Unique: Irvo Otieno's loss of life was a part of a sample of affected person abuse at a Virginia psychiatric hospital, data present

• Three hospital staff have been charged with homicide after the loss of life of Irvo Otieno in Virginia. 
• Someday after Otieno died, one of many males charged struck one other affected person, data present.
• State information reveals 64 substantiated allegations of bodily abuse and neglect over 5 years. 

The March 6 loss of life of Irvo Otieno at a Virginia psychiatric hospital after seven sheriff’s deputies and three hospital staff smothered the shackled and handcuffed affected person drew nationwide scrutiny and prompted homicide expenses in opposition to a complete of ten folks. 

Data obtained by Insider present that simply at some point after 28-year-old Otieno died within the 11-minute ordeal at Central State Hospital, one of many staff charged in his loss of life repeatedly beat one other affected person who was in disaster on the hospital. 

Particular administration technician Wavie Jones struck a affected person’s again and higher thigh with a closed fist a number of occasions whereas restraining the person, in response to an inner investigation report obtained by Insider. Jones was a hospital worker answerable for controlling entry to a most safety unit the place sufferers from the legal justice system are assigned for psychiatric therapy.

Jones and two hospital staff, together with seven sheriff’s deputies of the Henrico County Sheriff’s Division, have been every indicted on one rely of second-degree homicide on March 28.

Otieno’s loss of life, the incident of abuse the following day and state hospital information obtained by Insider present there’s a historical past of mistreating sufferers on the state-run facility.

Over the previous 5 years, Central State Hospital investigators substantiated 31 complaints of bodily abuse in opposition to sufferers, 33 for affected person neglect, 9 for verbal abuse and three for affected person exploitation.

The variety of unsubstantiated allegations, although, is larger. Over the past 5 years, there have been 230 unsubstantiated claims of bodily abuse, 228 for verbal abuse, 123 for affected person neglect, and 56 for sexual abuse.

The Division of Behavioral Well being and Developmental Companies, which offered the info to Insider following a data request, and Jones’s legal professionals didn’t reply to Insider’s requests for touch upon Wednesday or Thursday.

Attorneys for all however two of the defendants did not return calls or emails on Thursday. 

Lawyer W. Edward Riley IV, who represents one of many deputies, Kaiyell Sanders, mentioned his shopper didn’t homicide Otieno and intends to plead not responsible within the case. Russell Stone, representing Dwayne Bramble, mentioned he doesn’t imagine a legal case is warranted and Bramble additionally intends to plead not responsible.

A Central State Hospital worker mentioned Jones’ putting of a affected person “appeared pointless”

Central State Hospital, a state-operated psychological well being facility, launched an investigation into the March 7 incident after a safety employees member and a nurse reported that she witnessed bodily abuse by Jones. 

The hospital’s inner investigator mentioned in an investigative report that the affected person denied he was injured in the course of the incident and confirmed no indicators of bodily trauma. 

Three hospital staff mentioned they witnessed the abuse. One man — who held the identical job as Jones —  mentioned the strikes “appeared pointless,” in response to the investigative data. 

Insider was not capable of attain the witnesses and is withholding their names till it does. 

The March 7 incident was caught on surveillance video, which was reviewed by the interior investigator. It reveals the interplay was initiated when a male affected person repeatedly punched a nurse, in response to the report.

The affected person was escorted to “the Seclusion Room” by safety, in response to the video described within the report. When he charged at a hospital worker moments later, nursing employees and Jones entered the room to separate the affected person and the worker. They labored collectively to carry the affected person down for an intramuscular injection, in response to the interior report based mostly on the video.

As safety tried to depart the room, the affected person used his legs to carry down Jones’ leg, in response to the report. As employees re-entered the room to separate them, Jones struck the affected person’s again 5 occasions with a closed fist, after which the affected person launched Jones. 

As Jones, together with safety employees, try to position the affected person in restraints, Jones is seen putting the affected person within the higher thigh two occasions. The affected person was left alone within the Seclusion Room after his restraint.

The hospital investigator questioned Jones straight about putting the affected person and he claimed he had a previous surgical procedure to his ankle and was afraid it was going to interrupt from the affected person’s maintain on him. He advised the investigator he did not keep in mind putting the affected person’s thigh. 

Darian Blackwell, one other hospital worker charged in Otieno’s loss of life, was additionally concerned within the March 7 incident. When he was interviewed in the course of the investigation, he mentioned he didn’t recall seeing Jones putting the affected person. The accounts of three different witnesses, along side the video, nonetheless, led the investigator to search out that the abuse was substantiated. 

Wavie Jones and his 9 co-defendants are awaiting trial in Virginia 

Sheriff’s deputies first took Otieno into custody on March 3 whereas police investigated a suspected housebreaking, in response to native outlet WTVR.

A spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, which is investigating Otieno’s loss of life, advised the station that deputies accused Otieno of attacking them. When deputies took him from jail to an area psychiatric hospital, he was “restrained and later died,” the State Police spokesperson advised WTVR. 

Otieno’s household is represented by Benjamin Crump, a lawyer who makes a speciality of circumstances of police brutality. 

Crump described what he noticed within the video of Otieno’s loss of life as “inhumane” and “unjustifiable.”

Crump mentioned throughout a March press convention that the video reveals seven deputies smothering Otieno — who was carrying handcuffs and leg shackles — to loss of life with the load of their our bodies. He mentioned they took turns pushing their knees into his neck in an encounter that lasted greater than 11 minutes. 

Hospital staff Wavie Jones, Darian Blackwell, and Sadarius Williams are awaiting trial.

They’ve been charged together with sheriff’s deputies Randy Boyer, Dwayne Bramble, Jermaine Department, Bradley Disse, Tabitha Levere, Brandon Rodgers, and Sanders.

Not one of the defendants have entered pleas within the case. The defendants have courtroom appearances scheduled in Might on the Dinwiddie Circuit Courtroom.