A jury in Utica, New York has delivered a guilty verdict against a former corrections officer in the deadly assault of an inmate at a state prison facility.
Jonah Levi was convicted Wednesday on charges of manslaughter, gang assault, and conspiracy in connection with the March 1, 2025 death of Messiah Nantwi at Mid-State Correctional Facility in upstate New York. However, jurors cleared him of the more serious second-degree murder charge.
Levi represents the first corrections officer to face trial in Nantwi’s killing.
The 22-year-old victim suffered fatal injuries after being repeatedly struck by multiple guards using fists, boots, and batons, according to prosecutors. Nantwi died from severe head trauma and additional bodily injuries sustained during the violent encounter.
The deadly incident unfolded during an unauthorized work stoppage by numerous officers, which prompted the governor to deploy National Guard troops to maintain facility security. Nantwi’s death occurred just months following the fatal beating of Robert Brooks at another correctional facility located directly across from Mid-State.
As a member of an emergency response unit, Levi responded to Nantwi’s housing area to assist National Guard personnel who had requested backup after the inmate became uncooperative during a routine prisoner count. Testimony revealed that Nantwi had settled down after additional help was summoned.
The violent confrontation began when responding officers attempted to restrain Nantwi in his cell after he resisted handcuffing and grabbed an officer’s vest. Prosecutors stated the assault escalated significantly when Nantwi bit a guard’s hand.
During the trial, Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick accused Levi of repeatedly stomping on Nantwi’s head and taking part in a subsequent cover-up effort among guards.
“The evidence of guilt here, ladies and gentlemen, is simple and it’s overwhelming. Stomp on someone’s head, you’re not trying to get their attention,” Fitzpatrick stated during Monday’s closing arguments. “You’ve divorced yourself from the human race.”
Defense attorney Lewis G. Spicer argued that his client did not employ any force that led to Nantwi’s death.
“Jonah Levi did not kick Messiah Nantwi in the head,” Spicer declared in his closing remarks.
More than six additional individuals have entered guilty pleas to reduced charges connected to the assault and alleged cover-up attempt.
Two more former guards face upcoming trials, with Caleb Blair scheduled for a May 4 murder trial alongside a co-defendant facing first-degree manslaughter charges. A third guard charged with manslaughter will stand trial on June 1.
Nantwi had been incarcerated since May 2024, serving a five-year term for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon stemming from a 2021 shootout with police officers. During that incident, Nantwi sustained multiple gunshot wounds while the officers remained unharmed.
