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Messiah Nantwi

Gender : Male

Age : 22

Race : Black

Date : 03/01/2025

Location : Mid-State Correctional Facility

City : Marcy

County : Oneida

State : New York

Agency : New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision

Officer(s) :Not Disclosed

Cause of Death : Unknown

Event : Found dead in jail

OPEN RECORDS SUMMARY :

On 03/01/2025, 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi was found unresponsive at Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, New York. He was transported to Wynn Hospital in Utica, where he was pronounced dead. Nantwi had been serving a five-year sentence for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon related to a 2021 incident involving an exchange of gunfire with police officers.

In response to Nantwi's death, Governor Kathy Hochul directed the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision to place 15 staff members on administrative leave. The New York State Police, in conjunction with the department's Office of Special Investigations, are conducting an investigation into the circumstances surrounding his death.

The New York Attorney General's Office recused itself from the investigation due to conflicts of interest, as four of the corrections officers involved are defendants in other matters where they are or were represented by attorneys in the Attorney General's State Counsel Division. Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick has been appointed as special prosecutor for this case.

This incident follows a similar case in December 2024, when Robert Brooks died after an encounter with corrections officers at the nearby Marcy Correctional Facility. Six corrections officers have been charged with murder in connection with Brooks' death.

SOURCE LINKS :

https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/inmate-death-mid-state-correctional-facility-utica-new-york-police-rcna194653
https://www.uticaod.com/story/news/local/2025/03/06/mid-state-inmate-death-state-attorney-generals-office-recuses-itself/81764671007/