Former New York prison guard sentenced in inmate death

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) — A former New York state prison guard convicted of murder for his role in the brutal beating of an inmate captured on body-camera footage was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison. David Kingsley also received a 25-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in the case. He is the only former guard convicted of murder in the death of Robert Brooks, who was pummeled by corrections officers on the night of Dec. 9, 2024, at Marcy Correctional Facility. Five other guards charged in the 43-year-old Black man’s death have pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Video footage of Brooks in handcuffs being punched and stomped by guards triggered widespread shock and calls for reform in New York’s prisons. Six guards were indicted by a grand jury for murder charges brought earlier this year by the special prosecutor, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who also charged four others with lesser crimes.

Prosecutors said Kingsley deserved the maximum sentence because he refused to take responsibility for his actions and made Brooks’ family go through the trauma of a trial. Speaking in court before the sentence was imposed, Kingsley apologized to Brooks’ relatives for his role in the senseless actions that led to his death. The victim’s son, Robert Brooks Jr., said that he hopes the case will prevent similar incidents in the future. Brooks’ brother, Jared Ricks, added that while forgiveness is a long way off, justice being served is a step on that path.

Kingsley, 45, was one of three guards tried before a jury in October on charges of murder and first-degree manslaughter. He was the only one of the trio found guilty. A final defendant is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 12 on a second-degree manslaughter charge. Another guard was released from prison this month as he attempts to withdraw his guilty plea to second-degree manslaughter.

Fitzpatrick became the special prosecutor after state Attorney General Letitia James recused herself, citing her office’s representation of several officers in separate lawsuits. He also is prosecuting guards in the fatal beating of Messiah Nantwi on March 1 at the Mid-State Correctional Facility. Ten guards were indicted in April, including two who are charged with murder, in Nantwi’s death. The prisons are about 180 miles (290 kilometers) northwest of New York City.

This case has heightened scrutiny of how violence is handled inside state run facilities and has fed ongoing debates over reforms in a system where oversight and accountability remain central political issues in New York politics. The judge’s sentence brings closure to the courtroom phase of a case that drew national attention to the use of body cameras and the treatment of inmates in one of the state’s largest prison facilities. As prosecutors press forward with related investigations, lawmakers and advocates continue to press for policies aimed at preventing such deaths and ensuring transparency in disciplinary actions and internal investigations across the state’s correctional system.