Jonah Levi Goes on Trial in Death of Messiah Nantwi at Mid-State Correctional Facility

On March 25, 2026, former correction officer Jonah Levi stood before jurors in Utica, facing a murder charge in the March 1, 2025 death of inmate Messiah Nantwi at Mid-State Correctional Facility. Prosecutors say the trial is the first among a group of guards indicted last April in connection with the beating that left Nantwi fatally injured.

During opening statements, prosecutors told the court they will present eyewitness accounts and physical evidence indicating Nantwi received dozens of blows during repeated altercations, including alleged stomping to the head. The Onondaga County special prosecutor, William Fitzpatrick, said DNA was recovered from boots taken from Levi and another guard. A National Guard member who testified, Nicholas Mouzon, described seeing inmates bloodied and making distress sounds after guards moved Nantwi from his room. Prosecutors say Nantwi died of massive head trauma and other injuries; defense attorney Lewis G. Spicer says the force used was warranted and denies Levi caused the death.

The proceedings come against a backdrop of strain in the state prison system amid a wildcat guards’ strike and the recent use of National Guard personnel. Authorities say some corrections staff later pleaded guilty to lesser counts and that video evidence is limited because body cameras were not consistently worn or activated. Nantwi had entered the state system in May 2024 on a five-year sentence for second-degree criminal possession of a weapon; Manhattan prosecutors have separately alleged his involvement in two 2023 homicides.