Seven Henrico County sheriff deputies have been charged with second–degree murder after a man in their custody, Ivor Otieno, died shortly after they took him from county jail to a state mental health facility on March 6. According to a statement from Dinwiddie County Commonwealth‘s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill, state police investigators were told Otieno had become “combative“ during the admission process and was “physically restrained.”
An autopsy was conducted by the Office of Chief Medical Examiner in Richmond, though the cause of death has not been released.
Clockwise from top left: Tabitha Renee Levere, Randy Joseph Boyer, Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, Dwayne Alan Bramble, Bradley Thomas Disse, Brandon Edwards Rodgers and Jermaine Lavar Branch.
The family‘s attorney, Mark Krudys, noted the “brutal nature“ of Otieno‘s death in a statement, and the case has raised concerns about law enforcement use of force nationwide. The seven deputies, who have been placed on administrative leave, were identified as Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, of Henrico; Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, of Sandston; Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45, of Henrico; Bradley Thomas Disse, 43, of Henrico; Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, of Henrico; Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48, of Henrico; and Kaiyell Dajour Sanders, 30, of North Chesterfield. They are scheduled to appear before a grand jury on March 21.
The Henrico Fraternal Order of Police Lodge 4 has issued a statement saying they “stand behind“ the deputies, while Sheriff Alisa Gregory said in a statement, “The events of March 6, at their core, represent a tragedy because Mr. Otieno‘s life was lost.”
Interactions between Otieno and law enforcement began three days prior, when Henrico Police responded to a report of a possible burglary and encountered Otieno. The police officers, with the county‘s Crisis Intervention Team, put him under an emergency custody order due to their interactions with and observations of him. Otieno was taken for evaluation to a local hospital, where he became “physically assaultive towards officers,” police said. He was held on three counts of assault on a law enforcement officer, disorderly conduct in a hospital, and vandalism.
UPDATE MARCH 16TH 3:00PM:
According to NBC12, during a court hearing on Wednesday, Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann C. Baskervill described the surveillance video of Henrico County deputies and a man who died during an intake process as extremely clear and alarming.
On March 6, Henrico County Sheriff’s Office deputies arrived at Central State Hospital around 4 p.m. to admit 28-year-old Ivor N. Otieno as a patient. Before 7:30 p.m., state police were called to investigate Otieno’s death. Baskervill said that only two deputies transferred Otieno, and additional deputies were dispatched to the scene later.
The footage showed deputies throwing a shirtless Otieno to the ground during the intake process at the hospital. He was primarily face-down and handcuffed, with an unidentified deputy placing a knee on his body. Baskervill stated that deputies smothered Otieno for 12 minutes, causing him to suffocate to death. His preliminary cause of death was asphyxiation, although the State Medical Examiner has not yet reviewed the surveillance videos.
Deputies removed Otieno’s handcuffs and didn’t call Virginia State Police until three hours after his death. Baskervill also alleged that the video showed deputies pepper-spraying and punching Otieno at the Henrico Jail before transporting him.
Defense Attorney Cary Bowen, representing Deputy Jermaine Branch, said he hadn’t seen the videos and that his client had been with the department for 24 years. Bowen mentioned Otieno’s history of mental health issues and suggested that two injections might have contributed to his death, although Baskervill argued Otieno died before the injections entered his system.
Bowen called the prosecutor’s rush to action premature, while NBC12 Legal Analyst Stephen Benjamin noted that the early charges brought by Baskervill were unusual. Prosecutors typically take a more deliberate approach when charging law enforcement officers and often involve a grand jury.
