Family of Irvo Otieno renews call for federal investigation after acquittal of first person charged in death

DINWIDDIE COUNTY, Va. (WRIC) — A little over a week after a jury reached a not-guilty verdict in the first trial regarding the 2023 death of Irvo Otieno at Central State Hospital, the victim’s family is fighting once again to escalate things to the federal level.

Since June 2023, Otieno’s loved ones have argued that the Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office was “too small and inexperienced” to handle a case like this.

Now, after a 12-person jury took less than half an hour to decide that Wavie Jones — the former Central State Hospital worker on trial — was not guilty of involuntary manslaughter, Otieno’s family is renewing their call for a federal investigation.

This was the trial for the first of three defendants charged in Otieno’s death and, according to defense attorneys, prosecutors suggested it was the strongest case they had.

To the defense, the short deliberation period only further proved the defendant’s innocence.

“We demonstrated it,” said defense attorney Doug Ramseur outside the courthouse following the trial. “We took it head on with what the facts and that video showed, with what the witnesses said, what the science here says, and that jury saw every bit of it.”

However, to the victim’s loved ones, that quick jury decision hints at a sign that prosecutors did not do their job.

“This legal process will protect the people that beat and harm your children in a mental health crisis [better] than they will protect your children who are in the crisis themselves,” said Otieno family spokesperson Allan Chipman.

That’s why Otieno’s camp is trying, once again, to take things to the federal level.

The family’s attorney — Ben Crump — recently sent a letter to the FBI and the Department of Justice in which he pleaded for a federal investigation into Otieno’s death. He said the Dinwiddie County Commonwealth’s Attorney’s office “lacked both the experience and resources necessary to prosecute the matter.”

“Brother Irvo was questioned and prosecuted more heavily than the defendant was,” Chipman said.

Crump’s letter added that witnesses — like Otieno’s mother — were not properly prepped for trial, and in terms of experts, prosecutors relied on one medical witness. It was also mentioned that it was frequently allowed for Otieno to be de-humanized throughout the trial.

That is only the beginning of the list of issues Crump’s team found with the way Prosecutors handled the case. The letter listed out at least five other reasons his team feels the case was “poorly presented by the Commonwealth’s Attorneys office.”

There was not a motion for mistrial leading up to the verdict.

The defense previously told 8News that the jury looked at the facts and made their informed decision.

“They’re trying to threaten him with further prosecution… they’re asking the federal government to come in and charge him with offenses,” Ramseur said. “The injustice was that he was charged at all.”

Now, it’s up to federal agencies to decide what’s next.

Otieno’s loved ones will be speaking publicly on Monday, Oct. 14 to discuss this recent announcement.

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