Correctional Officer Pleads Guilty to Manslaughter in Beating Death of New York Inmate

Correctional officer Christopher Walrath, center, appears in Oneida County Court, Monday, May 5, 2025, in Utica, N.Y., to enter a guilty plea for manslaughter in the December 2024 death of inmate Robert Brooks. (AP Photo/Michael Hill)

This image provided by the New York State Attorney General office shows body camera footage of correction officers beating a handcuffed man, Robert Brooks, at the Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County, N.Y., on Dec. 9, 2024. (New York State Attorney General office via AP, File)

UTICA, N.Y. (AP) - A corrections officer pleaded guilty to manslaughter Monday in the fatal beating of a handcuffed inmate at an upstate New York prison - an attack that was caught on video by guards' body cameras, sparked public outrage and led to charges against more than a dozen people.

Christopher Walrath, 36, was one of six guards charged with second-degree murder in the Dec. 9 beating of Robert Brooks at the Marcy Correctional Facility. He pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter during a hearing at state court in Utica.

The plea deal, which was the first agreed to by one of the six who were charged with murder, calls for Walrath to get a 15-year prison term. He will remain free on bail pending his Aug. 4 sentencing.

Under questioning from Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, the special prosecutor, Walrath admitted that he and other guards assaulted Brooks. He also acknowledged that he put Brooks in a chokehold, that he struck the inmate's body and groin and that he lied to investigators about what happened.