A former upstate New York prison guard is on trial, accused of brutally beating a 22-year-old inmate to death alongside a group of other guards. The inmate, Messiah Nantwi, died from massive head trauma and other injuries sustained during the violent incident at Mid-State Correctional Facility on March 1, 2025. The case has drawn significant attention as it highlights ongoing concerns about the use of excessive force and a culture of violence within the New York state prison system.
Jonah Levi, the former guard now facing murder charges, is the first of ten guards indicted in connection with Nantwi’s death to stand trial. Prosecutors allege that Levi was directly responsible for repeatedly stomping on Nantwi’s head during the savage beating, which involved multiple guards using fists, boots, and batons to inflict harm. According to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who is serving as special prosecutor in the case, Levi’s actions were marked by “utter depravity and recklessness.” Fitzpatrick told jurors during his opening statement that eyewitnesses would testify to Levi’s repeated stomping on Nantwi’s head, while his fellow officers did nothing to intervene.
The beating occurred during a period of turmoil within the New York prison system. Just months before Nantwi’s death, another inmate, Robert Brooks, was fatally beaten at a different prison facility located near Mid-State. Both incidents have spurred prisoner advocates and others to criticize what they describe as a systemic pattern of brutality and abuse by prison guards. At the time of Nantwi’s death, the prison system was grappling with the aftermath of a three-week wildcat strike by guards, who had walked off the job in protest of working conditions. The strike was serious enough to prompt the governor to deploy National Guard troops to maintain order within the facilities.
On the day of the beating, Levi was part of an emergency response team called to assist National Guard members after Nantwi refused to cooperate with a bedside prisoner headcount. National Guard member Nicholas Mouzon testified that Nantwi was initially uncooperative, refusing to leave a shower area when ordered to be counted. Nantwi reportedly responded defiantly, saying, “What if I don’t want to?” However, according to Mouzon, Nantwi calmed down once backup arrived. Despite this, several corrections officers who responded to the call began physically assaulting Nantwi after he resisted handcuffing and grabbed one guard’s vest. Prosecutors further alleged that the violence escalated after Nantwi bit a guard’s hand during the struggle.
The prosecution paints a grim picture of the events inside Nantwi’s room, describing a relentless and brutal attack. Mouzon recounted that from his vantage point outside the room, he saw a guard standing on Nantwi’s calves and striking his feet with a baton. Later, Mouzon saw Nantwi being carried out of the room with his eyes closed and making distressing noises that he described as “aggravated dog noises” or growling. The prosecution argues that Nantwi’s death was a direct consequence of the guards’ excessive use of force, stating bluntly, “He’s dead because he protested cuffing up and because he tried to bite someone’s finger.”
In an attempt to cover up the severity of the incident, prosecutors say the guards falsely claimed to have recovered a makeshift knife from Nantwi. This allegation is part of a broader accusation that some guards involved sought to obscure their misconduct. In contrast to the well-documented beating of Robert Brooks, which was captured on body cameras, the Nantwi case involves limited video evidence. Prosecutors have stated that some guards were not wearing mandated body cameras, others turned their cameras off, and some simply looked away during the assault. This lack of footage has complicated efforts to fully reconstruct the events.
Levi’s defense attorney, Lewis G. Spicer, has strongly contested the prosecution's narrative. Spicer argues that the use of force that morning was justified given Nantwi’s aggressive behavior and that Levi did not use any force that directly caused Nantwi’s death. “Mr. Levi was doing everything he was supposed to do,” Spicer told the jury, asserting that the version of events presented by the prosecution was “extremely sanitized” and failed to acknowledge Nantwi’s role as the initial aggressor. Spicer also pointed to Nantwi’s reported use of synthetic marijuana, suggesting that this may have contributed to his behavior and the ensuing confrontation.
The charges