was seriously wrong and immediately help them, what does that say about his judgment?

It’s for Deerfield voters to decide May 6.

Michelle Caruso

Former Greenfield Recorder
reporter, Fallbrook, California