NEW YORK (AP) — A former Rikers Island guard convicted of ignoring the pleas of a dying inmate has been handed a five-year prison term by a judge who said the sentence was intended to be a deterrent to others.
Former Department of Correction Captain Terrence Pendergrass dabbed tears from his eyes after the sentence was announced Thursday by U.S. District Judge Ronnie Abrams in New York.
She rejected a request by prosecutors that Pendergrass be immediately incarcerated, noting he had reliably shown up for his court appearances.
The 51-year-old Pendergrass was sentenced in the 2012 death of Jason Echevarria. The 25-year-old prisoner died after swallowing toxic detergent while housed in a now-closed solitary confinement unit for inmates who break jailhouse rules.
Pendergrass was convicted in December of depriving Echevarria of his civil rights.
- Posted June 22, 2015
- Tweet This | Share on Facebook
Guard gets five years in prison for inmate death
headlines Macomb
- Macomb County Meals on Wheels in urgent need of volunteers ahead of holiday season
- MDHHS hosting three, free virtual baby showers in November and December for new or expecting families
- MDHHS secures nearly 100 new juvenile justice placements through partnerships with local communities and providers
- MDHHS seeking proposals for student internship stipend program to enhance behavioral health workforce
- ABA webinar November 30 to explore the state of civil legal aid in America
headlines National
- Bryanna Jenkins advocates for the Black transgender community
- ACLU and BigLaw firm use ‘Orange is the New Black’ in hashtag effort to promote NY jail reform
- Florida AG held in civil contempt for disobeying order; ‘litigants cannot change the plain meaning of words,’ judge says
- Barrister’s new mystery novel offers glimpse inside the Inner Temple
- Disbarment recommended for ex-Trump lawyer Eastman by State Bar Court of California panel
- Retired California justice faces disciplinary charges for allegedly taking too long to decide cases
