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A former guard at Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy has been sentenced to four years in prison after pleading guilty to assault related to the 2024 beating death of inmate Robert Brooks. On Thursday (March 19), Robert Kessler entered his plea in Oneida County Court, admitting guilt to gang assault as part of a deal to testify against three of his former colleagues. Kessler’s cooperation was a key part of the prosecution’s case, as reported by WHEC-TV.
Kessler was the first guard to remove Robert Brooks, 43, from a prison van on December 9, 2024, when Brooks was transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility. According to CNYCentral, Brooks was later beaten in the prison's infirmary, and bodycam video released by the New York State Attorney General’s Office showed officers punching, kicking, and grabbing him by the neck. Brooks, who was serving a 12-year sentence for assault, died hours later in a Utica hospital.
Kessler testified in the murder trials of former officers David Kingsley, Nicholas Kieffer, and Mathew Galliher. A jury found Kingsley guilty of murder and manslaughter—he received a 25-years-to-life sentence. Kieffer and Galliher were acquitted of all charges. Kieffer later filed a $5 million lawsuit against the state, alleging malicious arrest and political motivations behind his prosecution, as detailed by WHEC-TV.
Kessler's sentencing marks one of several cases connected to the incident. According to Syracuse.com, other officers have faced charges for either participating in or failing to intervene during the assault, in line with Department of Corrections policy requiring staff to stop excessive force.
Looking ahead, Kessler will serve his four-year sentence as part of the plea deal. The outcome closes another chapter in the ongoing legal process surrounding the death of Robert Brooks, but additional cases involving other officers are still pending.