Skip to content

7 Virginia Deputies Charged With Murder in Death of Man at Hospital

Seven Virginia sheriff’s deputies and three hospital employees charged with murder of Black man with history of mental illness who died after being smothered while in custody.

  • Seven Virginia sheriff’s deputies charged with 2nd-degree murder in the death of Irvo Otieno, a Black man with a history of mental illness.
  • Mr. Otieno died after being smothered by the deputies while lying on the ground in handcuffs and leg shackles at a hospital.
  • Three employees at Central State Hospital also charged with murder.
  • Mr. Otieno’s family says he was deprived of medication for his mental illness while in jail.
  • The deputies have been placed on administrative leave until the case is closed.
7 Virginia Deputies Charged With Murder in Death of Man at Hospital
A prosecutor said that the Henrico County Sheriff’s Office deputies got on top of a handcuffed and shackled Irvo Otieno, causing him to die from asphyxiation. His family says he had a mental illness.

Latest