Nearly a dozen New York corrections officers have been arrested in an 11-count grand jury indictment earlier this week in connection to the Mar. 1 beating death of Mid-State Correctional Facility inmate, Messiah Nantwi.
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According to charging documents obtained by ABC News, two of the officers, Jonah Levi and Caleb Blair, were charged with second-degree murder. This is considered the most serious offense in the indictment. They both received five additional charges of first-degree manslaughter, first and second-degree gang assault, conspiracy, and intent to defraud.
Eight other correctional officers were indicted in the case. All 10 officers were arraigned during a hearing on Wednesday. They pleaded not guilty to all charges.
The Onondaga County District Attorney Speaks Out About the Correctional Officers’ Arrests
Meanwhile, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who is the special prosecutor in the case, revealed during a press conference more details about the correctional officers’ deadly beating of the inmate.
Fitzpatrick revealed that Nantwi suffered “massive head injuries” after he was beaten by the officers.
“The indictment alleges that the victim here, Mr. Nantwi, was beaten with fists, with batons, and with boots,” Fitzpatrick shared. “It was determined by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner that Mr. Nantwi died from traumatic brain injuries as a result of violent blows to his head, as well as at least 69 other serious blows about his body.”
New York Governor Kathy Hochul also spoke out about the indictment. She revealed Nantwi was serving a five-year sentence for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon.
“The tragic death of Mr. Nantwi at the hands of correctional officers, who are responsible for protecting the incarcerated population, is deeply, deeply disturbing,” she stated. “The loss of any life in our correctional facilities is one too many.”
Hochul further stated that she “immediately terminated” the correctional officers in the indictment. “I express my condolences – my deepest condolences to the family of Mr. Nantwi,” she said. “And our hearts go out to all of them in the aftermath of this horrific crime.”
The governor added that New York has implemented several new polices in the state correctional facilities. This includes “expanding the use of body-worn cameras and bringing in experts for a system-wide culture study.”