Multiple New York prison guards have been indicted in connection with the “disturbing” death of an inmate last month during a wildcat officers’ strike, Gov. Kathy Hochul said Tuesday.
Messiah Nantwi, a prisoner at the Mid-State Correctional Facility, died at a hospital March 1 following what other prisoners said was a severe beating by several guards.
At the time, the state’s prisons were in a state of crisis caused by the walkout of thousands of prison personnel during an unauthorized 22-day strike that had forced the governor to call in the National Guard.
“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.
The governor didn’t immediately say how many guards had been indicted or reveal details about the charges. Her office did not respond to an email seeking more information.
A special prosecutor investigating Nantwi’s death, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, said earlier Tuesday that a “noteworthy development” in the case will be presented to a judge in Utica on Wednesday –- a signal that criminal charges might be imminent.
The Rev. Kevin McCall, a spokesperson for Nantwi’s relatives, said family members planned on attending.
The New York Times interviewed multiple inmates at the prison who reported that Nantwi was severely beaten by correctional officers before he died.
The office of New York Attorney General Letitia James said in a court filing last month there was “probable cause to believe” that as many as nine correctional officers either caused or could be implicated in Nantwi’s death.
Prison officials said Tuesday that seven officers have resigned in the wake of Nantwi's death and 11 have been suspended without pay.
The special prosecutor’s office declined Tuesday to provide details on the new development. Fitzpatrick, who had said he would not comment on the case until a grand jury took action, has scheduled a news conference for 3:30 p.m. Wednesday following the court appearance.
Nantwi's death came several months after another inmate, Robert Brooks, was fatally beaten at another prison, the Marcy Correctional Facility, that sits across the street from the Mid-State Correctional Facility. Six guards were charged with murder, three with manslaughter and one with evidence tampering in Brooks’ death. They have pleaded not guilty, and their cases are pending.
Correctional officers upset over working conditions began illegally walking off the job Feb. 17 at many state prisons. Incarcerated people and their advocates complained that services and conditions deteriorated during the walkout.
The strike ended when many guards returned to work and Hochul fired the remaining 2,000 holdouts.
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.
Manhattan prosecutors 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.
Michael Hill, The Associated Press
