A corrections officer at the Manhattan Detention Center in New York City has been charged after watching an inmate commit suicide in November 2020.
Rebecca Hamilton, 38, was charged with negligent homicide in connection to the suicide death of Ryan Wilson. According to ABC News, Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said the officer, a jail captain, showed a “callous disregard” of life as he announced the charges.
“The death of Ryan Wilson wasn’t just a tragedy — it was a crime,” Vance said. “Our investigation shows that Captain Hillman ordered her subordinates not to take potentially life-saving measures to help Mr. Wilson and failed to call for medical assistance expediently.”
According to the report, Hillman decided to transfer Wilson to another cell after getting into an argument with another inmate. While waiting to be transferred, Wilson grabbed a bed sheet, tied the sheet to a light fixture in his cell, and threatened to hang himself if he was not immediately removed.
Instead of moving Wilson, Hillman stopped to take care of some paperwork before going over to the cell. Just 10 minutes later, Wilson jumped from the bed.
An officer talking to Wilson called for his cell to be opened, but Hillman dismissed the request and said the inmate was “playing.” She accused Wilson of “faking it.” Hillman called non-emergency backup and left him inside the locked cell. By the time help arrived, Wilson was dead.
Hillman has been suspended by the New York City Department of Corrections without pay pending an investigation. She pleaded not guilty to the criminal charges and was remanded into custody.
