Ex-deputies in Virginia are charged with murder over inmate’s death while restrained

VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (AP) — Three former sheriff’s deputies in Virginia have been charged with second-degree murder over the death of an inmate they restrained at a local jail last year, prosecutors announced Friday.

A special grand jury returned the indictments after meeting three times to hear evidence, said Colin Stolle, Virginia Beach’s commonwealth’s attorney.

“As in all cases involving the tragic loss of life, my office is committed to seeking justice for Rolin Hill,” Stolle said.

The local medical examiner found Hill, 34, died from “positional and mechanical asphyxia due to restraint with neck and torso compression.”

Hill was arrested in June on charges of trespassing, resisting arrest and disorderly conduct, the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office said last year. The office said Hill was booked into the jail, where he became uncooperative and combative, requiring deputies to restrain him. He experienced a medical emergency and was taken to the hospital, the office said.

Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb said last year that his office would investigate but had also asked the Virginia State Police to conduct an independent review. Following updates from state police in October, Holcomb said the deputies were no longer employed by his office.

The former deputies who’ve been charged are Eric G. Baptiste, 39, of Virginia Beach; Michael C. Kidd, 39, of Chesapeake; and Kevin B. Wilson, 34, of Virginia Beach.

Lawyers for the three men did not immediately respond to emails from The Associated Press seeking comment on their behalf.

Sheriff Holcomb said in a statement Friday that he has “faith in the criminal justice system to ensure justice is served for both Rolin Hill and the individuals involved in this incident.”

WAVY-TV reported in June that the Virginia Beach chapter of the NAACP had raised concerns about the circumstances surrounding Hill’s death.

The Virginian-Pilot newspaper reported in October that it had run Hill’s obituary, which said he was an Eagle Scout who loved surfing, skateboarding and hanging out with his family.

It also stated that “mental health in America is still a major issue,” and requested that any donations go to mental health foundations.

The Associated Press