(16 Apr 2025)
RESTRICTION SUMMARY:
ASSOCIATED PRESS
Utica, New York 16 April 2025
1. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, Special Prosecutor:
"Today in Oneida County, a grand jury reported out a single indictment charging 10 current and former corrections officers with various crimes relating to the death of Mr. Nantwi. Six other corrections officers who have not appeared in court yet have agreed to cooperate with the special prosecutor and I have made deals with them. Two of them will be pleading to felonies and four of them are pleading various misdemeanors."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
2. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, Special Prosecutor:
"The people are able to show that all was well in building 21 where Mr. Nantwi resided. I know that because the corrections officer who was assigned to do rounds on that occasion walked past his room at approximately 10:55 a.m. And there was nothing going on. At about 10 58 a.m., a call went out over the radio at the facility calling for backup. The evidence will show that when the CERC team responded… And got there at approximately 11 a.m. There was virtually no or minimal effort to determine what was the need for the backup, what the nature of the call was. No weapons were observed and no assaultive behavior was observed by the CERT members as they entered building 21. A non-CERT member, a corrections officer, recorded the last video of Mr. Nantwi before the alleged assault, and he was no longer able to communicate. That corrections officer exited the room and various CERT members entered. None of them, none of them to our knowledge at this point, were wearing mandated body worn cameras. Approximately four and a half minutes later, Mr. Nantwi is removed from his room and taken down three sets of stairs, where it is alleged by the grand jury that an additional assault occurred in the stairwell. Handcuffed and taken to the infirmary and laid on the floor in a holding cell, an additional assault is alleged to have occurred by the grand jury."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
3. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, Special Prosecutor:
"It was determined by the Onondaga County medical examiner that Mr. Nantwi died from traumatic brain injuries as a result of violent blows to his head, as well as at least 69 other serious blows about his body. No COs required any medical intervention."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
4. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, Special Prosecutor:
"Who, if anyone, was justified in using physical force against Mr. Nantwi? Two, if initial force was justified, did it remain appropriate and proportionate to the danger presented, if any, throughout the encounter? And did it follow DOC’s protocols? And third, were efforts made to thwart my investigation by deception, concealment, or destruction?"
++BLACK FRAMES ++
5. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, Special Prosecutor:
"The first count charges two individuals, corrections officers Jonah Levi and Caleb Blair. With depraved mind murder, not an intentional murder, but a murder so depraved and so wanton and disregarding of human life that New York law allows it to rise to the level of intentional murder."
++BLACK FRAMES ++
6. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, Special Prosecutor:
++BLACK FRAMES ++
7. SOUNDBITE (English) Bill Fitzpatrick, Onondaga County District Attorney, Special Prosecutor:
++ENDS ON SOUNDBITE++
STORYLINE:
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