By Anne Hayes
syracuse.com
MARCY, N.Y. — A second former Mid-State corrections officer has admitted to filing false reports to cover up the fatal beating of an inmate in March.
On Friday, Nathan Palmer pleaded guilty to first-degree hindering prosecution and first-degree falsifying business records.
He admitted to lying on a use-of-force form after a group of officers allegedly beat Messiah Nantwi to death inside the Marcy prison in an attempt to cover up the crime, prosecutor Aphonse Williams said.
As part of his plea, Palmer agreed to cooperate against the 10 officers indicted in connection with Nantwi’s death. He also agreed to resign from the Department of Corrections and forfeit his pistol license.
Palmer is the second of six officers who were not indicted to plead guilty. On May 30 , Joshua Bartlett pleaded guilty to the same charges.
Palmer was promised a sentence of no worse than two years in a local jail, Williams said.
Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick , who has been assigned to the case, has said two of the unindicted officers will plead guilty to felonies. The four others will plead guilty to misdemeanor charges, he has said.
Palmer and Bartlett pleaded guilty to felony charges.
Nantwi was killed March 1 after a series of beatings from correctional officers at the Mid-State Correctional Facility .
Prosecutors have said Nantwi was targeted after acting up during a count of inmates. The facility’s Correctional Emergency Response Team was called in to handle Nantwi.
The situation calmed before the CERT team arrived, but they made no effort to understand why they were called in before proceeding into Nantwi’s cell, Fitzpatrick has said.
Fitzpatrick has said that the officers who beat Natwi intentionally made sure the incident would not be captured on body-worn camera. Officers are required to have body cameras recording when in the presence of an inmate.
Nantwi is last seen on video at about 11 a.m. on March 1 when an officer is leaving his cell, Fitzpatrick said. Shortly after, eight CERT officers went into his cell.
What happened next is unclear because none of the officers were using body-worn cameras.
According to the indictment, the officers found Nantwi in the cell, unarmed, with his hands raised.
The officers went to restrain Nantwi and he reacted by grabbing Bartlett’s vest, the indictment said.
Corrections officers Jonah Levi , Caleb Blair , Thomas Eck , Craig Klemick and Daniel Burger then began beating Nantwi with fists, boots and batons, the indictment said.
The CERT team supervisors, Sgts. Francis Chandler Jr . and David Ferrone , are accused of witnessing the attacks and not intervening.
The beating escalated after Nantwi bit two officers, according to the indictment. Nantwi was unresponsive minutes after the officers entered his cell, Fitzpatrick has said.
He was carried to the prison’s infirmary but was beaten again as he was carried downstairs, the indictment said.
He was beaten again inside the infirmary, Fitzpatrick has said.
He was found to have no signs of life 45 minutes after officers entered his cell.
Officers quickly began creating a false narrative to cover up their actions, prosecutors have said.
Officers planned to plant a weapon on Nantwi to justify the beatings by claiming he was armed, Fitzpatrick has said. A security camera captured Sgt. David Ferrone discussing the plan in the infirmary bathroom.
The group met at a local diner the following day to agree on a false story, Fitzpatrick has said.
Corrections officers are required to fill out forms following any use of force to describe who was there, what they did and what they witnessed.
Palmer and Bartlett both admitted their forms were fabricated. Both are scheduled to be sentenced Aug. 8 .
The 10 indicted officers still face the following charges:
- Jonah Levi: Second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument
- Caleb Blair: Second-degree murder, first-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument
- Sgt. Francis Chandler Jr.: Second-degree gang assault, second-degree manslaughter, two counts of fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument, tampering with evidence
- Thomas Eck: First-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, two counts of fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument, tampering with evidence
- Craig Klemick: First-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument
- Daniel Burger: First-degree manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument
- Sgt. David Ferrone: Second-degree manslaughter, two counts of fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument, tampering with evidence
- Nicholas Vitale: Fifth-degree conspiracy, first-degree offering of a false instrument
- Sgt. Michael Iffert: First-degree offering of a false instrument
- Sgt. Donald Slawson: Tampering with evidence
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