NEW YORK (1010 WINS) — A Department of Correction captain who prevented officers from intervening in the suicide of an detainee at the Manhattan Detention Complex in 2020 was sentenced to 6 months in jail for criminally negligent homicide, the Manhattan District Attorney's Office announced on Friday.
Rebecca Hillman, 40, ordered officers working under her to stay out of 29-year-old Ryan Wilson's cell after they watched him hang himself.
On Nov. 22, 2020, Wilson fashioned a noose from a bedsheet, attached it to a lighting fixture, stood on a stool and told a corrections officer he would hang himself if he wasn't let out of his cell.
The officer alerted Hillman, who, instead of coming to the housing unit to de-escalate the situation and ensure Wilson's safety, began filing paperwork in the control room.
After about 10 minutes, Wilson put the noose around his neck and began counting down. After reaching "one," he jumped from his bed.
The officer who saw Wilson jump immediately called for the cell to be opened to cut the dying detainee down.
Hillman intervened to stop the officer from helping Wilson, instead ordering the officer to stay out of the cell. Hillman said she believed Wilson was "playing around" and was in no danger.
The door to his cell was closed, and Hillman was left hanging in his locked cell.
After spending about 15 minutes going about routine duties on the cell block, Hillman finally ordered Wilson be cut down and called for a medical team.
The officers who cut Wilson down felt a faint pulse and began chest compressions. By the time medical personnel arrived, Wilson was dead.
"Rebecca Hillman's negligence and shocking lack of regard for Ryan Wilson's well-being led to his death," said Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg. "I hope this sentencing can help close what I know has been an incredibly traumatic time for Mr. Wilson's family and loved ones."
A jury convicted Hillman of criminally negligent homicide on March 14. The crime is eligible for up to four years in prison, but the judge only sentenced Hillman to six months.
This case was the first instance of a corrections officer being convicted and sentenced for criminally negligent homicide, according to Bragg.
"Ryan Wilson might still be alive today had Rebecca Hillman taken the urgent, appropriate action required of a Department of Correction captain whose job was to protect him, and all persons in custody. Instead she chose to do nothing," said New York City Department of Investigation Commissioner Jocelyn Strauber. "Her dereliction of duty had tragic consequences, and I hope today's sentence provides some measure of justice for Wilson's family."
