A former correctional officer in southern West Virginia, Mark Holdren, pleaded guilty to a federal civil rights violation in connection with the death of Quantez Burks, a man who passed away less than a day after being booked into a jail. Holdren admitted to conspiring with other officers to beat Burks as retaliation at the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver.
Holdren was one of six ex-correctional officers indicted by a federal grand jury in November 2023. Burks, 37, had been booked into the jail on a wanton endangerment charge in March 2022. Court documents revealed that Burks was allegedly struck by correctional officers while restrained and handcuffed in an interview room.
Holdren acknowledged his involvement in the assault and was aware that the interview room lacked surveillance cameras, allowing officers to use unreasonable force without being recorded. He also admitted knowing that it was improper to use such force to punish inmates and pretrial detainees.
Holdren faces a maximum sentence of 30 years in prison and a $250,000 fine, with no sentencing date announced yet. Two other former officers, Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe, are set for sentencing in January for failing to intervene in the assault. Steven Wimmer and Andrew Fleshman, also ex-officers, will be sentenced in February after pleading guilty to a felony conspiracy charge.
The case has brought attention to conditions at the Southern Regional Jail, with West Virginia agreeing to a $4 million settlement in a class-action lawsuit filed by inmates describing inhumane conditions. The state's administration took action following a federal magistrate judge's recommendation for a default judgment due to the destruction of records.
While the state medical examiner attributed Burks' death to natural causes, a private autopsy conducted by the family revealed multiple areas of blunt force trauma on his body. The trial for the remaining three defendants is scheduled for December 10.
