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A tenth guard has been charged in connection with the death of Robert Brooks, an inmate at Marcy Correctional Facility. On Monday (February 24), Nicholas Kieffer, 33, was arraigned in Oneida County Court on charges including second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. He pleaded not guilty.
Brooks, 43, died on December 9, 2024, after being brutally beaten by multiple corrections officers in the prison's infirmary. The attack was captured on video by body cameras worn by four guards, although the cameras were not intentionally activated. The footage, without audio, shows Brooks being punched and kicked repeatedly.
The Oneida County Grand Jury indicted Kieffer and nine other officers following an investigation led by Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick. The investigation revealed that Brooks died from "compression of the neck and multiple blunt-impact injuries," according to the Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office.
Eight other corrections officers and a prison sergeant face similar charges. Three employees have reached plea agreements, while others remain under investigation. The case has drawn attention to alleged systemic issues within the prison, with reports of a "pervasive culture of fear and retaliation."
New York State Police Superintendent Steven G. James praised the investigators' efforts, stating, "The brutal nature of this crime is deeply disturbing." The Brooks family has filed a wrongful death lawsuit, claiming the state oversees a "dangerously broken" prison system.
The charged guards are scheduled to return to court on March 31. Meanwhile, Governor Kathy Hochul has announced initiatives to improve the state prison system and ordered the firing of employees involved in the incident.