Contra Costa County prosecutors have dismissed felony charges against two men accused of mutilating a woman’s corpse — the latest case to be fouled by a racist text message scandal that rocked the Antioch Police Department.
Ashton Montalvo and Deangelo Boone were arrested and charged in October 2022 with arson and mutilation after the burned body of Mykaella Sharlman, 25, was found near a hiking trail in Antioch.
Sharlman’s autopsy ruled out homicide, but Montalvo and Boone were charged with setting Sharlman’s body on fire and putting it in a garbage can, according to the Mercury News in San Jose.
Sharlman‘s death was attributed to a fentanyl overdose, according to Bay Area television station KNTV.
In April, the Mercury News reported on an FBI and county prosecutor’s office investigation into the Antioch Police Department that revealed dozens of officers had been sending racist and homophobic messages to one another for years, using anti-Black slurs and other derogatory terms.
The report sent shock waves through the department, with more than 40 officers implicated in the scandal.
The case against Montalvo and Boone “relied heavily” on investigations by several Antioch police officers who were associated with the racist texts, the Contra Costa County district attorney’s office said last week in a statement.
The officers were not identified.
“After thoroughly reviewing the officers’ role in this case, applying relevant legal principles, and considering ethical responsibilities, the Contra Costa District Attorney’s Office no longer has confidence in the integrity of this prosecution,” the office said.
The dismissal allows charges to be refiled if new evidence is developed.
The dismissal was slammed by Sharlman’s sister Nicole Eason, who called it “unacceptable,” according to KNTV.
“We’re getting ready to lawyer up,” Eason told the news station. “We’re getting ready to fight.”
The case is one of dozens that have been dismissed due to multiple and overlapping investigations into Antioch police officers, other police departments and even the Contra Costa Country district attorney’s office, according to the Mercury News.
In late May, a Contra Costa County judge threw out gang charges against four men, two of whom were referenced in Antioch officers’ racist text messages, after data showed that prosecutors had disproportionately targeted Black people with sentencing enhancements.
Last month, California Atty. Gen. Rob Bonta launched a civil rights investigation into the Antioch Police Department.
Where there are “allegations of potentially pervasive bias or discrimination,” Bonta said in a statement, “it can undermine the trust that is critical for public safety and our justice system.”