10 guards charged over the fatal beating of a New York inmate, including 2 with murder
Ten New York prison guards were charged Wednesday in connection with the fatal beating of a 22-year-old inmate last month — including two charged with murder. It's the second time a group of correctional officers in the state was indicted for a death behind bars this year.
The indictment says several guards severely beat Messiah Nantwi, a prisoner at the Mid-State Correctional Facility, sending him to a hospital where he died on March 1. As a result of the beatings, Nantwi "died due to massive head trauma and numerous other injuries to his body," the indictment said.
Six of the prison guards are accused of assaulting Nantwi, and the remaining four are accused of helping in the cover-up.
"All the co-conspirators met and agreed to continues with the story that everything they did was completely proper," Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said.
All 10 suspects have pleaded not guilty.
Two guards charged with second-degree murder
According to Wednesday's indictment, the two guards charged with second-degree murder, Jonah Levi and Caleb Blair, were called to Nantwi's room to help National Guard members with an "unknown issue." Levi and Blair entered the room and "began beating Messiah Nantwi, including multiple strikes to his body and head with their boots," the indictment says.
When guards entered Nantwi's room, Nantwi "had his hands raised and displayed no weapon," the indictment says. Nantwi protested being handcuffed and restrained for no reason apparent to him and grabbed Bartlett's vest, and then was immediately assaulted by the defendants, the document says. The attack intensified when Nantwi bit Blair and guard Thomas Eck on their hands.
Nantwi became unresponsive and guards transported him out of the room and headed for the infirmary. Nantwi was assaulted a second time in a stairwell and was "dumped in a holding cell at the infirmary and further assaulted" by Blair, the indictment says.
The court document said the guards had no legitimate reason to assault Nantwi. It also said the kicking and stomping, along with leaving him unattended in the infirmary holding cell for several minutes while displaying no urgency for medical staff to check on him, "demonstrated depraved indifference" to Nantwi's life and "resulted in his death."
The indictment alleges after Nantwi's death, the suspects "falsely claimed a makeshift knife had been found in Messiah Nantwi's room."
"A body-worn camera intentionally hung in a men's room at the infirmary of Mid-State caught two of the co-conspirators discussing the conspiracy to plant the weapon," Fitzpatrick said.
Levi, Blair and three other guards were also charged with first-degree manslaughter.
The attorney general's office has recused itself in Nantwi's case, citing its representation of several correctional officers in civil lawsuits. Fitzpatrick was appointed as special prosecutor.
An "horrific crime," Hochul says
Gov. Kathy Hochul called it a "horrific crime" in announcing the indictments Tuesday.
"The tragic death of Mr. Nantwi at the hands of correction officers who are responsible for protecting the incarcerated population is deeply, deeply disturbing," Hochul said in a brief video message.
She later released the following statement, calling for all involved to be fired:
"Earlier today, a grand jury unsealed criminal indictments against state corrections officers in connection with the death of Messiah Nantwi at Mid-State Correctional Facility last month. Mr. Nantwi's death is a tragedy and we extend our deepest condolences to his family and loved ones. I greatly appreciate Special Prosecutor William Fitzpatrick and his team's efforts to hold the alleged perpetrators accountable.
"In response to this tragic incident, I directed DOCCS Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello to begin the termination process for all those involved in Mr. Nantwi's death. Let me be clear: our state correctional facilities must be safe for Correction Officers, civilian staff, the incarcerated population and surrounding communities. We have already begun to implement multiple new policies, including expanding the use of body-worn cameras and bringing in experts for a system-wide culture study. I am committed to working with Commissioner Martuscello and his team to protect the safety and well-being of every single person in a DOCCS facility."
The Utica-area facility was one of many state prisons that was struggling to function during a three-week wildcat strike by guards. Correctional officers who were upset over working conditions began illegally walking off the job Feb. 17 at many state prisons, forcing the governor to send National Guard troops in to maintain operations. Incarcerated people and their advocates complained that services and conditions deteriorated during the walkout.
While the accused are all corrections officers, the indictment alleges the National Guard troops had little training on how to deal with inmates.
Nantwi entered the state prison system last May and had been serving a five-year sentence for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon related to an exchange of gunfire with police officers in 2021. At the time he was shot multiple times, while the officers were uninjured.
Prosecutors in Manhattan say Nantwi shot and killed Jaylen Duncan, 19, on a Harlem street in April 2023. The following evening, they say, he shot and killed Brandon Brunson, 36, at a Harlem smoke shop after an argument.
Nantwi's death came several months after Robert Brooks was fatally beaten at the Marcy Correctional Facility, just across the street from the Mid-State prison. Six guards have pleaded not guilty to murder charges in Brooks' death and other prison employees have also been charged.
