A few of our stories and columns are now in front of the paywall. We at The Chief remain committed to independent reporting on labor and civil service. It's been our mission since 1897. You can have a hand in ensuring that our reporting remains relevant in the decades to come. Consider supporting The Chief, which you can do for as little as $3.20 a month.
Four state prison correction officers pleaded guilty Monday in connection with the death of Robert Brooks, a Black inmate whose brutal beating at an upstate New York prison was captured on bodycam videos.
Two guards facing a top charge of murder pleaded guilty in a Utica court to a lesser charge in the indictment: first-degree manslaughter. Under the agreements, Nicholas Anzalone and Anthony Farina, who have both resigned since the incident, will be sentenced to 22 years in state prison on Nov. 21.
Two more men charged with second-degree manslaughter also pleaded guilty. Michael Mashaw will be sentenced to three to nine years in prison. and David Walters will be sentenced to two years, four months to seven years in prison. Mashaw and Walters also have resigned.
The pleas came two weeks before the start of trial for a group of guards accused in the death of Brooks, who was pummeled while handcuffed at the Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9. The beating of the restrained 43-year-old man triggered outrage and calls for reform.
Four of the 10 guards indicted in February are still headed to trial Oct. 6, including three accused of murder.
Brooks' relatives welcomed what they called a measure of justice.
"It is important to us to see my father's killers publicly admit what they have done and face severe consequences," Robert Brooks Jr., the victim's son, said in a prepared release.
Brooks had been serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault since 2017 and was transferred to Marcy from a nearby lockup on the night he was beaten. The videos show Brooks being struck in the chest with a shoe, lifted by his neck and then dropped.
The first plea in the case came in May, when a guard charged with murder pleaded guilty to manslaughter under a deal with prosecutors. Christopher Walrath, who resigned, was sentenced to 15 years in prison in August.
Another guard pleaded guilty later in May to attempted tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.
The special prosecutor in the case is Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who also is prosecuting guards in the fatal beating of Messiah Nantwi on March 1 at another Marcy lockup, the Mid-State Correctional Facility. Ten guards were indicted in April, including two who are charged with murder.
Comments
No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here