Four guards plead guilty to brutal and fatal beating of Black inmate caught on body cam

Four prison guards pleaded guilty Monday in connection with the death of Robert Brooks, a 43-year-old Black inmate whose fatal beating at an upstate New York prison was captured on body camera footage and sparked outrage across the state.

The guilty pleas came just two weeks before trial was set to begin for some of the guards who were indicted in Brooks’ death earlier this year.

Prosecutors say Brooks was pummeled while handcuffed inside the Marcy Correctional Facility on December 9, and died the next day.

The attack, which Attorney General Letitia James called “shocking and disturbing,” renewed calls for accountability and prison reform.

Ten correction officers and a nurse were originally indicted in February. Four still face trial on October 6, including three charged with murder.

Two guards who originally faced top charges of murder pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. Under the plea deals, Nicholas Anzalone and Anthony Farina, who have since resigned, will be sentenced to 22 years in state prison on November 21.

Two other guards charged with second-degree manslaughter also entered guilty pleas. Michael Mashaw will serve three to nine years in prison, while David Walters faces two years, four months to seven years. Both men have also resigned.

In May, another officer, Christopher Walrath, pleaded guilty to manslaughter under a separate deal and was sentenced to 15 years. A different guard pleaded guilty to attempted evidence tampering and received a conditional discharge.

The violent assault was captured on multiple officers’ body cameras.

Footage shows Brooks, handcuffed with his hands behind his back, being punched, kicked, and choked in a medical examination room. At one point, an officer stuffed material into his mouth before striking him in the face, while another officer lifted him by the neck and dropped him.

Brooks’ face was bloodied as officers shoved him around “like a rag doll,” according to investigators.

Preliminary autopsy findings cited concern for asphyxia due to neck compression, ruling his death was “due to the actions of another.”

The incident drew sharp condemnation from state officials. Gov. Kathy Hochul urged the firing of those involved and emphasized, “We have no tolerance for individuals who cross the line, break the law and engage in unnecessary violence or targeted abuse.”

Department of Corrections Commissioner Daniel F. Martuscello III pledged institutional reforms, including expanded use of body-worn cameras and new oversight measures.

Brooks was halfway through a 12-year sentence for first-degree assault. He had been transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Marcy just hours before the deadly attack.

His family described him as a man with “a loving, generous heart and a special concern for young people” and have called his death a “catalyst for change.”

They welcomed what they called a measure of justice, Robert Brooks Jr., the victim’s son, said in a prepared release this week.

“It is important to us to see my father’s killers publicly admit what they have done and face severe consequences,” he said.