Prison guard accused of failing to step in during fatal inmate beating pleads to reduced charge

A New York prison guard accused of failing to intervene as fellow officers beat an inmate to death pleaded guilty to reckless endangerment Friday after jurors deliberating over a more serious manslaughter charge said they were deadlocked. The surprise plea ends the weeklong trial of former guard Michael Fisher, one of 10 correctional officers charged in February in the death of Robert Brooks. The brutal beating of the 43-year-old Black man immediately after his arrival at Marcy Correctional Facility on the night of Dec. 9, 2024, was captured on guards’ body cameras, prompting calls for prison reform.