Two corrections officers plead guilty in the death of an Alabama inmate

Two corrections officers agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in the case of a mentally ill man who froze to death — marking a total of eight jail employees who have entered plea agreements related to the death.

Two corrections officers agreed to plead guilty to federal charges in the case of a mentally ill man who froze to death — marking a total of eight jail employees who have entered plea agreements related to the death. Federal court records filed on Monday and Tuesday show Daniel Lee Allen Brown agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of deprivation of civil rights under color of law, while Megan Johnson agreed to plead guilty to a federal charge of criminal conspiracy to deprive an inmate of their rights. Brown and Johnson were corrections officers who worked several shifts over the two-week period in which Tony Mitchell was incarcerated at Walker County Jail, federal court documents said. The plea deals were filed separately, but both describe a pervasive culture of retaliation against incarcerated people who had previously been accused of violence towards law enforcement. Five other corrections officers have plead guilty to federal charges related to Mitchell’s death, and one nurse contracted by the jail also plead guilty in late October. Attorneys for Brown and Johnson have not responded to emails seeking comment. Mitchell, 33, died on January 26, 2023. His death certificate lists his cause of death as hypothermia and sepsis from medical neglect.