Former prison guard Jonah Levi has been sentenced to 25 years in prison in connection with the murder of an inmate at the Mid-State Correctional Center in Marcy.
In April, Levi was found guilty of murdering inmate Messiah Nantwi.
In total, ten guards were charged with Nantwi’s death, nine of them accepted plea deals.
While Levi received the maximum sentence after the jury found him guilty in the April verdict on charges including first-degree murder, gang assault and presentation of a fictitious instrument. However, the judge ruled his acquittal on the murder charge.
An emotional scene unfolded in the Oneida courtroom before the judge announced the verdict, according to Localsyra local store in East Syracuse, New York.
Levi addressed the court and apologized.
“Lord, I am very sorry for everything that happened,” Levi said.
“I don’t think any parent should bury their child. I feel really bad about that,” she continued.
But the judge seemed unimpressed by Levi’s remorse and criticized him for failing to fulfill his duties related to his position as a correctional officer.
“When you became a correctional officer, you swore to protect people who are sometimes so bad that they must be expelled from society,” the judge commented. “You, sir, did not do it.”
After Levi’s sentencing, no further trials are planned in the Mid-State case, but more rulings are still to come.
