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
- Sharing some holiday cheer
- MDHHS shares latest MISEP update demonstrating strong progress and improvements made in keeping children safe
- Task force investigations result in two men arraigned on charges including armed robbery, conducting a criminal enterprise
- Law firm honors local teacher as Exceptional Educator of the Month
- Nessel announces settlements with Lannett and Bausch approaching $18M over conspiracies to inflate prices and limit competition
headlines National
- Inter American University of Puerto Rico School of Law back in compliance with ABA standard
- Chemerinsky: The Fourth Amendment comes back to the Supreme Court
- Reinstatement of retired judge reversed by state supreme court
- Mass tort lawyer suspended for 3 years for lying to clients
- Law firms in Minneapolis are helping lawyers, staff navigate unrest
- Federal judge faces trial on charges of being ‘super drunk’ while driving
