A former New York state prison guard convicted of murder for his role in the brutal beating of an inmate that was captured on body-camera footage was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison.
\n
\nDavid Kingsley also received a 25-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in the case. He is the only former guard convicted of murder in the death of Robert Brooks, who was pummeled by corrections officers on the night of Dec. 9, 2024, at Marcy Correctional Facility. Five other guards charged in the 43-year-old Black man\u2019s death have pleaded guilty to manslaughter.<\/p>\n
Video footage of Brooks in handcuffs being punched and stomped by guards triggered widespread shock and calls for reform in New York’s prisons. Kingsley was sentenced hours before Gov. Kathy Hochul announced a deal with state lawmakers on prison reforms that include a requirement that cameras be installed in all facilities and that video footage related to deaths behind bars be promptly released to state investigators.<\/p>\n
Six guards were indicted by a grand jury for murder charges brought earlier this year by the special prosecutor, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who also charged four others with lesser crimes. Three of the defendants charged with murder later pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. <\/p>\n
Prosecutors said Kingsley deserved the maximum sentence because he refused to take responsibility for his actions and made Brooks’ family go through the trauma of a trial. Speaking in court before the sentence was imposed, Kingsley apologized to Brooks’ relatives for his role in the \u201csenseless\u201d actions that led to his death.
\nThe victim\u2019s son, Robert Brooks Jr., said that he hopes the case will prevent similar incidents in the future. Brooks\u2019 brother, Jared Ricks, added that while forgiveness is a long way off, justice being served is a step on that path.<\/p>\n
Kingsley, 45, was one of three guards tried before a jury in October on charges of murder and first-degree manslaughter. He was the only one of the trio found guilty. Body-camera footage played at the trial showed him holding Brooks by the neck and lifting him as multiple guards surrounded the handcuffed man.
\nA final defendant is scheduled to stand trial Jan. 12 on a second-degree manslaughter charge. Another guard was released from prison this month as he attempts to withdraw his guilty plea to second-degree manslaughter.
\nFitzpatrick became the special prosecutor after state Attorney General Letitia James recused herself, citing her office\u2019s representation of several officers in separate lawsuits. He also is prosecuting guards in the fatal beating of Messiah Nantwi on March 1 at a nearby prison, the Mid-State Correctional Facility. Ten guards were indicted in April, including two who are charged with murder, in Nantwi\u2019s death.
\nThe prisons are about 180 miles northwest of New York City.<\/p>\n
The sentencing of David Kingsley to 25 years to life in prison marks a significant step towards justice for the family of Robert Brooks and highlights the need for continued reform within New York’s prison system. The implementation of body cameras and the prompt release of footage related to deaths in custody are crucial steps towards ensuring transparency and accountability.<\/p>\n
Introduction to the Case A former New York state prison guard convicted of murder for his role in the brutal beating of an inmate that was captured on body-camera footage was sentenced Friday to 25 years to life in prison. David Kingsley also received a 25-year sentence for a manslaughter conviction in the case. He […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":26809,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rank_math_lock_modified_date":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-26807","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-crime-reports"},"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i3.wp.com\/media.nbcnewyork.com\/2025\/02\/AP25036570528028.jpg?quality=85&strip=all&fit=3000,1701&w=1920&resize=1920,1088&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26807"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26807"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26807\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26810,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26807\/revisions\/26810"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26809"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26807"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26807"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/citystuff.com\/new-york\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26807"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}