![]() Krudys told NPR his team has a lot of questions about what happened to Otieno in the leadup to his death on March 6, but is starting to piece together a picture based on the information they've gathered so far. "This is an episodic thing that comes from time to time, it happens in a lot of folks and it requires love, not the application of force." What we know so far: The original incident "He's living a very fruitful, productive, meaningful life that is transforming those around him and he has an overlay of mental health issues that accompany it," Krudys said, declining to give a specific diagnosis. Krudys said Otieno's death is devastating not only to his family, but for others in their community, from neighbors to high school friends. She urged people to look up his music on Apple Music and Spotify, adding, "There is goodness in his music and that's all I'm left with now - he's gone." She said Otieno had "found his thing" in hip-hop, could write a song in five minutes and was even working toward starting his own record label. He was a good listener who classmates sought out when they needed someone to talk to and a leader who wasn't afraid to bring a different perspective to the table. Ouko said her son was "as American as apple pie" and had a big heart. He was treated inhumanely, and it was traumatic and it was systematic."īefore the press conference, Krudys told NPR that they expect the video of Otieno's death will be made public at some point, likely early next week - though Baskervill said on Thursday that "to maintain the integrity of the criminal justice process at this point, I am not able to publicly release the video." "My son was treated like a dog - worse than a dog - I saw it with my own eyes on the video. "Mental illness should not be your ticket to death," said Otieno's mother, Caroline Ouko, noting that mental health is on the decline across the country, exacerbated by the pandemic. Otieno's family members and their lawyers called for answers and justice in his case, as well as broader reforms to stop something similar from playing out again. ![]() Department of Justice should intervene, arguing that the case spans multiple jurisdictions and involves violation of Otieno's constitutional rights. Otieno's family is being represented by civil rights attorneys Mark Krudys and Ben Crump, who saw the hospital surveillance footage for the first time on Thursday.Īt a news conference that afternoon, the attorneys detailed what they called a "continuum of abuse" Otieno faced from the moment he was taken into custody. Law Police are 'shielded' from repercussions of their abuse. Williams, 27.īaskervill said Thursday that the case will go before a grand jury next week "for a final determination of charges going forward." ![]() It is not clear what jobs they held at the facility. On Thursday, Baskervill's office said three employees of Central State Hospital had also been charged with second-degree murder in the case, bringing the total number of arrests to 10. ![]() They were arrested - each facing one felony charge of second-degree murder - and turned themselves in to state police that same day. They were placed on administrative leave, pending the outcome of the case, Henrico County Sheriff Alisa Gregory said on Tuesday. Center, at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, Va., pictured in 2018.īaskervill's office named the deputies as Randy Joseph Boyer, 57 Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37 Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45 Bradley Thomas Disse, 43 Tabitha Renee Levere, 50 Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48 and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30. He spent three days in a local jail in Henrico County, south of Richmond, Va., where his family's lawyer says he was "brutalized" by officers - including being pepper sprayed, stripped naked and deprived of his medications - before being transferred to Central State Hospital, a state-run mental facility in Dinwiddie County. Irvo Noel Otieno, 28, was taken into emergency custody on March 3 after experiencing mental health distress. Charged with second-degree murder in the death of Irvo Noel Otieno were: (top row, from left) Henrico County Sheriff's Deputies Bradley Disse, Brandon Rodgers, Dwayne Bramble, Tabitha Levere, Jermaine Branch (bottom row, from left), Kaiyell Sanders and Randy Boyer, Central State Hospital workers Darian Blackwell, Sadarius Williams and Wavie Jones.Įditor's note: This story includes detailed descriptions of violence.Ī Virginia prosecutor has charged seven law enforcement officers and three hospital employees with second-degree murder over the death of a Black man at a state psychiatric hospital last week.
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