- Second-degree murder charges against two sheriff’s deputies and a hospital employee in the death of Ilbo Otieno have been reduced to manslaughter.
- A 28-year-old man, Arbo Otieno, died after being pinned to the floor for approximately 11 minutes while hospitalized at Central State Hospital in Virginia.
- Prosecutors initially charged 10 people with second-degree murder, but dropped the charges against five deputies, leaving only three to be indicted.
Two sheriff’s deputies and one hospital employee have had second-degree murder charges reduced to manslaughter in the death of a Virginia man who died after being pinned to the floor of a state psychiatric hospital for about 11 minutes.
The reduced charges in the 2023 death of Ilbo Otieno come just weeks after prosecutors dropped charges against five other sheriff’s deputies, a move criticized by Otieno’s family.
Otieno, a 28-year-old Black man, was restrained by Henrico County sheriff’s deputies and hospital staff while hospitalized at Central State Hospital and died in March 2023. Prosecutors initially charged 10 people with second-degree murder, but dropped charges against a total of seven people, leaving only three people to be charged.
Ilbo Otieno’s family criticises move to drop murder charges against five lawmakers for now
An amended indictment was filed Wednesday reducing the charges against two sheriff’s deputies, Brandon Rogers and Kaiel Sanders, and hospital employee Wavy Jones to manslaughter, according to online court records.
The second-degree murder charges against two sheriff’s deputies and one hospital employee in the case of Ilbo Otieno (pictured above), who died after being pinned to the floor for about 11 minutes while hospitalized at a state psychiatric hospital, have been reduced to manslaughter. (File provided by the Law Office of Ben Crump via The Associated Press)
Dinwiddie County Attorney Amanda Mann did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment. Jones’ attorney, Doug Ramser, and Sanders’ attorney, Linwood Wells, declined to comment. Attorney Michael W. Lee, who represents Rogers, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
Otieno, who was suffering from a mental health condition, was detained outside Richmond. He was initially taken to a private hospital but was detained after police determined he had become aggressive. He was then transferred to Central Provincial Hospital where he was detained while undergoing admission procedures.
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Otieno’s death, which was recorded on video, sparked outrage and calls for mental health and law enforcement reform. The state medical examiner’s office ruled Otieno’s death a homicide and determined the cause of death was “positional and mechanical asphyxiation due to restraint devices.”
Mark Kludis, a lawyer representing Otieno’s family, did not immediately respond to an emailed request for comment.
