By Jon Moss
syracuse.com
UTICA, N.Y. — Four additional former New York state corrections officers have been sentenced in connection with the beating death of an inmate last year.
Corrections officers were accused of delivering multiple beatings to the inmate, Messiah Nantwi, at the Mid-State Correctional Facility on March 1, 2025. He later died.
The four officers who were sentenced Wednesday had previously reached plea deals with the special prosecutor, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.
Oneida County Court Judge Michael Nolan sentenced the officers Wednesday morning:
- Craig Klemick, nine months in the county jail. He pleaded guilty to first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.
- Caleb Blair, 11 years in state prison. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter.
- Joshua Bartlett, one year in the county jail. He pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and falsifying business records, both in the first degree.
- Nathan Palmer, one-year conditional discharge. He pleaded guilty to hindering prosecution and falsifying business records, both in the first degree.
Palmer testified for the prosecution at the trial of his former co-worker, Jonah Levi.
Levi was later found guilty of manslaughter and several other charges. Nolan sentenced him to 25 years, the maximum penalty he could have gotten.
The corrections officers used their fists, batons and boots to strike Nantwi, 22, after he had acted up during a count of inmates, Fitzpatrick has said.
Nantwi suffered 69 blows to his body, including to his head, the doctor who performed his autopsy testified.
The officers then took various actions to cover up what happened, Fitzpatrick said. They were accused of falsifying forms and meeting the following day at a local diner to agree on a false story.
Charges, pleas and sentences in the Nantwi case:
- Nicholas Vitale: He pleaded guilty to first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. He was indicted on fifth-degree conspiracy and first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing.
- Daniel Burger: He pleaded guilty to first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing. He was sentenced to 1 1/3 to 4 years in state prison. He was indicted on first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy and first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing.
- Sgt. Donald Slawson: He pleaded guilty to attempted tampering with physical evidence. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. He was indicted on tampering with physical evidence.
- Sgt. David Ferrone: He pleaded guilty to tampering with physical evidence. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. He was indicted on second-degree manslaughter, first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing, tampering with physical evidence and two counts of fifth-degree conspiracy.
- Sgt. Francis Chandler Jr.: He pleaded guilty to second-degree gang assault in exchange for a four-year sentence in state prison. He was indicted on second-degree gang assault, second-degree manslaughter, fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing, tampering with physical evidence and two counts of fifth-degree conspiracy.
- Adam Joseph: He pleaded guilty as charged to official misconduct. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.
- Frank Jacobs: He pleaded guilty as charged to official misconduct. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.
- Sgt. Michael Iffert: He pleaded guilty to attempted first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge. He was indicted on first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing.
- Nathan Palmer: He pleaded guilty as charged to hindering prosecution and falsifying business records. He was sentenced to a one-year conditional discharge.
- Joshua Bartlett: He pleaded guilty as charged to hindering prosecution and falsifying business records. He was sentenced Wednesday to one year in the county jail. He also faces unrelated sexual abuse charges.
- Caleb Blair: He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter. He was sentenced to 11 years in state prison. He was indicted on second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy and first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing.
- Craig Klemick: He pleaded guilty to first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing. He was sentenced to nine months in the county jail. He was indicted on first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy and first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing.
- Thomas Eck: He pleaded guilty to first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing. He was indicted on first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, first-degree offering of a false instrument for filing, tampering with physical evidence and two counts of fifth-degree conspiracy. He is scheduled to be sentenced July 7.
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