Killing of Messiah Nantwi
| Killing of Messiah Nantwi | |
|---|---|
| Location | Mid-State Correctional Facility, Marcy, New York, U.S. |
| Date | March 1, 2025 |
Attack type | Fatal assault by prison guards |
| Weapons | Hands, fists (implied), makeshift knife (planted as evidence) |
| Deaths | 1 |
| Victims | Messiah Nantwi |
| Perpetrators | 10 prison guards (6 accused of assault, 4 of cover-up) |
| Assailants | 6 prison guards |
| Motive | Unknown (under investigation) |
| Inquiry | Ongoing investigation |
| Accused | 10 prison guards |
| Charges | Murder (2), manslaughter (7 - 5 first-degree, 2 second-degree), gang assault (6), conspiracy (8), tampering with physical evidence (4), using a false instrument for filing a report (9) |
| Litigation | Ongoing legal proceedings |
On March 1, 2025, prisoner Messiah Nantwi was killed at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York after being beaten by prison guards who were part of a correctional emergency response team. On April 16, 2025, two guards connected to Nantwi's death were charged with murder.[1] Overall, 10 prison guards have been criminally charged in connection with Nantwi's death.[2] Since Nantwi's death, 15 staff members from both the Mid-State Correctional and Marcy Correctional Facility and its neighboring Marcy Correctional Facility have been either placed on leave or suspended.[3] 10 of the correctional officers who were involved in the beating death of Nantwi were directly employed by the Mid-State Correctional Facility, while the other 5 were employed by the Marcy Correctional Facility, but were working at the Mid-State Correctional Facility at the time of Nantwi's death.[3]
Two of the 5 Marcy officers were charged with manslaughter.[4] The two prison guards who were charged with second-degree murder were directly employed by the Mid State Correctional Facility.[2][3] Five people would be charged with first degree manslaughter.[2] Two sergeants at Mid State Correctional Facility were each charged with second-degree manslaughter after being accused of doing nothing to stop the assaults while supervising the area where Nantawi was beat to death.[2] Of the 10 officers charged, 6 were accused of assaulting Nantwi, while the other 4 were only accused of making an effort to cover-up the incident by doing things such as filing false reports and participating in a plot which included planting a makeshift knife and cleaning up blood in Nantwi’s prison cell in an attempt to destroy evidence.[2] Six of them would also be indicted on gang assault.[4] Eight of them would be indicted for conspiracy, four for tampering with physical evidence, and nine for using a false instrument for filing a report.[4] One officer pled guilty to charges related to the cover-up on May 30.[5]
On June 17, Mantwi's family filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the officers, the supervisor of the prison, and commissioner of the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision.[6]
This killing occurred during the 2025 New York corrections officers' strike.
See also
- Killing of Robert Brooks
- List of unarmed African Americans killed by law enforcement officers in the United States
References
- ^ Ransom, Jan (April 16, 2025). "2 Guards Charged With Murder in Beating Death of Prisoner in New York". The New York Times. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c d e Hill, Michael; Collins, Dave (April 16, 2025). "NY prison guards beat an inmate to death then tried to cover it up, prosecutors say". Associated Press. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c "DOCCS Names Correctional Staff as 'Persons of Interest' in Mid-State Facility Death Investigation". WKTV. March 26, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ a b c "Multiple COs Indicted in Death of Mid-State Inmate Messiah Nantwi: Court Video, Indictment Document and Statements". WKTV. April 17, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
- ^ "Former New York prison guard pleads guilty in connection with inmate's beating death". AP News. 2025-05-30. Retrieved 2025-07-05.
- ^ Lyons, Brendan J. (2025-06-17). "Federal lawsuit filed on behalf of man fatally beaten by prison officers". Times Union. Retrieved 2025-06-17.