Messiah Nantwi
Messiah Nantwi was 22 years old, and his father, Patterson Nantwi, said his son was loved by many and deserved to be treated with dignity and respect. Prosecutors say correction officers beat him at Mid-State Correctional Facility near Utica, New York, on March 1, 2025, and that he was left unattended in an infirmary holding cell before he was pronounced dead at Wynn Hospital. Ten officers were indicted and several have pleaded guilty, while former officer Jonah Levi was convicted of manslaughter and acquitted of second-degree murder, though his attorney says Levi did not cause the fatal injuries. The family's federal lawsuit alleges that prison leaders knew of a pattern of abuse and did not stop it.
Cause of death, as reported: Killed by staff (disputed; neglect alleged). Prosecutors say ten officers beat him and the Onondaga County Medical Examiner attributed his death to traumatic brain injuries from blows to the head, while the defense of former officers disputes that account and says Jonah Levi did not cause the fatal injuries; his family's federal lawsuit alleges officers left him handcuffed and unattended and that supervisors ignored a pattern of abuse.
Reported by: Onondaga County Medical Examiner (medical examiner or coroner); Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick (outside investigators); Oneida County jury (court); Nantwi family's federal lawsuit (family or their lawyers); Mid-State Correctional Facility (the agency that held him).
Lawsuit: His estate filed a federal civil rights lawsuit against the officers charged in his death and state corrections leaders, seeking compensatory and punitive damages, and no settlement or award has been reported.
Sources (86)
- New York Attorney General, Office of Special Investigation data tables
- NYT: Inmate dies at Mid-State Correctional after beating by officers
- AG's office: Death of Mid-State inmate under investigation
- State Police Investigate Death at Mid-State Correctional Facility
- "Messiah was beaten" Witness describes says Messiah Nantwi brutally beaten before death
- Mid-State Correctional inmate death draws condemnation from family, supporters
- Activists call for closure of upstate New York prison after inmate's death
- Rally held after Bronx man dies in New York prison; reports say he was violently beaten by guards
- DOCCS Names Correctional Staff as 'Persons of Interest' in Mid-State Facility Death Investigation
- DOCCS identifies officers suspended in Mid-State inmate death investigation
- New York prison guards indicted in connection with inmate's death, governor says
- Corrections officers indicted over beating death of inmate
- 10 N.Y. corrections officers charged in inmate’s death, including 2 for murder
- 10 guards charged over the fatal beating of a New York inmate, including 2 with murder
- Defendant in Mid-State prison indictment accepts guilty plea
- Former state Corrections officer pleads guilty to cover-up in Harlem man's prison beating death
- Joshua Bartlett: Former New York prison guard pleads guilty in connection with inmate Messiah Nantwi’s beating death
- Ex-N.Y. corrections officer pleads guilty in connection with inmate’s death
- 2 Corrections Officers Charged in Mid-State Inmate's Death in Court; Deadlines for Motions Set
- Plea offer rejected in Mid-State case
- N.Y. corrections officer pleads guilty to charges related to inmate’s death
- Lawsuit filed in connection with death of Mid-State inmate
- Estate of Messiah Nantwi files lawsuit against officers in fatal Mid-State beating case
- ‘Not an Anomaly’: Lawsuit Says Nantwi Killing Reflects Widespread Prisoner Abuse
- Messiah Nantwi estate files federal lawsuit against DOCCS Commissioner, COs, in death
- Guards violated constitutional rights of inmate killed in state prison, new lawsuit alleges
- Mid-State prison superintendent was replaced in May, DOCCS says
- Third corrections officer pleads guilty in inmate’s death at N.Y. prison
- Mid-State CO accepts plea offer in case of inmate Messiah Nantwi's death
- Six Mid-State COs, involved in inmate's death, make appearances in Oneida County Court
- Details discussed in Mid-State murder case as lawyers argue to dismiss
- Two Mid-State correction officer sentencings delayed
- Fourth CO pleads guilty in Mid-State prison murder case
- Mid-State CO charged with manslaughter pleads to non-violent felony
- Ex-Corrections Officers in Court for Inmate Deaths
- 2 Former Corrections Officers Appear in Court for Inmate Nantwi Death Case
- Mid-State CO admits to phony knife conspiracy in Nantwi murder case
- Jury selection starts Monday for former COs charged with murdering Robert Brooks
- SERGEANT WHO LED PRISON BEAT-UP SQUAD THAT KILLED MESSIAH NANTWI PLEADS GUILTY
- Sixth CO pleads guilty to Mid-State prison attack on inmate
- ‘Mad at the system’; Son of Robert Brooks calls for prison reform after verdict in father’s death
- Former Mid-State CO charged in Messiah Nantwi's death sentenced to prison
- Suspended Corrections Officer sentenced in Mid-State inmate murder case
- Testimony reveals Mid-State prison guard's role in inmate beating
- Former Corrections Officer Facing Manslaughter Charges in Court
- CO pleads guilty to mopping blood off floor in Mid-State beating death
- Advocates demand governor sign prison reforms into law
- Former New York state prison guard sentenced to up to life in prison in inmate's death
- Three trials set for Mid-State CO cases
- 10 NY prison guards indicted, 2 for murder, in connection to inmate's beating death - ABC News
- Video New York prison guards face murder charges in inmate's death - ABC News
- Sentencing delayed for former Mid-State guard
- Trial begins Monday for Mid-State CO charged with murder
- Mid-State officer enters guilty plea in beating death
- Jury seated; first witnesses Tuesday in Mid-State prison murder trial
- Opening arguments conclude in trial of former guard accused of murdering inmate
- Former Corrections Officer on Trial for Inmate's Death at Mid-State Facility
- ‘CURB STOMPED’ TO DEATH BY A PRISON GUARD: LAST MINUTES OF HARLEM MAN MESSIAH NANTWI
- Testimony: Victim's blood, DNA found on Mid-State CO's boot
- Prosecution Rests in Mid-State Corrections Officer Trial
- Closing Arguments Underway in Mid-State Correctional Facility Inmate Death Trial
- Former guard found guilty of manslaughter in death of Messiah Nantwi, inmate at prison in Marcy
- JURY GETS CASE OF WHITE GUARD CHARGED WITH MURDERING BLACK HARLEM MAN IN UPSTATE NY PRISON
- Full Closing Arguments: Trial for Ex-Corrections Officer Charged in Mid-State Inmate Death
- Jury deliberations continue in case of corrections officer accused of fatal assault on inmate
- Verdict Watch Continues in Murder Trial of Former Corrections Officer
- N.Y. corrections officer found guilty of manslaughter in inmate death
- Former New York prison guard found guilty of manslaughter in deadly beating of inmate
- Former New York state prison guard found guilty of manslaughter in inmate's fatal beating - 13WHAM-TV
- Ex-New York prison guard convicted in inmate death
- Former Mid-State CO Levi found guilty of manslaughter, acquitted of murder
- JURY CONVICTS GUARD OF KILLING HARLEM MAN IN UPSTATE NY PRISON, JURORS SPEAK
- Two former Mid-State prison COs reject final plea offers ahead of next week's trial
- Former Mid-State correction officer makes plea in Nantwi death in lieu of trial
- Former N.Y. corrections officer pleads guilty to manslaughter in inmate’s 2025 death
- Former prison guard pleads guilty to manslaughter in NY inmate’s fatal beating
- Former prison guard pleads guilty to manslaughter in New York inmate’s fatal beating
- Former corrections officer sentenced in Midstate Correctional Facility inmate death case
- Former Mid-State CO pleads guilty after rejecting plea deal while another sentenced to 4 years in prison
- No more trials: final Mid-State CO pleads guilty, another sentenced
- No more trials: Taking a look at the deaths of incarcerated individuals at the hands of COs
- 'Richly deserved': Former Mid-State CO Jonah Levi gets maximum sentence for manslaughter
- Ex-prison guard sentenced to 25 years in prison in death of inmate at prison in Marcy
- Who Is Jonah Levi? Former Guard At Marcy Prison Gets 25-Year Sentence In Messiah Nantwi Death Case
- Final Mid-State CO sentenced in beating death of inmate Nantwi
- Experts dissect ‘us vs them’ prison culture behind recent fatal beatings in New York