After three days of deliberation, the jury in the Robert Brooks case has found one of three corrections officers guilty of second-degree murder. There was a thick tension in the air as the jury sent out a note on the morning of Oct. 20, which simply read “We are close.” It took 15 more minutes before the jury returned with a verdict.
Brooks, an incarcerated individual transferred to Marcy Corrections Facility on Dec. 9, was brutally beaten with his hands cuffed behind his back by corrections officers while in custody. He died as a result of his injuries on Dec. 10. An autopsy was conducted by the Onondaga County Medical Examiner’s Office and, in February, Brooks’ death was ruled a homicide and three of the four corrections officers who had not taken a plea deal with the Special Prosecutor have been on trial; David Kingsley, Mathew Galliher, and Nicholas Kieffer.
Each one faced second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter charges.
David Kingsley
On the charge of second-degree murder, Kingsley was found guilty.
On the charge of first-degree manslaughter, Kingsley was found guilty.
Mathew Galliher
On the charge of second-degree murder, Galliher was found not guilty.
On the charge of first-degree manslaughter, Galliher was found not guilty.
On the charge of second-degree gang assault, Galliher was found not guilty.
Nicholas Kieffer
On the charge of second-degree murder, Kieffer was found not guilty.
On the charge of first-degree manslaughter, Kieffer was found not guilty.
On the charge of second-degree gang assault, Kieffer was found not guilty.
On the charge of first-degree offering a false instrument for filing, Kieffer was found not guilty.
Jury’s deliberation
Over the course of two days, the jury sent out nine notes, asking for clarification, additional viewings of body-worn camera footage, and exhibits for review.
Among the earliest notes from the jury was four requests around two hours into deliberation on Oct. 16.
The first request was to have the compilation video of the four body-worn cameras played again.
The second request was to have the definitions of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter read to them again by Judge Robert Bauer.
The third request was for the autopsy report of Robert Brooks, referring to a PowerPoint presentation by the prosecution, showing all the wounds Brooks suffered as part of the the assault at Marcy, with the focus being on the injuries to Brooks’s neck.
The fourth request was to have a list of all exhibits so the jury can “…choose what we want to see.”
*This is a breaking news story. It will be updated.
This article originally appeared on Rochester Democrat and Chronicle: One officer guilty, two acquitted in beating death of Robert Brooks
Reporting by Casey Pritchard, USA Today Network / Rochester Democrat and Chronicle
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
