Nationwide — Richard “Randy” Cox, an African American man from New Haven, Connecticut, who was left paralyzed whereas in police custody, continues to see the authorized fallout of his case ripple by way of the town’s justice system. New Haven’s authorities beforehand agreed to pay $45 million for its position in Cox’s accidents, however two of the officers criminally charged for his or her involvement resolved their circumstances this month by paying simply $15 every in court docket charges—avoiding jail time altogether.
In response to New Haven Indepdendent, former Sgt. Betsy Segui and retired Officer Ronald Pressley each accepted an identical plea offers to at least one misdemeanor depend of second-degree reckless endangerment. Prosecutors then dropped the companion cost of “cruelty to individuals” for every of them. Their sentences embody 60 days in jail with the execution suspended, six months of conditional discharge, and a $15 administrative court docket price—distinct from a fantastic—as long as they commit no new crimes.
Their plea agreements sharply contrasted with the selections of the three different officers charged—Oscar Diaz, Jocelyn Lavendier, and Luis Rivera—who all rejected plea provides in separate hearings on Tuesday. These officers will now proceed to trial, and their attorneys have publicly expressed confidence that the proof will in the end clear them. All 5 officers had been arrested in November 2022 on misdemeanor expenses linked to Cox’s transport and therapy.
The executive penalties for the officers additionally different sharply. Segui, Diaz, Lavendier, and Rivera had been all fired by the town’s police fee, whereas Pressley retired earlier than the disciplinary advice in opposition to him might be heard. Diaz was later reinstated after state arbitrators overturned his termination, including one other layer of complexity to the town’s dealing with of the case.
The civil case surrounding Cox’s harm concluded earlier, when New Haven agreed in June 2023 to pay $45 million to Cox and his household. Insurance coverage lined $30 million of that sum, with the remaining $15 million coming immediately from metropolis funds. The payout stays one of many largest police-misconduct settlements in U.S. historical past and underscored the nationwide consideration the case obtained.
Cox, 36 on the time, was arrested with out incident at a Lilac Road block social gathering on June 19, 2022. Throughout transport, he suffered a catastrophic spinal harm after being thrown in a police van that had no seatbelts. When he arrived on the detention middle, he repeatedly instructed Sgt. Segui and different officers that he couldn’t transfer and wanted fast medical assist. As an alternative, believing he was drunk and faking his situation, officers dragged him from the van, booked him in a wheelchair, and dragged him right into a holding cell—actions that later sparked nationwide outrage and widespread requires reform.
