Two hospital employees initially charged in the death of Irvo Otieno, a patient at Central State Hospital in Virginia, have had their charges dropped. Otieno died during his admission to the psychiatric facility on March 6th. The incident involved ten individuals – seven Henrico County Sheriff’s deputies and three hospital employees – who were initially charged with second-degree murder after video footage showed them restraining Otieno, who was in handcuffs and leg shackles.
Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill made the decision to drop the charges against hospital employees Darian Blackwell and Sadarius Williams, stating that this action would best serve justice. Baskervill, who recently resigned to pursue graduate studies, emphasized that this decision strengthens the prosecution's case against the remaining defendants.
Defense attorney Rhonda Quagliana, representing Williams, had previously argued that Williams's involvement in the restraint did not warrant a second-degree murder charge. The remaining seven deputies and another hospital employee, Wavie Jones, still face charges. Video evidence reportedly shows Jones restraining Otieno's head.
Otieno's death, attributed to asphyxia, occurred after his arrest by Henrico County police during a mental health crisis. Video footage reportedly shows Blackwell and Williams involved in restraining Otieno for approximately four minutes, with Williams near Otieno’s head and Blackwell near his feet, before briefly stepping away and then returning to restrain his feet again. Civil rights attorney Ben Crump, representing Otieno's family, and Otieno’s mother, Caroline Ouko, have characterized the incident as torture.
Attorneys for several defendants maintain that their clients were merely restraining Otieno and had no intent to harm him, claiming they were unaware of his breathing difficulties. A judge has ruled against a joint trial for all ten defendants, but the possibility of joint trials for some of the accused remains open.
