10 NY Prison Guards Indicted — 2 Charged With Murder in Brutal Inmate Death

According to documents charging the officers, ten New York corrections officers have been charged with 11 counts of grand jury indictment concerning the beating death on March 1, 2015, of Messiah Nantwi.

Two police officers, Jonah Levi and Caleb Blair, were each charged with second-degree murder, as well as five other charges, including first-degree manslaughter and first- and second-degree gang violence, conspiracy, and intent to defraud.

Levi and Blair were brought before a judge during an arraignment on Wednesday afternoon. They were joined by the eight other correctional officers who had been indicted. According to court documents, they pleaded not guilty to all charges.

William Fitzpatrick (the special prosecutor who was assigned to investigate this case) said at a Wednesday afternoon press conference that Nantwi had suffered “massive brain injuries.”

Fitzpatrick stated, “The indictment alleges the victim, Mr. Nantwi, was beaten here with fists, batons, and boots.”

The Onondaga County Medical Examiner determined that Mr. Nantwi had died of traumatic brain injury as a result of violent blows to the head and at least 69 serious blows around his body,” he said.

New York Governor Kathy announced the charges on Tuesday. Nantwi was 22 years old and serving a five-year prison sentence for criminal possession of an armed weapon in the second degree at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, Oneida County in New York.

Hochul, in a video released on Tuesday by her office, said: “The tragic death Mr. Nantwi suffered at the hands of correction officers who are responsible for the protection of the incarcerated populations is deeply, deeply troubling.” “Any death in our correctional facility is too many.”

Hochul stated that she had “immediately terminated the indicted corrections officers” concerning Nantwi’s death.

Hochul expressed her condolences, “my deepest condolences” to the Nantwi family. He added that the heart of the nation goes out to them all in the wake of this horrifying crime.

Hochul stated in a Wednesday statement that New York had begun to implement new policies after Nantwi died, including “expanding body-worn cameras” and “bringing in experts for a system-wide cultural study.”

The indictment was announced after a spokesperson from the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS) confirmed on March 26 that 15 people of interest had been identified concerning Nantwi’s death.

The spokesperson stated that three of these people were placed on suspension without pay while 12 others were placed on paid administrative leave “pending the outcome of an ongoing internal disciplinary process.”

The New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision has released the names of persons of interest. This includes guards from the nearby Mid-State and Marcy institutions.

Fitzpatrick investigated this case after the Office of Special Investigation of State Attorney General Letitia J. James announced last month it was recusing itself from investigating Nantwi’s death due to “internal conflict.”

James stated in a statement dated March 6, that the Division of State Counsel of her office represents state agencies, including the Department of Corrections, and correction officers.

She said that OSI “checks for any potential internal conflicts which could compromise the integrity of an investigation in the future.” OSI confirmed, “When the corrections officer involved in the events leading up to Mr. Nantwi’s death was identified, OSI confirmed four of these corrections officers were defendants in other cases where they were or are represented by attorneys from OAG’s State Counsel Division.”

Nantwi died in custody during a 22-day strike by correction officers in New York prisons over the working conditions. This led to more than 2,000 guards being fired.

In December 2024, Robert Brooks was beaten to death in the Marcy Correctional Facility (which is located across the street).

Ten former prison guards have been charged with Brooks’ murder in February.