Oriel Moore describes life without her brother, 38-year-old Othel Moore Jr., to reporters, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, at the Missouri Capitol building in Jefferson City, Mo. Four Missouri prison guards have been charged with murder, and a fifth with involuntary manslaughter, in his December 2023 death while he was in custody at the Jefferson City Correctional Center. Oriel Moore describes life without her brother, 38-year-old Othel Moore Jr., to reporters, Tuesday, Dec.
Here are a few things to know about what happened to Moore, who he was, who has been implicated in his death and the restraint system prison officials stopped using after the episode.A group of guards making up the Department of Corrections Emergency Response Team was sweeping one of the housing units for contraband on Dec. 8, 2023, when the guards entered Moore’s cell, court records say.
Moore was eventually taken to a hospital wing and was pronounced dead. Thompson said the medical examiner ruled Moore’s cause of death was from positional asphyxiation, and his death was listed as a homicide.Moore, who grew up in St. Louis, was serving a 30-year sentence on range of charges, including second-degree domestic assault and first-degree robbery.