Former West Virginia Correctional Officers Plead Guilty in Inmate’s Death
Two former correctional officers from West Virginia, Johnathan Walters and Corey Snyder, pleaded guilty this week in connection with the death of Quantez Burks, a 37-year-old inmate who died under brutal circumstances shortly after being booked at Southern Regional Jail in March 2022.
The U.S. Department of Justice announced that both Walters and Snyder admitted to conspiring with other inmates to violate Burks’ civil rights. Burks died on March 1, 2022, the day after being booked on charges of wanton endangerment and obstructing an officer.
Court documents reveal that the situation escalated when Burks attempted to leave his assigned pod. Following a call for assistance, Snyder and other officers restrained Burks and took him to a non-monitored interview room, where they beat him and sprayed him with pepper spray as punishment for his actions.
Subsequently, when Burks became unresponsive, the officers dragged him to another pod, even admitting to hitting his head against a door to access the area. According to their plea agreements, Walters and Snyder each face potential prison sentences of up to 30 years and fines reaching $250,000.
In total, six former correctional officers have been indicted by a federal grand jury regarding Burks’ death. Three had previously pleaded guilty to charges related to the excessive use of force against him, while trials for another defendant are set to commence on December 10. Two more guards had also pleaded guilty last year to charges associated with colluding to use unreasonable force against Burks.
The case has drawn significant attention to the conditions and oversight within correctional facilities in West Virginia.
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Photo credit westvirginiawatch.com