UTICA, New York — A former Mid-State Correctional officer was sentenced Wednesday morning to the maximum penalty of 25 years in state prison following his conviction last month for the beating death of Messiah Nantwi.
Judge Michael Nolan handed down the sentence to Jonah Levi in Oneida County Court. Levi had previously rejected a plea agreement offered in October, which would have allowed him to plead guilty to second-degree murder in exchange for an 18-year prison term.
In early April, the former correctional officer was convicted by a jury of manslaughter, first-degree gang assault, second-degree gang assault, fifth-degree conspiracy, and first-degree offering a false instrument for filing.
Levi was one of 10 former correction officers who faced criminal indictments after the death of the 22-year-old Nantwi, whom the officers subjected to a severe beating involving strikes to his body and head with their boots in March 2025.
According to an autopsy report from an Onondaga County medical examiner, Nantwi died as a direct result of traumatic brain injuries caused by the blows inflicted upon his head. The medical examination also revealed that the victim suffered at least 69 additional blunt-force blows across the rest of his body.
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