Prison guards beat inmate to death, then tried to cover it up, Illinois officials say

Three correctional officers in Illinois have been indicted in federal court on charges related to the death of an inmate in June, the Department of Justice said in a news release.

Todd Sheffler, 51, Willie Hedden, 41, and Alex Banta, 28, were arrested and charged for their roles in the assault of 65-year-old Larry Earvin on May 17, 2018.

Earvin was “restrained and handcuffed behind his back at the time, during an escort to another prison unit, in violation of his Constitutional protection to be free from cruel and unusual punishment,” the release said.

Because of the attack, Earvin suffered “multiple broken ribs, a punctured colon, and other serious internal injuries, and died in June 2018,” per the release.

The officers are accused of falsifying “incident reports to omit any reference to the assault and that they misled agents of the Illinois State Police by denying any knowledge of the assault of Earvin that each participated in and witnessed,” the release said.

“Our laws protect the civil rights of all,” U.S. Attorney John Milhiser said in the release. “Every day, correctional officers report for public service that is often demanding and under-appreciated. However, our criminal justice system requires that those who perform these difficult duties do so lawfully. Those responsible for the deadly assault of Mr. Earvin must be held accountable.”

Sheffler, Hedden and Banta are charged with conspiracy to deprive civil rights; deprivation of civil rights; and conspiracy to obstruct justice. Each defendant is charged individually with obstruction of the investigation: falsification of document and misleading conduct. In addition, Hedden is charged with destruction of a record or other object.