The sister of a man allegedly beaten to death last year by prison officers confirmed through an email sent by the FBI that the Bureau is investigating the man’s death, which took place at Virginia’s Marion Correctional Treatment Center, NPR reports. Charles Givens, who was a person with a disability, was first written about by NPR last month, which detailed allegations of abuse that Givens may have suffered while incarcerated at Marion. The FBI said in the email it has identified Givens “as a possible victim of a crime” in the email to his sister, Kymberly Hobbs.
Hobbs and her attorneys filed a federal lawsuit in February over Givens’ death. The suit alleges that five prison officers participated, to some degree, in the beating of the 52-year-old inmate on Feb. 5, 2022. This beating ultimately led to his death, the lawsuit alleges. The five officers have denied any wrongdoing. None of them have been criminally charged. The development is significant, as the case has gone largely nowhere with state and local agencies. Hobbs has said there's been no interest in any meaningful investigation into the death of her brother due to his 2010 murder conviction and because he was intellectually disabled. A medical examination indicated Givens died from blunt force trauma. An investigation by the Virginia State Police has since slowed and a grand jury declined to bring a criminal indictment last year.