Virginia Corrections Officers Cleared In Death Of Prisoner

A jury found five former corrections officers at Virginia's Marion Correctional Treatment Center not guilty of the death of Charles Givens, an inmate with health problems and severe mental disabilities, NPR reports. Givens was found dead in his cell on Feb. 5, 2022. A year later, Kymberly Hobbs, Givens' grieving sister, sued for $15 million. She alleged that correctional officers Anthony Raymond Kelly, Gregory Scott Plummer, Joshua Jackson and William Zachary Montgomery participated in the savage beating of 52-year-old Givens, breaking his ribs that tore into his spleen, leading him to bleed out and die in his cell. Hobbs alleged that a fifth guard, Samuel Dale Osborne, didn't participate directly, but did not intervene to save Givens' life. For eight days, Hobbs' lawyers, Paul Stanley and Mark Krudys, asked the six-member jury to find the ex-guards responsible.

The defense vehemently denied the allegations, arguing that Givens, who suffered from a host of medical conditions, had a seizure in his cell and fell on his bed – breaking his ribs that cut into his spleen, leading to the fatal internal bleeding. A grand jury declined to bring a criminal indictment against the officers back in 2022 and this case "was it" – the one chance for Hobbs to hold people responsible for Givens' death, Stanley said. For the defense, it represented an opportunity for the five men to clear their names. NPR reported the allegations of abuse in 2023. The story raised broader questions about the conditions at the specialized facility in southwest Virginia. Givens' records showed he was transferred to a hospital outside of the prison several times over the years — including multiple stays for hypothermia. A month later, the FBI told Hobbs it was investigating Givens' death. The lawsuit and NPR's story led to additional media coverage.The five now-former guards were suspended from Marion after an investigation was launched into Givens' death. They all resigned or retired before the investigation ended.