A federal grand jury in the Southern District of Georgia has indicted two former correctional officers from Augusta State Medical Prison, Robert Roberson and Marcus Phillips, on charges related to the death of an inmate. The indictment, returned on August 5, accuses both men of violating the constitutional rights of an inmate by acting with deliberate indifference to a substantial risk of harm, which resulted in the inmate’s death. Additionally, Roberson faces a charge for allegedly falsifying a logbook to conceal his actions.
According to the indictment, on October 28, 2020, Roberson and Phillips became aware of a smoldering fire in an inmate’s cell. Instead of extinguishing the fire, evacuating the inmate, addressing the smoke hazard, or calling for emergency assistance over the radio, they are alleged to have left the inmate locked in his cell for several hours. The inmate died from smoke inhalation during this period.
Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon of the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division, Acting U.S. Attorney Tara M. Lyons for the Southern District of Georgia, and Special Agent in Charge Paul Brown of the FBI Augusta Field Office announced the charges.
The case is being investigated by the FBI Augusta Resident Agency. Prosecution will be handled by Assistant U.S. Attorney Jennifer Kirkland for the Southern District of Georgia and Special Litigation Counsel Christopher J. Perras and Trial Attorney Briana M. Clark from the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division.
“An indictment is merely an accusation. All defendants are presumed innocent until proven guilty beyond a reasonable doubt in a court of law.”