Ten New York prison guards were charged Wednesday in connection with the fatal beating of a 22-year-old prison inmate, including two charged with murder. It's the second time this year a group of correctional officers in the state was indicted for a death behind bars.
Other prisoners say several guards severely beat Messiah Nantwi, a prisoner at the Mid-State Correctional Facility, sending him to a hospital where he died on March 1.
The Utica-area facility was one of many state prisons that was struggling to function during a three-week wildcat strike by guards.
Nantwi’s death came several months after Robert Brooks was fatally beaten at the Marcy Correctional Facility, across the street from the Mid-State prison. Six guards have pleaded not guilty to murder charges in Brooks’ death and other prison employees have also been charged.
