Four prison guards have been jailed for their roles in the fatal beating of Robert Brooks, a handcuffed Black inmate, at an upstate New York facility. The incident, captured on body-cam footage, prompted widespread condemnation.
Nicholas Anzalone and Anthony Farina, who initially faced murder charges, each received 22-year sentences after pleading guilty to first-degree manslaughter. Michael Mashaw was sentenced to three to nine years, and David Walters to two years, four months to seven years, both for second-degree manslaughter. The sentences were handed down on Friday following guilty pleas in September.
Brooks, 43, was attacked on 9 December at Marcy Correctional Facility. The videos show him being struck in the chest with a shoe, lifted by his neck, and then dropped. He was serving a 12-year sentence for assault at the time.
During the hearing, prosecutors read statements from Brooks' relatives. His brother, Jared Ricks, expressed hope that the defendants would receive more grace in prison than they showed his brother. Brooks' son wrote that watching the video was like 'watching a horror movie' and urged that incarcerated people not be treated 'like animals.'
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, the special prosecutor, noted that the defendants' statements were not read due to an objection over missing paperwork. The case is part of a broader investigation into violence at the facility, including the fatal beating of another inmate, Messiah Nantwi, in March.
