A New York prison guard should be found guilty of manslaughter for standing by and doing nothing while an inmate was beaten to death by other officers, a prosecutor told a jury during closing arguments on Thursday, 15 January 2026.
The Final Trial in a Case that Provoked Outrage
Former corrections officer Michael Fisher, 55, is the last of ten guards indicted to face a jury over the death of inmate Robert Brooks. The 43-year-old Black man was brutally assaulted upon his arrival at Marcy Correctional Facility on the night of 9 December 2024. The entire incident was captured on the guards' own body cameras, footage which later sparked public fury.
Special prosecutor William Fitzpatrick told jurors that Fisher watched the beating for seven "gut-churning, nauseating, disgusting" minutes, close enough to touch Brooks, yet failed to intervene. "Did Michael Fisher recklessly cause the death of Robert Brooks? Of course he did. Not by himself. He had plenty of other helpers," said Fitzpatrick, who is the Onondaga County district attorney.
Fisher's defence attorney, Scott Iseman, argued his client entered the prison infirmary after the beating had begun and could not have known the severity of Brooks's injuries. Iseman urged the jury to consider what Fisher knew in the moment, "without the benefit of 2020 hindsight."
A System in Crisis: Staffing Shortages and Strike Fallout
This high-profile trial concludes a legal chapter that has already led to some reforms, but advocates insist New York's prison system remains deeply troubled. The case unfolded against a backdrop of chronic understaffing and an illegal three-week wildcat strike by corrections officers in early 2025, which was sparked by disputes over working conditions.
In response to the strike, Governor Kathy Hochul deployed National Guard troops to maintain operations, resulting in the firing of more than 2,000 guards. Tragically, the period of instability saw further inmate deaths, including that of Messiah Nantwi at Mid-State Correctional Facility on 1 March 2025. Ten other guards were indicted in Nantwi's death in April.
Jennifer Scaife, executive director of the independent monitoring group the Correctional Association of New York, stated on the eve of Fisher's trial: "The absence of staff in critical positions is affecting literally every aspect of prison operations. And I think the experience for incarcerated people is neglect."
Reforms and Reckoning
The fallout from Brooks's death has prompted official action. Last month, Governor Hochul announced a broad reform agreement with lawmakers. Key measures include:
- A requirement for cameras to be installed in all correctional facilities.
- A mandate that video recordings related to deaths in custody be promptly released to state investigators.
Additionally, in an effort to address staffing shortages, the state has lowered the minimum hiring age for correction officers from 21 to 18.
Of the original ten officers indicted in February 2025:
- Six pleaded guilty to manslaughter or lesser charges.
- Three more agreed to plead guilty to reduced charges in return for cooperation.
- Four rejected plea deals. One was convicted of murder and two were acquitted in the first trial last autumn.
The jury in Michael Fisher's trial began its deliberations on Thursday afternoon, deciding whether his inaction in that infirmary constitutes second-degree manslaughter.
