Former Prison Guard Sentenced for Inmate's Death
A former high-ranking guard at a federal prison in Virginia has been sentenced to three years in prison for failing to help an inmate who suffered a medical emergency and later died, the Justice Department announced Tuesday.
Michael Anderson, 52, was a lieutenant at a medium-security prison in Petersburg. He was the second-highest ranking officer there during several hours when the inmate's health crisis took place in 2021.
The inmate, identified only as W.W., exhibited sudden symptoms that included incoherence and the inability to stand, according to court filings by federal prosecutors. He continuously fell inside his cell and later in a suicide-watch cell.
He later fell headfirst into a doorframe, according to prosecutors.
"As W.W. laid alone on the floor, naked and covered in bruises and abrasions, no correctional officer responded to his medical emergency or otherwise rendered aid to W.W. for nearly an hour and forty minutes," prosecutors wrote.
W.W. died of blunt force trauma to the head, according to prosecutors. A medical examiner said he would have lived if he had "been hospitalized and examined at any point in his ordeal."
Prison Supervisor Sentenced for Failing to Act in Inmate's Death
By Staff Writer
The man's cellmate, correctional officers, and suicide watch observers had notified prison supervisors and asked for help, prosecutors revealed in court. However, one of the supervisors, identified as Anderson, failed to take any action.
Anderson pleaded guilty to one count of deprivation of civil rights. Prosecutors recommended a sentence of nearly five to six years in prison, which fell within the guideline range.
In response, Anderson's attorney, Jessica Richardson, acknowledged his failure to act but argued that the inmate's death was a result of a collective failure by multiple staff members. Richardson emphasized Anderson's previously impeccable record and absence of any disciplinary issues throughout his career.
"This is a man who made a grave mistake, with tragic consequences, and he has taken full accountability for it," Richardson wrote in a court filing.
