N.Y. DA Offers Plea Deals to 10 Guards Charged in Inmate's Death

Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick announced offers to resolve criminal cases against 10 prison guards indicted for the beating death of Robert Brooks, a handcuffed inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility. Six officers face murder charges, while three others are charged with manslaughter and one with evidence tampering, all stemming from an incident captured on body-worn cameras. The court will convene in April for the defendants to decide whether to accept the plea deals, which include a recommendation for a mid-range sentence for one officer facing manslaughter charges. The federal prosecutors are also reviewing the case, indicating that they may consider the plea dispositions in state court favorably. Brooks, who died after the beating in December 2022, was serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault. The case has drawn significant attention due to the circumstances of Brooks' death, ruled a homicide by the medical examiner's office.