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Jury deliberations continue today in the murder trial of three former corrections officers from Marcy Correctional Facility in Utica. David Kingsley, Matthew Galliher, and Nicholas Kieffer are accused of fatally beating inmate Robert Brooks last year. During closing arguments on Wednesday (October 15), prosecutors argued that the officers acted like a violent gang during the incident, which was captured on body camera footage.
The prosecution, led by Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, presented 12 witnesses, including medical experts and prison personnel, to support their case. Fitzpatrick emphasized the severity of the officers' actions, stating, "Let's get back to reality. I remind you that they killed him. The whole rotten, stinking, disgusting group of them" as reported by WHAM.
Defense attorneys argued that their clients played minor roles in the incident. Kingsley's attorney, Luke Nebush, claimed that his client was the first to perform CPR on Brooks. Galliher's attorney, Kevin Luibrand, blamed other co-defendants who had already pleaded guilty, while Kieffer's attorney, David Longeretta, argued that Kieffer did not physically harm Brooks after a pepper spray incident.
The jury, now tasked with deciding the fate of the three men, began deliberations on Wednesday afternoon. If convicted, Kingsley, Galliher, and Kieffer face sentences of 25 years to life in prison. Deliberations are expected to continue throughout the day.
Meanwhile, another former corrections officer, Michael Fisher, is scheduled to go on trial in January for manslaughter charges related to the same incident according to Syracuse.com.