Video of a March 6 incident in Petersburg, Virginia, that resulted in the death of Irvo Otieno while in custody was released to the media on Tuesday.
The incident prompted prosecutors to charge seven deputies and three staffers at Central State Hospital with second-degree murder. "My son was treated like a dog. Worse than a dog," Otieno's mother, Caroline Ouko, said during a press conference.
The video’s release came despite objections from attorneys representing deputies being charged. They claimed the video’s release would make it more challenging to find a fair jury. The video showed five deputies and three hospital employees piling on Otieno, who was in handcuffs at the time. The family's lawyers, Mark Krudys and Ben Crump, described what they said the videos showed."He was carried about by his arms and legs into a vehicle like an animal," Krudys said.
His family alleges before any of this took place he was pepper sprayed and beaten in his cell. There has been no footage from the jail to confirm that allegation. The video goes on to show officers checking for a pulse. In Virginia, second-degree murder is essentially intentionally injuring or killing someone with malice and does not involve premeditation.
His family, originally from Kenya, said he had a history of mental illness and believes he died because he was deprived of his medication while he was in jail.
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