Missouri Prison Guards Face Murder Charges and Lawsuit for Alleged Torturous Death of Black Inmate
The state of Missouri is facing a scandal after four prison guards were hit with murder charges and a lawsuit in connection to the alleged ambush and torturous death of a Black inmate during a drug raid. The incident took place on December 8, 2023, at the Jefferson City Correctional Center.
According to a lawsuit filed on Friday, the Department of Corrections Emergency Response Team conducted a sweep of the facility for weapons and contraband. Four prison guards were accused of placing a spit hood over the face of 38-year-old inmate Othel Moore Jr., wrapping his limbs to a restraint chair, and pepper-spraying him multiple times. A former inmate who witnessed the incident claimed that Moore was being treated as non-compliant because the officers refused to use special handcuffs due to his medical condition and weight.
Moore was left in restraints without supervision in another housing unit, where he cried out multiple times that he couldn’t breathe. It wasn’t until 30 minutes later that he was taken to the hospital wing and pronounced dead. The medical examiner ruled his cause of death as a homicide from positional asphyxiation.
The four guards, Justin Leggins, Jacob Case, Aaron Brown, and Gregory Varner, were each charged with second-degree murder and being an accessory to second-degree assault. A fifth guard, Bryanne Bradshaw, was charged with accessory to involuntary manslaughter. Moore’s family has filed a lawsuit against the officers and the Department of Corrections, alleging a pattern of brutalization and intimidation by the Corrections Emergency Response Team.
The Missouri Department of Corrections released a statement saying that Moore’s death was a result of a restraint system designed to prevent injury, which has since been discontinued. The department also revealed that ten individuals involved in the incident are no longer employed by the department or its contractors. The case has sparked outrage and calls for justice for Othel Moore Jr.