UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — A correctional officer pleaded guilty to manslaughter Monday in connection with the December death of inmate Robert Brooks, whose brutal beating at the Marcy Correctional Facility was recorded by officers' body cameras.
Christopher Walrath was one of six guards charged with second-degree murder in the beating. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter during a hearing at state court in Utica. The plea deal calls for him to get a 15-year prison sentence.
Walrath and his attorney did not comment while leaving the courthouse.
Three other prison employees were charged with manslaughter and another was charged with evidence tampering in that indictment. An additional three prison employees have reached plea agreements, according to prosecutors.
Brooks had been serving a 12-year prison sentence for first-degree assault since 2017. He had been transferred from a nearby facility to the prison 200 miles (320 kilometers) northwest of New York City shortly before the deadly beating.
The bodycam videos show officers beating Brooks the night of Dec. 9 while his hands were cuffed behind his back. Officers are seen striking him in the chest with a shoe, lifting him by the neck, and dropping him. Brooks died the next day.
The Associated Press
