7 VA Deputies Among 10 Charged With Murder After Black Man's Death: Reports

DINWIDDIE, VA — Seven Henrico County deputies were among 10 people charged with second-degree murder this week after prosecutors said they smothered a Black inmate to death at a Dinwiddie County mental hospital, according to multiple reports.

Dinwiddie County Commonwealth's Attorney Ann Cabell Baskervill said during the deputies' first court hearing Wednesday that 28-year-old Irvo Otieno was handcuffed, shackled and pinned down by the deputies before he died at Central State Hospital on March 6.

The officers had no justification for putting Otieno, who was being checked in, on the floor, Baskervill said. The prosecutor said Otieno did not appear combative and was sitting in a chair before being pulled to the floor by the officers, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

It was a "demonstration of power that was unlawful," the prosecutor said, according to the newspaper.

According to a WTVR report, the deputies charged include:

• Randy Joseph Boyer, 57, of Henrico.
• Dwayne Alan Bramble, 37, of Sandston.
• Jermaine Lavar Branch, 45, of Henrico.
• Bradley Thomas Disse, 43, of Henrico.
• Tabitha Renee Levere, 50, of Henrico.
• Brandon Edwards Rodgers, 48, of Henrico.
• Kaivell Dajour Sanders, 30, of North Chesterfield.

On Thursday, prosecutors announced that three hospital employees were charged with second-degree murder in connection with Otieno's death, according to a separate Times-Dispatch report. The employees were:

• Darian M. Blackwell, 23, of Petersburg.
• Wavie L. Jones, 34, of Chesterfield.
• Sadarius D. Williams, 27, of North Dinwiddie.

Otieno, who lived in Henrico County, first came into the custody of law enforcement on March 3, according to Henrico County Police.

In a news release, Henrico police said officers were responding to a burglary report when Otieno was approached as a potential suspect. After observing his behavior, Otieno was placed under an "emergency custody order" and taken to a local hospital for evaluation.

The news release did not describe the behavior that led to the order.

In an interview with The Associated Press, Mark Krudys, a lawyer for Otieno's family, said a neighbor called police over concern about Otieno gathering lawn lights from a yard. Krudys said Otieno's mother tried to de-escalate the initial police encounter and the family supported his being taken to a hospital, believing he needed mental health treatment.

While he was at the hospital, police said he became "became physically assaultive toward officers, who arrested him" and took him to a local jail that is managed by the Henrico County Sheriff's Office, where he was served with several charges.

Otieno was taken to Central State Hospital on March 6, where he "became combative during the intake process," Virginia State Police spokesperson Corinne Geller said in a statement provided to WTVR.

"He was restrained and later died," the statement read.

Otieno appeared to have died from asphyxiation, or oxygen deficiency, Krudys told The New York Times, adding that Otieno wasn't given the medication he needed for his mental illness while in jail.

The Office of the Chief Medical Examiner has not yet made public its final determination on the cause and manner of Otieno's death.

In court Wednesday, Baskervill outlined the new details of her allegations as she sought to keep two of the seven deputies in custody after their attorneys asked for bail, the Richmond Times-Dispatch reported.

The judge set bail for two of the deputies. It wasn't immediately clear if they posted it and have been released. The other deputies were in the process of securing legal counsel and remained in custody, news outlets reported.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.