Manslaughter charges dropped in a man’s death at a psychiatric hospital

RICHMOND, Va. — A virginia judge has signed a prosecutor’s request to drop charges against two people charged in the death of Irvo Otienoa young man who was pinned to the ground for about 11 minutes while admitted to a state psychiatric hospital.

Dinwiddie Circuit Court Chief Judge Joseph M. Teefey Jr. on Friday approved prosecutors’ motions to dismiss involuntary manslaughter charges against Kaiyell Sanders and Brandon Rodgers, two Henrico County sheriff’s deputies charged in Otieno’s death to pull.

“We knew the evidence and we knew the evidence did not support the actions alleged,” W. Edward Riley, an attorney representing Sanders, said Monday.

Otieno, a 28-year-old black man, had been taken into custody at a state psychiatric hospital during a mental health crisis. Hospital video captured a scrum Officers and hospital staff restrained Otieno while he was in handcuffs and leg shackles. He died of what a medical researcher discovered was “positional and mechanical asphyxia with restraints.”

Otieno’s death received national attention and sparked public outrage. Caroline Ouko, Otieno’s mother, had earlier told her son: a hip-hop songwriterdeserved justice.

“When they took my baby away… they took him from his brother,” she said. They took him away from his nieces. They took him away from his friends.”

At that time, prosecutors obtained an indictment 10 defendants charged with second-degree murderbut three months later has dropped charges against two suspects. A year later, officials dropped the ban charges against five more suspects in the case.

Prosecutors kept the charges against Rodgers, Sanders and Wavie Jones, a hospital security worker, but reduced the charge to involuntary manslaughter.

A jury found Jones not guilty in October.

The local Commonwealth’s Attorney said in a statement Monday that she had reevaluated the evidence following Jones’ acquittal and was forced to drop the remaining charges.