On February 28, 2022, 37-year-old Quantez Burks was brought to the Southern Regional Jail near Beckley on a charge of wanton endangerment. The following day, he was dead. A private autopsy determined Burks died of a heart attack after sustaining a severe beating.
The story from correctional officers at the jail was that the injuries were sustained while trying to restrain Burks, who bumped an officer and was combative. Questions persisted about the officers’ versions of events, including those raised by Burks’ family, and now a federal grand jury has returned a sweeping indictment in the case.
(Read more here from Brad McElhinny.)
Five former correctional officials—Mark Holdren, 39; Cory Snyder, 29; Jonathan Walters, 35; Jacob Boothe, 25; and Ashley Toney, 23 now face a series of charges related to Burks death. A sixth defendant, former correctional lieutenant Chad Lester, 33, is accused of covering up the use of unlawful force.
According to the indictment, Holdren, Snyder and Walters forced a handcuffed Burks into an interview room where there was no camera and beat him. They are accused of then dragging Burks to a cell and dropping him on the floor where the beatings continued. Two defendants—Boothe and Toney—are accused of failing to intervene to stop the beatings.
Burks died hours later and, according to the indictment, that is when the cover-up began. All six of the defendants are charged with conspiring to prevent the truth from coming out. They are charged with falsifying records, lying to investigators and intimidating witnesses.
For example, count seven accuses Snyder of falsely telling investigators that Burks was running away from him to the interview room and bumped into a wall multiple times. Count eight charges Walters with instructing a correctional officer to lie about the events. Count ten accuses Boothe of instructing fellow officers to tell investigators that Burks attacked them.
It took federal investigators months to pull together all the relevant details. A break came when two other correctional officers—Steven Nicholas Wimmer, 24, and Andrew Fleshman, 21, agreed to plead guilty to violating Burks’ civil rights and in return they can be witnesses against other defendants.
Wimmer and Fleshman face up to ten years in prison. However, the remaining defendants could face up to life in prison, if convicted. It is important to note that an indictment is an allegation, and all defendants have a presumption of innocence.
Jail is not supposed to be a pleasant place, but individuals in the custody, care and control of the state have a right to expect a level of safety and protection. According to the indictment, the very individuals entrusted by the public to provide that security are now the ones accused of acting like vicious criminals themselves.