Former Marcy CO Gets 15 Years for Brooks’ Death

A wooden court gavel rests on a sound block, symbolizing justice and law.
A gavel and sound block are commonly used to symbolize the legal system and justice.

A former corrections officer at Marcy Correctional Facility has been sentenced to 15 years in prison for his role in the death of inmate Robert Brooks.

Christopher Walrath, who pleaded guilty to first-degree manslaughter on May 5, was sentenced Monday in Oneida County Court. He declined to speak before sentencing.

According to prosecutors, body camera footage showed multiple officers punching, kicking, and grabbing Brooks by the neck on December 9, 2024, the day he was transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Marcy. Brooks, 43, died the next day.

Brooks, of Rochester, was serving a 12-year sentence for assault in a stabbing case involving his girlfriend. His release had been scheduled for 2026.

Walrath is one of 10 officers charged in connection with Brooks’ death.

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