Ex-Corrections Officer Pleads Guilty to Cover-Up in Harlem Man’s Prison Beating Death

A former officer of the New York State Department of Corrections has pleaded guilty to charges related to the cover-up of a fatal incident involving the death of a Harlem man at an upstate prison. Joshua Bartlett appeared before Oneida County Court Judge Michael Nolan on Friday, where he acknowledged his role in first-degree hindering prosecution and falsifying official records in connection with the beating death of Messiah Nantwi at the Mid-State Correctional Facility in Marcy, approximately 240 miles north of New York City.

Bartlett’s plea is part of a larger investigation resulting in charges against 12 corrections officers implicated in Nantwi’s homicide. The incident occurred during a statewide prison guards strike and adds to concerns about the treatment of inmates in correctional facilities across New York.

According to a detailed indictment issued on April 16, members of the Mid-State’s Corrections Emergency Response Team (CERT) were called to intervene in an incident involving Nantwi on March 1, 2025. Allegations indicate that officers commenced a brutal assault on Nantwi, delivering multiple blows and kicks to his head. Following this initial assault, Nantwi became unconscious and was subsequently carried from his cell, where the beating reportedly continued. The indictment claims that officers ultimately left Nantwi at the infirmary, where he lay unattended until succumbing to his injuries, which were later determined to be due to massive head trauma. Two officers involved in the assault face second-degree murder charges.

In the wake of the incident, investigators allege that Bartlett met with other officers to brainstorm a cover story. Prosecutors stated that Bartlett, while not among the first ten officers charged, allegedly provided assistance to those implicated in the incident and participated in falsifying use-of-force documentation about the matter.

Bartlett is scheduled for sentencing on August 8, where he faces a maximum of seven years for hindering prosecution and four years for falsifying records. Nantwi had been serving a five-year sentence for illegal possession of a firearm linked to a previous police-involved shooting incident in 2021. At the time of his death, he was awaiting trial for two homicides that took place in Harlem in April 2023.

This incident follows another concerning case, where Robert Brooks was fatally beaten at the Marcy Correctional Facility in December 2024. Six guards have pleaded not guilty to murder charges in connection with Brooks’ death, raising ongoing concerns regarding the systemic issues within the New York State prison system.

The developments in this case underscore the urgent need for scrutiny and reform within correctional institutions to ensure justice and accountability.

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