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Five Former West Virginia Jail Officers Sentenced in Inmate’s Civil Rights Case

Federal authorities say the officers used unmonitored areas to carry out brutal beatings that left pretrial detainee Quantez Burks fatally injured.

Overview

  • On July 9 and 10, Corey Snyder received 19 years and 7 months, Jacob Boothe got three years, and Mark Holdren and Johnathan Walters were handed 20 and 21 years respectively.
  • Chad Lester was earlier sentenced to 17½ years in May for obstructing justice by helping cover up the assault on Burks.
  • Prosecutors say the officers lured Burks into “blind spots” with no cameras, where they used knee strikes, pepper spray and other force while he was handcuffed.
  • A family-commissioned autopsy found multiple blunt-force injuries that contradicted the state medical examiner’s natural-cause ruling.
  • Only the last indicted officer, Andrew Fleshman, remains unsentenced, with his hearing set for July 14.