CHARLESTON, W.Va. — In a notable development, two former correctional officers from West Virginia have admitted guilt regarding a federal civil rights offense linked to the death of an individual just hours after being admitted to a correctional facility.
On Monday, Johnathan Walters pled guilty in U.S. District Court, followed by Corey Snyder, who entered a guilty plea on Tuesday. Both were charged with colluding with fellow officers to physically assault Quantez Burks as an act of retaliation while he was housed at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver.
Each defendant is facing a potential sentence of up to 30 years in prison, along with a fine that could reach $250,000. However, no specific date has been set for their sentencing hearings.
Walters and Snyder were part of a larger group that included five former correctional officers and a previous lieutenant at the same jail, all of whom were indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023. This indictment coincided with guilty pleas from two other former jail officers accused of participating in the assault.
Quantez Burks, who was 37 years old, was placed in custody on a wanton endangerment charge in March 2022. Evidence presented in court indicated that Burks attempted to exit his housing unit and, as a result, was taken to an interview room. It was in this location that correctional officers allegedly struck him while he was both restrained and handcuffed.
Walters and Snyder acknowledged their awareness that the interview room lacked surveillance cameras, and they admitted that it had previously been used for punishing inmates and detainees who had engaged in misconduct.
As part of the ongoing legal proceedings, two remaining defendants are set to receive their sentences in January, while three others are scheduled for sentencing in February. Additionally, a trial for the last defendant is set for December 10.
This case has drawn considerable attention to the conditions within the jail and the circumstances surrounding deaths there. In the previous year, West Virginia reached a settlement of $4 million to resolve a class-action lawsuit filed by inmates alleging the conditions were inhumane. Following the lawsuit, Governor Jim Justice’s administration terminated a Division of Corrections and Rehabilitation official as well as the chief counsel for the state Department of Homeland Security after a federal magistrate pointed out the “intentional” destruction of evidence during the case, leading to a recommendation for a default judgment.
The state medical examiner’s office pointed to natural causes as the primary reason for Burks’ death. However, after concerns from the family, a private autopsy was conducted, which revealed multiple areas of blunt force trauma on his body, a finding that was disclosed during a news conference in 2022 by the family’s attorney.