New York prison captain convicted of negligent homicide two years after inmate killed himself

A New York prison guard accused of preventing officers from stopping a prisoner from being hanged was convicted by a jury on Tuesday of negligent homicide.

Rebecca Hillman, now 40, was charged with felony charges, including negligent homicide, following the death of inmate Ryan Wilson in a Manhattan detention center on November 22, 2020.

Rebecca Hillman (center), a Manhattan Detention Facility guard, was charged with a felony following the death of inmate Ryan Wilson. (WABC)

A press release from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg’s office said Hillman planned to move Wilson to another housing unit that day after he had an argument with another inmate.

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Wilson reportedly remained in his cell until the move, made a loop out of a sheet and attached it to a lamp, and then called an officer, climbed onto a stool and put the loop around his neck.

He then told the responding officer that he would hang himself if Wilson did not come and let him out herself. The officer tried to calm Wilson and called Hillman, but instead Hillman went to the control room and began filling out paperwork, the district attorney’s office said.

The detention complex in Manhattan where the November 2020 incident took place. (Lev Radin/Pacific Press/LightRocket via Getty Images)

Impatiently, Wilson climbed onto his bed 10 minutes later, started a countdown, and jumped off the bed in front of the responding officer.

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The officer ordered the cell to be opened immediately so that he could kill Wilson. Instead, Hillman walked up to the camera and told the officer not to come in, adding that Wilson was “playing”.

She ordered the cell closed after looking at him and noticing that he was still breathing, leaving him hanging while she continued her normal duties.

NEW YORK, NEW YORK – SEP 08: New York State Attorney General Letitia James (left) watches as Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg speaks at a press conference after Steve Bannon, a former adviser to former President Donald Trump, turned himself in at the New York District Attorney’s office to file charges September 8, 2022 in New York. Bannon faces a new criminal charge that will mirror the federal case in which he was pardoned by former President Donald Trump. He and others are alleged to have swindled contributors to a $25 million private fundraising campaign to build a wall along the US-Mexico border. (David Di Delgado/Getty Images)

Nearly 15 minutes after Wilson jumped, Hillman agreed to open the cell and asked the medical team to enter.

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While the officers were waiting for the paramedics to arrive, they felt a weak pulse and started chest compressions. When the medical team arrived, Wilson was dead.

Hillman is due to be sentenced on April 3.

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“Rebecca Hillman failed in her duty to ensure the safety of those under her supervision as a Department of Corrections captain, resulting in the death of Ryan Wilson due to her inexplicable negligence,” Bragg said. “Prisoners deserve to have their lives treated with dignity. I cannot imagine the pain that Mr Wilson’s family and loved ones continue to experience and I deeply regret their loss.”