Another former Southern Regional Jail commander pleads guilty in the inmate's death

CHARLESTON, W.Va. — A former correctional officer at the Southern Regional Jail admitted in federal court Wednesday his role in the violent death of inmate Quantez Burks in March 2022.

Mark Holdren, 40, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to violate the rights of victim Burks, 37, resulting in bodily harm and death.

The other five charges against Holdren were dismissed in exchange for his cooperation against the three remaining former conscientious objectors still facing charges.

U.S. Attorney Will Thompson said Holdren entered into a binding agreement.

“A binding plea agreement means that the court ultimately accepts the plea agreement. The maximum sentence Mr. Holdren could receive is 30 years in prison,” Will Thompson, U.S. Attorney for Southwest Virginia, told MetroNews after Wednesday’s hearing.

Meanwhile, guilty plea hearings are scheduled for two of the three remaining former conscientious objectors. Both Jonathan Walters and Corey Snyder are scheduled to plead guilty next Tuesday, November 19th, beginning at 10 a.m. in federal court in Charleston. That leaves only Chad Lester, a former lieutenant who still faces trial on this charge. That's scheduled for December 10th in Beckley.

Both Thompson and Holdren told U.S. District Judge Joseph Goodwin during Wednesday's hearing that Burks was not the only inmate at the Southern Regional Jail who was beaten in areas that conscientious objectors call blind spots – away from surveillance video.

“I think our evidence would show that if we went to trial,” Thompson told MetroNews. “We still have three defendants and I think our evidence will show there was a history of this.

Quantez Burks' mother, Kimberly Burks, said after the hearing at the Byrd Federal Courthouse in Charleston that she was not surprised.

“They have been doing this for many years. They’re not sorry for what they did, they’re sorry they got caught,” Burks said.

Holdren read from the plea agreement that he and another CO were told to come to the sally port because Burks was trying to get his way with prison staff.

“He was on the ground and I began to use force…several knee strikes,” Holdren said. He described his actions as “unreasonable”.

Burks, who had been in jail for less than 24 hours, was then taken to the blind spot, also known as the C-Pod interrogation room, where he was beaten again. He was then moved to another area of ​​the prison, to another blind spot, where he was beaten.

Burks would later die.

Holdren said he conspired with others to hurt Burks and cover up the matter.

Judge Goodwin said from the bench Wednesday that he is not a big fan of binding plea agreements.

“I want to know if he was helpful,” Goodwin told federal prosecutors, citing Holdren’s cooperation in the ongoing investigation.

Holdren will be sentenced on February 5.

Five former correctional officers — Holdren, Ashley Toney, Jacob Boothe, Cory Snyder and Johnathan Walters — were charged in connection with an attack on Burks.

All five correctional officers, as well as Lester, were also charged with concealing the use of unlawful force.

Two of the guards, Toney and Boothe, pleaded guilty last August to charges that they violated Burks' constitutional rights by failing to protect him from unreasonable force by correctional officers.

Two other correctional officers, Andrew Fleshman and Steven Nicholas Wimmer, pleaded guilty last November to conspiracy to violate the rights of citizens under federal law for their actions in Burks' death.

Kimberly Burks said Wednesday she has learned to accept plea deals in hopes that what happened at the Southern Regional Jail never happens again.

“There are so many things that amount to justice for us,” she told MetroNews. “We may have to move on from here to get this, or from somewhere else, but as long as something is done and they are held accountable, maybe we can prevent something like this from happening again.”