Summary

While the immediate aftermath of the Attica uprising focused on medical needs and restoring order to the facility, state officials were warned by district attorney Louis James that the retaking was “a far bigger mess than his office was equipped to address” (225). For assistance, the governor turned to deputy attorney general Robert E. Fischer and his assistant Anthony Simonetti to investigate the scene from a criminal perspective. Simonetti arrived at Attica shortly after the retaking began, yet Rockefeller did not announce who he chose to investigate the case until four days later. Meanwhile, bodies were arriving at local morgues. Monroe County received the bulk of the bodies – nineteen prisoners and eight hostages – which were to be autopsied by medical examiner Dr. John Edland. State troopers watched and took pictures of each autopsy in an attempt to control as much of the investigation...