Murder, manslaughter charges filed in Robert Brooks' death at Marcy

And Hochul won't remove Adams from office, she said Thursday.

Good afternoon — it’s Thursday and National Cherry Pie Day.

In today’s CapCon:

• Two months after Robert L. Brooks died at Marcy Correctional Facility, correction officers face charges of murder, manslaughter and more for his death.

• Parts of the HALT Act, which restricts solitary confinement, will be suspended in an effort to end the strikes at New York’s prisons. It’s the fourth day.

• Hochul will not remove New York City Mayor Adams from office, opting instead to set new guardrails while he remains.

• Extras: Unsubstantiated police complaints can’t be withheld from the public, New York sues flavored vape companies and more.

• No Rules and Regs this week. None of them caught my eye.

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(Will Waldron/Times Union)

⚖️ Two months later, charges are filed in the death of Robert Brooks

I know the situation with the mayor of New York City is top of mind today. You can read about that a bit further down. (Here’s a 7-day free trial if you’re not a paid subscriber.) But this news deserves to be at the top.

Since video was released in December of Robert L. Brooks being severely beaten by a group of correction officers at Marcy Correctional Facility, charges have been expected in his death.

There were bumps in the road, like when the state attorney general’s office had to hand the case off to Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick because of a conflict of interest.

State lawmakers — particularly those in the Black, Puerto Rican, Hispanic and Asian Legislative Caucus — have pushed for charges since the video was released. They have kept up those calls and begun to consider legislative action in response.

Gov. Kathy Hochul had also been dissatisfied with the pace of the prosecution, saying more than a month ago that it was moving too slow.

“Too much time has passed without charges being brought against the individuals responsible,” Hochul said at the time.

But that day has now come. An indictment against the officers, first reported last week by the Times Union, was unsealed Thursday and included charges of second-degree murder, manslaughter and more.

The Times Union’s Brendan J. Lyons drove out to Oneida County on Thursday to report on the charges. Officers had begun to surrender Thursday morning to State Police.