JEFFERSON CITY, Mo. — On Thursday, a grand jury indicted four former corrections officers in connection with the death of an inmate at Jefferson City Correctional Center.
The officers face serious charges, including murder and assault.
The indicted officers are Jacob Case, Justin Leggins, Bryanne Bradshaw, and Aaron Brown. Case and Leggins are charged with third-degree accessory to assault and second-degree murder.
Bradshaw and Brown face charges of accessory to second-degree assault and second-degree murder. All four had posted bond in July, and Bradshaw was previously charged with involuntary manslaughter.
The court has set an arraignment for the new charges at 10:30 a.m. on Wednesday, October 16.
Gregory Varner, a fifth person charged in the case, was not included in this indictment but still faces charges of second-degree accessory to assault and second-degree murder. His hearing is scheduled for 9 a.m. on Friday, October 4.
Othel Moore, the inmate who died, had been serving a 30-year sentence for various crimes, including domestic assault, drug possession, robbery, armed criminal action, and violence against a prison employee. Moore entered the prison system in 2005.
According to the Missouri Justice Coalition, Moore was subjected to excessive pepper spraying by the JCCC Emergency Response Team. After the pepper spraying, his head was covered with a hood, and his body was wrapped and strapped to a restraint cart. He was then placed in a dry cell in Housing Unit 8.
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An internal investigation led to the firing of the four corrections officers involved, although their names were not released. The Cole County Sheriff’s Department conducted the criminal investigation.
The probable cause statement reveals that Leggins pepper-sprayed Moore, who was handcuffed and did not provoke the action. Moore later died from suffocation caused by his stomach contents entering his lungs.