On a cold night in December 2024, a 43-year-old man named Robert Brooks was transferred from Mohawk Correctional Facility to Marcy Correctional Facility. He was a musician, a father, and a man serving a 12-year sentence. He walked into that infirmary alive and handcuffed. He never walked out.
What happened over the next few minutes wasn't just a "procedural failure." It was a brutal, recorded pummelling that fundamentally broke the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (DOCCS). Honestly, the details are hard to stomach. But if you want to understand why Robert Brooks NYS corrections is a name that still sparks protests and legal upheaval in 2026, you have to look at the footage that "fate," as the prosecutor put it, refused to let the guards erase.
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The Night Everything Changed at Marcy
Robert Brooks wasn't a threat when he sat on that examination table. He was shackled. He was already bleeding from the side of his face. Then, the video starts.
For seven minutes, a group of officers—men sworn to maintain order—turned a medical unit into a "den of hidden violence." They didn't just use force; they used a shoe to strike his chest. They lifted him by the neck. They dropped him. They even tried to shove his unresponsive body through a window.
"Robert died of massive beating to his body, both externally and internally... several of his internal organs were bruised, his hyoid bone was fractured, his thyroid cartilage was ripped." — Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick.
It’s sickening. Brooks eventually died from asphyxia and blunt force trauma. He choked on his own blood while guards stood by the door and watched. One of them, Michael Fisher, stood there for the entire duration and did nothing. His trial, which wrapped up just days ago in January 2026, centered on one question: Does a guard have a "duty to intervene" when their coworkers are committing murder?
Justice, Plea Deals, and the 25-to-Life Sentence
The legal fallout from the Robert Brooks NYS corrections case has been a messy, multi-year saga. For a long time, people thought the guards would just walk. In New York, firing a guard is notoriously difficult because of union protections. But the body cam footage was too public to ignore.
Governor Kathy Hochul eventually fired 13 officers and a nurse. But the real reckoning happened in the courtroom.
- David Kingsley: He was the one who put his hands around Brooks’ neck. He refused a plea deal. In October 2025, a jury found him guilty of second-degree murder. On December 19, 2025, he was sentenced to 25 years to life.
- The Plea Deals: Nicholas Anzalone and Anthony Farina both took 22 years for first-degree manslaughter. Christopher Walrath took 15.
- The Acquittals: Not everyone went down. Mathew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer were acquitted of murder charges in late 2025.
- The Final Trial: Michael Fisher’s case (January 2026) is the "inaction" trial. Prosecutors argued his silence was just as deadly as a fist.
Basically, the state wanted to make an example. For decades, "blind spots" in prisons allowed this kind of thing to be swept under the rug. But you can't sweep away a 4K video of a man being choked while handcuffed.
Why Marcy Facility Was a Powder Keg
Marcy wasn't a "good" prison that suddenly went bad. It was already infamous. Before Brooks ever arrived, the facility was 92% white, housing a population that was largely Black and Brown. There were already lawsuits.
In fact, some of the officers involved in the Brooks killing, like Sgt. Glenn Trombly and Anthony Farina, had been sued before. One inmate, William Alvarez, was disfigured in 2020. Another, Equarn White, ended up in a wheelchair after an encounter with Trombly in 2015.
The system knew these guys were volatile. They just didn't care until the video went viral.
The 2025 Guard Strike and the Fallout
The Robert Brooks NYS corrections incident didn't just end with a few arrests. It nearly collapsed the entire state prison system. In early 2025, corrections officers across the state launched an illegal "wildcat strike." They claimed they were being treated unfairly and that the job was too dangerous.
Governor Hochul didn't blink. She sent in the National Guard to run the prisons and fired over 2,000 striking officers. It was a moment of absolute chaos. Critics called the strike a "deflection" to move the spotlight away from the Brooks murder. Supporters of the guards said the system was broken from the top down.
What This Means for New York Today
As of early 2026, the landscape of New York corrections has changed, but maybe not enough. There's a new law requiring 24-hour continuous video surveillance in every facility. No more "blind spots" in bathrooms or infirmaries.
But for the family of Robert Brooks, the 25-year sentence for David Kingsley is only a partial victory. They are still pushing for the Rights Behind Bars bill (S. 7772/A. 8364). They want to end the culture of "qualified immunity" that protects officers even when they watch a man die.
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Actionable Steps for Transparency and Advocacy
If you're following the Robert Brooks NYS corrections case or looking to engage with prison reform in New York, here is how the current landscape stands:
- Monitor DOCCS Body Cam Policy: Ensure your local representatives are pushing for the "prompt release" of footage. The Brooks case only moved forward because the Attorney General released the video quickly.
- Support the Rights Behind Bars Bill: This legislation aims to hold individual officers civilly liable for misconduct, bypassing some of the union protections that kept the Marcy officers on the payroll for years.
- Track the "Duty to Intervene" Jurisprudence: The verdict in the Michael Fisher trial (January 2026) will set the standard for whether "bystander" guards are legally responsible for the actions of their peers.
- Review Oversight Reports: The NYS Inspector General releases annual reports on racial disparities in prison discipline. These reports often predict where the next "Marcy-level" crisis will occur.
The Robert Brooks story isn't just about a single night in an upstate infirmary. It’s about whether a badge gives you the right to watch a man die in silence. The 2026 trials are closing the book on the individuals, but the system they lived in is still very much under the microscope.
Stay informed by tracking the official New York State Attorney General’s Office of Special Investigation (OSI) for the final reports on the remaining administrative hearings.