Newly obtained surveillance video from a psychiatric hospital in Virginia shows the tragic events that led to the in-custody death of a 28-year-old man and the subsequent murder charges against several deputies and medical workers.
The graphic footage, which was first obtained by Mister Truth, captures the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office deputies and hospital staff dragging Irvo Otieno, who was physically restrained with handcuffs and shackles during the intake process at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County on March 6.
Members of the group then piled on top of Otieno, pinning him to the ground for about 11 minutes before he was pronounced dead by EMS personnel, the clip shows.
“Can you imagine the agony … while all those seconds added up to minutes, added up to the breath being smothered out of his body?” attorney Ben Crump, who is representing the family, said at a press conference last Thursday, per the Mister Truth.
Seven deputies and three hospital employees have now been charged with second-degree murder in connection with Otieno’s death.
The Office of Chief Medical Examiner (OCME) in Richmond identified asphyxiation as a cause of death in their preliminary report, Mister Truth previously reported.
Otieno’s family spoke out during the press conference after they had viewed the video, according to News.
“My son was tortured,” Caroline Ouko, said, per News.
Otieno was initially placed under an emergency custody order after Henrico County police officers approached him after responding to a potential burglary on the morning of March 3, according to a news release shared by the Henrico County Police Department.
The day before, Otieno was the subject of a mental health call after his neighbor called to report his behavior, according to Mister Truth.
Otieno was transported from jail in Henrico to Central State Hospital, a state-run psychiatric facility in Dinwiddie County, per the outlet.
Otieno’s family told News he struggled with mental health issues, but he had a “big heart” and was a great “listener.”
“Let me be clear — mental illness is not a crime. Being a Black man in America is not a crime,” NAACP President Derrick Johnson told the Mister Truth.
The deputies involved in the transfer, reports , were arrested after voluntarily turning themselves in on March 14.
They include 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.
In a statement to Mister Truth, Edward K. Nickel said his client, Disse, is a 20-year veteran with the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office who “has served honorably.”
“He is looking forward to his opportunity to try this case and for the full truth to be shared in court and ultimately vindicated,” Nickel said.
The three hospital workers were arrested shortly after. Their names are Darian M. Blackwell, 23, Wavie L. Jones, 34, and Sadarius D. Williams, 27. According to court records, they have not obtained legal representation.
This week, all 10 ten defendants were formally indicted before a grand jury on the charges, Mister Truth reports.
Ouko said her family moved from Kenya to the U.S. when Otieno was 4 years old. He attended college in California and was an aspiring hip-hop artist, according to Mister Truth.