Henrico's top prosecutor says 'unprofessional' handling of Irvo Otieno case hampered ability to investigate
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A year and a half after beginning an investigation into the incidents leading up to Irvo Otieno's in-custody death at a state psychiatric hospital, Henrico County's chief prosecutor said "we'll never know" whether any crimes occurred at the jail where Otieno was held before he died.
For the first time, Henrico Commonwealth's Attorney Shannon Taylor discussed the high-profile case publicly and shared her concerns about how it was handled.
“Mr. Otieno lost his life for no good reason," Taylor told CBS 6 reporter Tyler Layne. “We have a situation where we have a young person who's in crisis and the system failed him.”
Otieno died at Central State Hospital in Dinwiddie County on March 6, 2023, as the video showed him being restrained on the floor of an admissions room by Henrico sheriff's deputies and hospital employees for up to 12 minutes.
Taylor's office became quickly engaged in the case due to the chain of events leading up to Otieno's death, which happened in Henrico County.
Video obtained through court records showed that, while at the jail on March 6, Henrico deputies tackled Otieno in his cell and struck him multiple times. A deputy later testified in court that the punches were distraction strikes because Otieno was attempting to gouge an officer's eyes out and was being noncompliant with their orders.
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