Utica, N.Y. ― An Oneida County jury is scheduled to resume deliberations Monday morning in the trial of three former corrections officers accused of killing an inmate last winter.
The three guards ― Mathew Galliher, Nicholas Kieffer and David Kingsley ― are accused of joining a group of guards who beat Robert L. Brooks on the night of Dec. 9, 2024 at Marcy Correctional Facility. Brooks died at a Utica hospital.
All three men face charges of second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. Kieffer and Galliher also face a second-degree gang assault charge.
On Friday, it appeared the jury was hung up on what elements are required to prove second-degree murder and first-degree manslaughter. They requested to hear the legal definition of those charges for the third time.
The body-camera videos of the brutal assault inside the prison’s infirmary were the last thing the jury saw Friday before they were dismissed for the weekend. The trial started Oct. 6, two weeks ago.
The jury started deliberations late last Wednesday, when the jury discussed the case for 30 minutes. The deliberations continued on Thursday and Friday.
Galliher, Kieffer and Kingsley are just three of the 10 people indicted in the case. Six guards have already pleaded guilty.
A fourth guard, Michael Fisher, is set to go to trial on his own in January. He’s charged with second-degree manslaughter.
The defense attorneys for the men on trial stressed to the jury in their closing statements that their clients had minimal involvement in the assault. They argued the men should not be held responsible for the actions of others, including their supervisors.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who was appointed to be a special prosecutor in the case, told the jury in closing arguments that the guards had formed “a gang with the express intent of dehumanizing” Brooks.
They were “in it together,” he said, “the whole rotten, stinking, disgusting group of them.” At one point, Fitzpatrick displayed a PowerPoint slide that read, “Remember, They Killed Him.”
The body camera footage is possibly the most crucial evidence in the trial.
Axon body cameras captured the beating from multiple angles. Four guards present had their cameras on but did not activate them to start recording. Unbeknownst to them, 30 minutes of video was passively recorded without audio.
The footage shows guards brutally punching, kicking and restraining Brooks.
If found guilty, the officers face a maximum of 25 years to life in prison.
More on Robert Brooks murder trial
- Family of Robert Brooks says former corrections officers acquitted of murder were ‘given a pass’
- Prison guard guilty of murder in beating death of inmate Robert Brooks; 2 other guards cleared of all charges
- Deliberations continue for 3rd day in Robert Brooks murder trial as jury asks to review videos and testimony
- See closing arguments in Robert Brooks murder trial; jury has the case (video)
- Jury now has the case: Are guards guilty of murdering inmate Robert Brooks?
