The New York City jail captain convicted of criminally negligent homicide for letting a man die in his cell in November 2020 was sentenced to six months in jail in Manhattan criminal court Friday.
A jury found in March that Rebecca Hillman, 40, waited to take action when she learned Ryan Wilson, 29, was planning to kill himself, and again when he acted on those plans. She faced up to four years in prison for the crime.
Prosecutors from the Manhattan district attorney’s office argued at trial that Hillman ignored requests for help from a correction officer standing outside Wilson’s cell and ordered staff not to go inside for 15 minutes while Wilson was dying. In the meantime, she filled out paperwork, made her normal rounds and spoke with several people in custody, prosecutors said.
“I want to say today that I forgive you, because I’m a woman of God and I have to,” Wilson’s sister, Elayna Manson, said in a victim impact statement shared with Gothamist. “But I still feel that you had a job to do, and you failed to do it. And it cost my brother’s life.”
Manson said her brother, who was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, spent most of his childhood in foster care while their parents struggled with mental illness and alcoholism. He died at the Manhattan Detention Center a few weeks after he was arrested on robbery and menacing charges.
“The effects of Ryan’s death on our family have been insurmountable,” Manson said in her statement.
Hillman took the stand in her own defense, at times breaking down in sobs as she testified that she believed Wilson was “making a joke” and that she didn’t realize there was an emergency until it was too late. She said she had just returned to work after spending about nine months on medical leave and several more on desk duty after a close friend, who she called her “sister,” was murdered.
The captain’s testimony painted a picture of a dysfunctional system that made it nearly impossible to complete all the tasks demanded of her. She had multiple units to oversee, and paperwork that had to be filled out by hand. Hillman also said people in jail regularly told her they were going to kill themselves to get her attention.
Hillman’s attorney, Todd Spodek, said in an email that he was “grateful” the judge took into consideration that the jury had acquitted her on the other charge, which accused her of intentionally lying about what happened on official paperwork. Spodek said his client could be out of jail in as few as four months based on credits to her sentence she can earn for good behavior.
"Rebecca Hillman’s negligence and shocking lack of regard for Ryan Wilson’s well-being led to his death," Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg said in a press release. "I hope this sentencing can help close what I know has been an incredibly traumatic time for Mr. Wilson’s family and loved ones."
The Department of Correction did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Hillman’s union also could not immediately be reached.
This story has been updated with comment from Manhattan District Attorney Alvin Bragg.
