Justice For Robert Brooks: 10 Guards Charged In Fatal Beating Death of NY State Prison Inmate

Justice for Robert Brooks!

The path toward justice for Robert Brooks has begun as the 10 former correctional officers were indicted in the killing of New York state prison inmate Robert Brooks, who was seen on video being beaten while handcuffed, ABC News reports.

On Feb. 20, officers appeared before a grand jury as their charges were read. Six of the officers — Nicholas Anzalone, David Kingsley, Anthony Farina, Christopher Walrath, and Mathew Galliher, along with one unnamed defendant — face felony second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter charges. Three of the officers, Michael Fisher, Michael Mashaw, and David Walters, face second-degree manslaughter charges, while Nicholas Gentile received tampering with physical evidence charges.

A criminal indictment accused the former guards of acting in conduct that “created a grave risk of death to another person, and thereby caused the death of Robert Brooks.” The incident made national headlines after body-cam footage was released showing Brooks being beaten while in officer custody after being transferred from the Mohawk Correctional Facility to the Marcy Correctional Facility on Dec. 9, 2024.

Officers were seen holding the 43-year-old up on an exam table, punching and kicking him in the face, private area, and torso while his arms were restrained. The indictment says the beating and assaults were carried out as the defendants acted in concert together. “In addition to the beatings, defendants, with depraved indifference, did nothing to restrain each other, did nothing to stop the beatings, and failed to immediately order medical assistance for Mr. Brooks,” the indictment read.

New York Attorney General Letitia James, whose office is investigating the incident, said Brooks was pronounced dead at a local hospital just one day after the fatal beating.

All officers entered a not guilty plea while at least six made bond, which was set at $250,000 for the murder charges, according to the New York Post. Protestors stood up for Brooks in the courtroom, shouting “murdered, murderer” at the guards as they were escorted in wearing handcuffs. During a news conference, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick said the footage shows a disturbing “sense of normalcy” from the former guards as a medical examiner ruled Brooks died as a result of compression of the neck and multiple blunt-impact injuries. “I think any sentient human being looking at the tapes naturally comes to the conclusion that [Brooks] must have said something. He must have spit at the officers,” Fitzpatrick said.

“He must have resisted in some way. And the fact of the matter is, he did absolutely nothing.”

New York State Gov. Kathy Hochul felt similar sentiments, calling for all the officers—in addition to two sergeants and a nurse who watched the attack and failed to intervene—to be terminated.

Brooks’ son, Robert Jr., said waiting for their day in court has been hard, but he looks forward to witnessing this “step toward accountability.”

“Nothing can bring him back to us. Nothing can return to us what these men have taken away. Still, these indictments are a necessary and important step toward accountability,” the grieving son said.

“These men must be fully prosecuted and convicted for what they have done. But even the convictions of these corrections officers for the murder of my father will not be enough. Every person in authority who allowed this system of violence and abuse to exist and continue for so long must also be held accountable.”