Former Prison Guard Sentenced to 15 Years for Black Inmate’s Beating Death

A former corrections officer in New York has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the 2023 beating death of Robert Brooks, an African American inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility. The assault was caught on bodycam video and linked to several other prison guards.

The officer, Christopher Walrath, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter in May. His sentencing on Monday marks the first major conviction in the case. Walrath was one of six guards initially charged with murder, according to ABC News.

Brooks, 41, was serving a 12-year sentence for assault. He had just been transferred to Marcy from another facility on the night of December 9 when the fatal beating took place. Video footage shows him being struck in the chest with a shoe, lifted by the neck, and dropped to the floor.

In court, Walrath admitted he choked Brooks and hit him in the body and groin while other officers joined in. During the sentencing, Brooks’s son addressed the court and said, “I am not OK and I never will be.”

In total, ten prison workers have been indicted. Alongside the six murder charges, three guards face manslaughter charges, and one was indicted for evidence tampering. Prosecutors said three of those workers have already accepted plea deals.

One guard was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge in May after pleading guilty to attempted evidence tampering.

Trials for the remaining guards who declined plea agreements are scheduled to begin in October.