Irvo Otieno Death Part of Pattern of Patient Abuse at Central State Hospital

May 4, 2023

The March 6 death of Irvo Otieno at a Virginia psychiatric hospital after seven sheriff's deputies and three hospital employees smothered the shackled and handcuffed patient drew national scrutiny and prompted murder charges against a total of ten people.

Records obtained by Insider show that just one day after 28-year-old Otieno died in the 11-minute ordeal at Central State Hospital, one of the employees charged in his death repeatedly beat another patient who was in crisis at the hospital.

Special management technician Wavie Jones struck a patient's back and upper thigh with a closed fist multiple times while restraining the man, according to an internal investigation report obtained by Insider. Jones was a hospital employee in charge of controlling access to a maximum security unit where patients from the criminal justice system are assigned for psychiatric treatment.

Jones and two hospital employees, along with seven sheriff's deputies of the Henrico County Sheriff's Department, were each indicted on one count of second-degree murder on March 28.

Otieno's death, the incident of abuse the next day and state hospital data obtained by Insider show there is a history of mistreating patients at the state-run facility.

Over the past five years, Central State Hospital investigators substantiated 31 complaints of physical abuse against patients, 33 for patient neglect, 9 for verbal abuse and 3 for patient exploitation.

The number of unsubstantiated allegations, though, is higher. Over the last five years, there were 230 unsubstantiated claims of physical abuse, 228 for verbal abuse, 123 for patient neglect, and 56 for sexual abuse.

The Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, which provided the data to Insider following a records request, and Jones's lawyers did not respond to Insider's requests for comment on Wednesday or Thursday.

Attorneys for all but two of the defendants didn't return calls or emails on Thursday.

Attorney W. Edward Riley IV, who represents one of the deputies, Kaiyell Sanders, said his client did not murder Otieno and intends to plead not guilty in the case. Russell Stone, representing Dwayne Bramble, said he does not believe a criminal case is warranted and Bramble also intends to plead not guilty.

A Central State Hospital employee said Jones' striking of a patient "seemed unnecessary"

Central State Hospital, a state-operated mental health facility, launched an investigation into the March 7 incident after a security staff member and a nurse reported that she witnessed physical abuse by Jones.

The hospital's internal investigator said in an investigative report that the patient denied he was injured during the incident and showed no signs of physical trauma.

Three hospital employees said they witnessed the abuse. One man — who held the same job as Jones —  said the strikes "seemed unnecessary," according to the investigative records.

Insider was not able to reach the witnesses and is withholding their names until it does.

The March 7 incident was caught on surveillance video, which was reviewed by the internal investigator. It shows the interaction was initiated when a male patient repeatedly punched a nurse, according to the report.

The patient was escorted to "the Seclusion Room" by security, according to the video described in the report. When he charged at a hospital employee moments later, nursing staff and Jones entered the room to separate the patient and the employee. They worked together to hold the patient down for an intramuscular injection, according to the internal report based on the video.

As security tried to leave the room, the patient used his legs to hold down Jones' leg, according to the report. As staff re-entered the room to separate them, Jones struck the patient's back five times with a closed fist, after which the patient released Jones.

As Jones, along with security staff, attempt to place the patient in restraints, Jones is seen striking the patient in the upper thigh two times. The patient was left alone in the Seclusion Room after his restraint.

The hospital investigator questioned Jones directly about striking the patient and he claimed he had a prior surgery to his ankle and was afraid it was going to break from the patient's hold on him. He told the investigator he didn't remember striking the patient's thigh.

Darian Blackwell, another hospital employee charged in Otieno's death, was also involved in the March 7 incident. When he was interviewed during the investigation, he said he did not recall seeing Jones striking the patient. The accounts of three other witnesses, in conjunction with the video, however, led the investigator to find that the abuse was substantiated.

Wavie Jones and his 9 co-defendants are awaiting trial in Virginia

Sheriff's deputies first took Otieno into custody on March 3 while police investigated a suspected burglary, according to local outlet WTVR.

A spokesperson for the Virginia State Police, which is investigating Otieno's death, told the station that deputies accused Otieno of attacking them. When deputies took him from jail to a local psychiatric hospital, he was "restrained and later died," the State Police spokesperson told WTVR.

Otieno's family is represented by Benjamin Crump, a lawyer who specializes in cases of police brutality.

Crump described what he saw in the video of Otieno's death as "inhumane" and "unjustifiable."

Crump said during a March press conference that the video shows seven deputies smothering Otieno — who was wearing handcuffs and leg shackles — to death with the weight of their bodies. He said they took turns pushing their knees into his neck in an encounter that lasted more than 11 minutes.

Hospital employees Wavie Jones, Darian Blackwell, and Sadarius Williams are awaiting trial.

They have been charged along with sheriff's deputies Randy Boyer, Dwayne Bramble, Jermaine Branch, Bradley Disse, Tabitha Levere, Brandon Rodgers, and Sanders.

None of the defendants have entered pleas in the case. The defendants have court appearances scheduled in May at the Dinwiddie Circuit Court.

Source: Narimes Parakul, “Exclusive: Irvo Otieno's death was part of a pattern of patient abuse at a Virginia psychiatric hospital, records show,” Insider, May 1, 2023, URL: https://www.insider.com/virginia-mental-health-system-called-into-question-irvo-otieno-2023-4