Jury Deliberations Resume in Utica Correctional Officer Trial

Jury deliberations will resume today in Utica as a panel considers whether former Mid-State Correctional Facility officer Jonah Levi is guilty of murdering inmate Messiah Nantwi. Levi faces six charges, including second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter, after prosecutors claimed he and other officers brutally beat Nantwi on Friday (March 1, 2025), then tried to cover up the incident.

The prosecution and defense delivered their closing arguments on Monday (March 30), leaving the jury to decide if Levi is responsible for Nantwi’s death. Prosecutors, led by Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, argued that Levi and fellow officers launched three attacks on Nantwi after he was disruptive during an inmate count. Fitzpatrick told the jury that Levi stomped on Nantwi’s head repeatedly and showed "depraved indifference" to human life, citing testimony from corrections officer Nathan Palmer and Nantwi’s roommate Michael Moon. According to Palmer, Levi stomped on Nantwi’s head five or six times, while Moon described the attack as being "like he was a football." Fitzpatrick emphasized that deadly physical force was not justified against "a shackled and cuffed 22-year-old." He also pointed to evidence that corrections officers later carried Nantwi out of his room and assaulted him further, including at the prison infirmary.

The prosecution presented 12 witnesses and dozens of exhibits over four days. They claimed officers attempted to cover up the beatings by disabling body cameras, cleaning crime scenes, filing false reports, and allegedly planting a weapon on Nantwi. Blood belonging to Nantwi was found on one of Levi’s boots, though forensic experts could not determine how it got there. Nantwi ultimately suffered 69 blows to his body, according to the doctor who performed the autopsy. Paramedic Misty Phillips testified that Nantwi had no pulse when emergency workers arrived, and he was pronounced dead at Wynn Hospital in Utica. For more details on the prosecution’s case and witness testimony, see reporting from Syracuse.com.

Levi’s defense attorney, Graeme Spicer, argued that Levi was not responsible for Nantwi’s death and blamed other officers instead. Spicer questioned the credibility of key witnesses, including Michael Moon and Nathan Palmer, suggesting they had personal motivations to testify against Levi. He insisted that Levi and the Correctional Emergency Response Team were responding to a real threat, as Nantwi had been disruptive and resisted handcuffing. Spicer told jurors, "It’s a powder keg waiting to happen if threats aren’t taken care of immediately and make no mistake, Messiah Nantwi was a threat that time." He also said, "Every witness the prosecution has called has been a witness for the defense." More on the defense’s arguments can be found in coverage by the Utica Observer-Dispatch.

The trial, held before Judge Michael Nolan at the Oneida County Courthouse, has drawn significant attention, in part because Levi is one of ten people indicted in connection with Nantwi's death. Six of those indicted have pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors, while three more are set to stand trial later this spring. Caleb Blair, another former officer facing murder charges, is scheduled for trial in May. For ongoing updates, see CNYCentral.

If convicted of murder, Levi faces a maximum sentence of 25 years to life in prison. The jury, made up of ten men and two women, will continue its deliberations today.