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Killing of Irvo Otieno

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Killing of Irvo Otieno
Date
  • March 6, 2023
Time≈Tooltip Approximation 4:00 p.m.-7:28 p.m. (EST)
LocationCentral State Hospital, Dinwiddie County, Virginia, U.S.
Coordinates37°12′35″N 77°27′06″W / 37.20971°N 77.45175°W / 37.20971; -77.45175
DeathsIrvo Otieno
Accused
  • Randy Boyer
  • Dwayne Bramble
  • Jermaine Branch
  • Bradley Disse
  • Tabitha Levere
  • Brandon Rodgers
  • Kaiyell Sanders
  • Darian Blackwell
  • Wavie Jones
  • Sadarius Williams
Charges
[1]

On March 6, 2023, 28-year-old Irvo Otieno died after he was restrained by Henrico County sheriff's deputies and hospital employees at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County, Virginia, near Petersburg. He was arrested on March 3 for a suspected breaking and entering, and was taken to the hospital three days later after he was found naked in his cell.[2] A total of ten people, seven deputies and three hospital employees, were charged with second-degree murder in connection with Otieno's death.[3]

People involved

[edit]

Irvo Otieno (/aɪvoʊ/ EYE-voh[4]); referred to as Ivor by his family,[5] was a 28-year-old man born in Kenya. He experienced mental illness during his last year of high school and had previously received mental health care.[6]

The seven Henrico County Sheriff's deputies allegedly involved in his death were identified as Randy Boyer, Dwayne Bramble, Jermaine Branch, Bradley Disse, Tabitha Levere, Brandon Rodgers, and Kaiyell Sanders. The three hospital employees were identified as Darian Blackwell, Wavie Jones, and Sadarius Williams.[1]

Arrest and death

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On March 3, police were called to a home in Henrico County for a reported breaking and entering, where a woman told police she believed her home was burglarized. Police arrested Otieno at the scene and placed him under an emergency custody order. He was taken to Parham Doctors' Hospital for an evaluation; during the evaluation, he allegedly became combative towards officers before being transported to Henrico County Jail.[2]

Three days later, on March 6, deputies transported Otieno to Central State Hospital after he was found naked and covered in feces in his cell. During the intake process, Otieno "became combative during the admission process", according to Dinwiddie County Commonwealth's Attorney, Ann Cabell Baskervill. Deputies and hospital employees restrained Otieno, who became unresponsive and died. Deputies and Otieno arrived just before 4 p.m., and Virginia State Police were called to investigate his death around 7:30 p.m.[5] Cabell Baskervill stated that Otieno was held on the ground in handcuffs and leg irons for twelve minutes. She also said that Otieno's death was not reported for three and a half hours, and when it was reported, Otieno's body had been moved, his handcuffs removed and washed, and a call had been made to a funeral home instead of the medical examiner's office.[4][7]

Investigation and criminal charges

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On March 14, seven Henrico County deputies were charged with second-degree murder.[8] Two days later, three hospital employees were also charged with murder. A preliminary autopsy found Otieno's cause of death to be asphyxiation by smothering.[7] On April 3, the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner of Virginia confirmed the death as a homicide and induced by positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints.[9]

On March 20, The Washington Post obtained and released surveillance videos of Otieno's death.[10] The video shows Otieno being taken into the hospital on March 6 around at 4:16pm in handcuffs and legcuffs and entering the admissions area at 4:19pm. Just before 4:28pm, according to the Washington Post, he "appears to make a movement" and deputies and hospital staff restrain him, with eight people on top of him and others helping to hold him down. At 4:40pm they release him and according to the Washington Post he "appears not to be moving". At 4:41pm he is given an injection and resuscitation efforts start; at 5:48pm a hospital staffer covers his body with a sheet.[10]

The Dinwiddie County grand jury confirmed probable cause for a prosecution on March 21.[11][12]

In April, the prosecution filed a joinder motion which was rejected the following month for at least two of the accused hospital workers.[13]

In June, the charges against two of the hospital workers were dropped, as their trial had been kept separate from the others and the footage did not provide strong evidence against them.[14][15]

Aftermath

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Otieno's family hired attorney Ben Crump.[16]

The Reverend Al Sharpton delivered Otieno's eulogy at his funeral.[17]

See also

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References

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  1. ^ a b Treisman, Rachel (March 17, 2023). "7 deputies and 3 others face murder charges in a Black man's death at mental hospital". NPR. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  2. ^ a b Montilla, Desiree (March 16, 2023). "'This was a mental health crisis': Family seeks answers in death of Irvo Otieno". NBC 12. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  3. ^ Planas, Antonio; Helsel, Phil (March 16, 2023). "Video of Virginia man who died at hospital shows 'absolute brutality' by deputies, family says". NBC News. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Alamasy, Steve (March 17, 2023). "'I've never seen anything like this,' prosecutor says of video showing death of a 28-year-old man at a mental health facility. Here's what we know". CNN. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  5. ^ a b Rankin, Sarah (March 14, 2023). "Virginia deputies charged in man's death at mental hospital". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  6. ^ Finley, Ben (March 16, 2023). "Mother: Irvo Otieno was 'brilliant and creative and bright'". Associated Press. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  7. ^ a b El-Bawab, Nadine; Peterson, Beatrice (March 16, 2023). "7 Virginia deputies, 3 hospital employees charged with murder after inmate held down for 12 minutes: Prosecutor". ABC News. Archived from the original on March 16, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  8. ^ "7 deputies charged with murder in the death of Black mental health patient". WCSC 15. The Associated Press. March 16, 2023. Archived from the original on March 18, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  9. ^ "Irvo Otieno death: Autopsy finds he suffocated as deputies restrained him". npr.org. Archived from the original on April 10, 2023. Retrieved April 10, 2023.
  10. ^ a b Rizzo, Salvador; Vozzella, Laura; Oakford, Samuel (March 20, 2023). "Video shows Va. deputies pile on top of Irvo Otieno before his death". Washington Post. ISSN 0190-8286. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  11. ^ "What to expect when a Dinwiddie grand jury meets to discuss death of Irvo Otieno". CBS 6 News Richmond WTVR. March 20, 2023. Archived from the original on March 21, 2023. Retrieved March 21, 2023.
  12. ^ "Grand Jury confirms indictment of 10 in death of Irvo Otieno". March 21, 2023. Archived from the original on March 22, 2023. Retrieved March 22, 2023.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)
  13. ^ "Judge rejects attempt for single trial for 10 charged in Irvo Otieno death". wtvr.com. May 11, 2023. Archived from the original on May 17, 2023. Retrieved May 17, 2023.
  14. ^ "2 accused in Irvo Otieno killing have charges dropped". richmond.com. June 20, 2023. Archived from the original on June 21, 2023. Retrieved June 21, 2023.
  15. ^ "Family, defense attorneys weigh in after murder charges in connection to death of Irvo Otieno were downgraded". May 30, 2024.
  16. ^ Bowes, Mark (March 16, 2023). "Irvo Otieno's mother speaks out about his death at hospital: 'My son was tortured.'". Richmond Times-Dispatch. Archived from the original on March 17, 2023. Retrieved March 17, 2023.
  17. ^ Schwaner, Jeff; Higgins, Kristi K.; Atkinson, Bill (March 29, 2023). "Blog: what happened at Irvo Otieno funeral". News Leader. Retrieved April 5, 2023.
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