four Former New York Prison Guards Sentenced in Fatal Beating of Robert Brooks
Four former correctional officers have been sentenced to prison for their roles in the 2022 beating death of Robert Brooks, an incarcerated man at the Fishkill Correctional Facility in New York. The case, which involved disturbing video evidence of Brooks being assaulted, highlights ongoing concerns about the treatment of incarcerated individuals within the state’s prison system.
The sentencing follows a series of guilty pleas and a recent trial. Christopher Walrath, who resigned from his position, pleaded guilty to manslaughter last May and was sentenced to 15 years in prison in August. Another guard pleaded guilty to attempted tampering with physical evidence and received a one-year conditional discharge.
Last month, a jury convicted David Kingsley of both murder and first-degree manslaughter. He faces a potential life sentence. Mathew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer were acquitted of all charges in the same trial. A fourth guard, Michael Fisher, is scheduled to stand trial in January on a second-degree manslaughter charge.
Prosecutors presented video evidence during hearings showing Brooks being struck in the chest with a shoe, lifted by his neck, and then dropped.
Family members delivered victim impact statements, with Brooks’ brother, Jared Ricks, expressing hope that the defendants would receive the same lack of grace they showed his brother.Brooks’ son, Robert Brooks Jr., described watching the video of the beating as experiencing a “horror movie” and stated, “I pray this case teaches others that they can’t treat incarcerated people like animals.”
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, the special prosecutor in the case, noted that the victim’s family was prevented from reading their statements directly due to paperwork objections from the defense attorneys.
Fitzpatrick is also prosecuting guards involved in a separate fatal beating of Messiah Nantwi at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in March. Eight guards have already reached plea deals in that case, with five more scheduled for trial in March, including two facing murder charges. Both Fishkill and Mid-state are located approximately 180 miles northwest of New York City.
