At a mental health facility in Virginia, 3 workers are accused of killing
On Thursday, three staff members at a mental health facility in Virginia were charged with murder, joining seven sheriff's deputies who had already been charged in the death of a man in Virginia who passed away while being restrained and wearing handcuffs and leg irons. Irvo Otieno passed away on March 6 at the Central State Hospital in suburban Petersburg, Virginia, while being restrained. Caroline Ouko, the mother of Otieno, sobbed during a press conference she held outside the Dinwiddie County Courthouse on Thursday with her attorneys. “They tortured him to death,” she added. They mistreated him worse than a dog, according to him.
Three staff members at a mental health facility in Virginia were charged with murder
The footage, according to Mark Krudys one of Otieno's family lawyers shows all seven deputies “absolutely brutally” pushing down every area of Otieno's body. Krudys told reporters, “I wasn't really ready to see this. The general public has not yet seen the footage. Sheriffs assert Seven Henrico County Sheriff's deputies who carried Otieno to the hospital in Virginia were forced to restrain him when he grew belligerent during his admission.
The seven sheriff's deputies at the hospital “smothered” him, according to security camera footage, and took three hours to report his death, according to the prosecution at the officers' initial court appearance. The prosecutor finds frightening footage of the victim in handcuffs and chains. According to testimony from the Commonwealth's Attorney for Dinwiddie County, Ann Cabell Baskervill, the officers “smothered him to death” by lying handcuffed and shackled Otieno while they restrained him on camera from the hospital's patient intake area. On the video, the entire episode lasted roughly 12 minutes. Although the video was not revealed in court, Baskerville described it as “disturbing” and evidence of the victim's needless suffering.
After seeing the footage, Baskerville claimed she immediately sought the deputies' arrest. “You can tell that they're putting their back into it,” remarked Krudys of the video at the conference. “Absolute savagery is being used to push down every portion of his body. You can hardly even see his image repeatedly.”
The family of Otieno hires civil rights lawyer Ben Crump.
Ben Crump's appointment as co-counsel for Otieno's family was announced during the one-hour news conference held on Thursday. In numerous high-profile cases involving the killings of George Floyd, Trayvon Martin, Ahmaud Arbery, and Breonna Taylor, victims of high-profile homicides in the previous ten years, Crump, a well-known civil rights lawyer, played a significant role. The video showing Otieno's treatment at the Henrico County jail and later at the hospital in Virginia was presented to Crump, Krudys, and Otieno's family. They all stated that they could find no evidence to support the deputies' claims that Otieno was violent or disruptive. Instead, as Crump said, they observed cops handling “nearly a motionless person” in handcuffs and leg chains. The attorney for Otieno's family Krudys stated that his clients are “grief-stricken” following learning of the “brutal nature” of his passing.
When the facts of this case are revealed. Both the general public and knowledgeable mental health specialists would be horrified. Krudys described Otieno as a much-loved and well-respected young man. Otieno was an aspiring singer and a well-known high school athlete in the region. the attorney continued. Although the deputies found that Otieno was “lifeless” and not breathing, Krudys claimed that the footage demonstrated a lack of haste to assist him. Although the deputies found that Otieno was “lifeless” and not breathing, Krudys claimed that the footage demonstrated a lack of haste to assist him.
At the news conference on Thursday, Krudys remarked, “And then you see people standing around with their hands in their pockets and looking away. Also, a substantial amount of time passes before any sort of rescue efforts are launched. The deputies “fade away out of the room and into a talk by themselves,” according to Krudys, after performing CPR.
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