An upstate New York prison guard admitted Monday to the fatal beating of a black inmate that was caught on horrifying body cam footage.
Christopher Walrath was one of six guards charged with second-degree murder in the death of inmate Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility on December 9.
Walrath, 36, pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter — taking a plea deal that could land him 15 years in prison.
The prison guard admitted to beating Brooks, placing him in a deadly chokehold and striking his body and groin while the inmate was in handcuffs. He also admitted to lying to cops about what had happened.
Brooks’ son, Robert Brooks Jr., celebrated the guilty plea, saying: “This is one important but modest step on the long road to justice for my father.”
“Now, Mr. Walrath’s life is in the hands of prison officials. This must be a terrifying prospect for him and his family, knowing what staff is capable of, and how little the system values the lives of incarcerated people,” the victim's son said. “I pray that Mr. Walrath has the opportunity in prison to rehabilitate himself, and come out a better man.”
Going free on bail, Walrath and his attorney declined to comment while leaving the courthouse. He is set to be sentenced on Aug. 4.
A special prosecutor, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, said, “I felt based on the evidence I had of Mr. Walrath’s involvement and the extent of the blows that he inflicted on Mr. Brooks — which, in my judgment, were non-lethal — that by his plea admitting that he acted in concert with the other defendants, I think it may expedite the other individuals to enter pleas, or may not.”
In addition to the six guards who were charged with murder, three workers at the prison about 180 miles northwest of New York City were charged with manslaughter and another was charged with evidence tampering. Four prison workers, including Walrath, have reached plea agreements, according to prosecutors.
Brooks began serving a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault in 2017. He was transferred to Marcy from a nearby lockup shortly before he was beaten to death.
The bodycam videos show officers beat Brooks, who was on a medical examination table with his hands cuffed behind his back. Officers are seen striking him in the chest with a shoe, lifting him by the neck, and dropping him. Brooks died the next day.
The beating drew widespread condemnation and calls for reforms. Gov. Kathy Hochul, who said she was “outraged and horrified” by the videos, appointed a new superintendent for the prison. She also ordered state officials to initiate proceedings to fire 13 correctional officers and a nurse implicated in the attack.
Fitzpatrick also is prosecuting guards in the fatal beating of Messiah Nantwi on March 1 at another Marcy lockup, the Mid-State Correctional Facility. Ten guards were indicted in that case last month, including two who are charged with murder.
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