Former New York prison guard sentenced to 15 years for beating death of inmate
Christopher Walrath was one of six guards charged with murder in the death of Robert Brooks, who was pummeled at the Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9. Walrath pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in May under the first plea deal among the guards charged with murder.
'In that video, I see you and your fellow officers treating him as if his life holds no value at all, as if you're entitled to brutalize him for sport,' Robert Brooks Jr., the victim's son, told the court.
The son said in his victim impact statement that, 'I am not OK and I never will be.'
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.
Under questioning in May from Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, Walrath admitted that he and other guards assaulted Brooks, that he put Brooks in a chokehold, and that he struck the inmate's body and groin.
In addition to the six guards charged in February with murder, three more prison workers were indicted for manslaughter and another for evidence tampering. Prosecutors have said three other prison workers have reached agreements.
A guard pleaded guilty in May to attempted tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.
Trials were scheduled to begin in October for guards who have rejected plea deals.
Fitzpatrick 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.
Both prisons are about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of New York City.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Winnipeg Free Press
6 minutes ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Stella Rimington, Britain's first female MI5 spy chief, dies at 90
LONDON (AP) — Stella Rimington, the first female chief of Britain's MI5 intelligence agency and later a successful thriller writer, has died, her family said Monday. She was 90. The first woman to head a U.K. intelligence agency, Rimington was the inspiration for Judi Dench's portrayal of MI6 chief M in seven James Bond films. Her family said in a statement that Rimington died on Sunday 'surrounded by her beloved family and dogs and determinedly held on to the life she loved until her last breath.' MI5's current director-general, Ken McCallum, said that 'as the first avowed female head of any intelligence agency in the world, Dame Stella broke through long-standing barriers and was a visible example of the importance of diversity in leadership.' Born in London in 1935, Rimington studied English at Edinburgh University and later worked as an archivist. She was living in India with her diplomat husband in the mid-1960s when she was recruited by MI5, Britain's domestic security service, as a part-time clerk and typist in its New Delhi office. She joined the agency full-time after moving back to London in 1969 and rose through the ranks, overcoming rules that kept the most prestigious roles, such as recruiting and running agents, for men only. She worked in each of MI5's operational branches — counterespionage, counterterrorism and counter-subversion — at a time when MI5's work included sniffing out Soviet spies, infiltrating Northern Ireland militant groups and, controversially, spying on leftists, trade union leaders and other alleged subversives. Rimington acknowledged in 2001 that the organization 'may have been a bit over-enthusiastic' in some of its snooping on domestic targets during the Cold War. Rimington was appointed MI5 director-general in 1992, the first head of the organization to be named in public, and her tenure saw the secretive organization become slightly more open. Dench's first appearance as M, a role formerly played by men, was in 'GoldenEye' in 1995. The film's producers said the casting was inspired by Rimington's appointment. After stepping down in 1996, Rimington was made a dame, the female equivalent of a knight, by Queen Elizabeth II. Rimington later published a memoir, 'Open Secret' — to the displeasure of the government — and a series of spy thrillers featuring fictional MI5 officer Liz Carlyle. 'The Devil's Bargain,' published in 2022, introduced a new heroine, CIA officer Manon Tyler. Other women followed her top intelligence jobs. Eliza Manningham-Buller led MI5 between 2002 and 2007. Anne Keast-Butler became head of electronic and cyber-intelligence agency GCHQ in 2023. Blaise Metreweli was named in June as the first female head of the overseas intelligence agency, MI6. Rimington and her husband, John Rimington, separated in the 1980s, but moved back in together during the COVID-19 lockdown in 2020. 'It's a good recipe for marriage, I'd say,' she said. 'Split up, live separately, and return to it later.' She is survived by her husband, two daughters and five grandchildren.
Toronto Star
2 hours ago
- Toronto Star
Former New York prison guard sentenced to 15 years for beating death of inmate
UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — A former corrections officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for his role in the death of a Black inmate whose beating by a group of guards at an upstate New York prison was captured on bodycam videos. Christopher Walrath was one of six guards charged with murder in the death of Robert Brooks, who was pummeled at the Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9. Walrath pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in May under the first plea deal among the guards charged with murder.
Winnipeg Free Press
2 hours ago
- Winnipeg Free Press
Former New York prison guard sentenced to 15 years for beating death of inmate
UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — A former corrections officer was sentenced to 15 years in prison Monday for his role in the death of a Black inmate whose beating by a group of guards at an upstate New York prison was captured on bodycam videos. Christopher Walrath was one of six guards charged with murder in the death of Robert Brooks, who was pummeled at the Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9. Walrath pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in May under the first plea deal among the guards charged with murder. 'In that video, I see you and your fellow officers treating him as if his life holds no value at all, as if you're entitled to brutalize him for sport,' Robert Brooks Jr., the victim's son, told the court. The son said in his victim impact statement that, 'I am not OK and I never will be.' 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. Under questioning in May from Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, Walrath admitted that he and other guards assaulted Brooks, that he put Brooks in a chokehold, and that he struck the inmate's body and groin. In addition to the six guards charged in February with murder, three more prison workers were indicted for manslaughter and another for evidence tampering. Prosecutors have said three other prison workers have reached agreements. A guard pleaded guilty in May to attempted tampering with physical evidence and was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. Trials were scheduled to begin in October for guards who have rejected plea deals. Fitzpatrick 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. Both prisons are about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of New York City.
