Two SRJ Guards to enter guilty pleas in death of former inmate Quantez Burks

BEAVER, WV (WVNS) – Two guards charged in the 2022 death of a Beckley man at Southern Regional Jail (SRJ) are set to appear before a federal judge to offer guilty pleas.

According to court documents, former SRJ guards Ashley Toney and Jacob Boothe will plead guilty of Depriving Civil Rights.

According to court filings, the charge carries up to 10 years in prison, up to $250,000 in fines, up to three years of supervised release and an order of restitution.

Boothe and Toney are indicted for their part in an assault on Quantez Burks, who died at the jail after allegedly being handcuffed and beaten by a group of guards.

Toney and Boothe are also charged for covering up the use of unlawful force.

They will both face up to 10 years in prison.

Filings in the Southern West Virginia District of U.S. District Court show Boothe and Toney are now scheduled to enter guilty pleas before a judge on August 8, 2024.

A total of eight Southern Regional Jail officers have been charged in Burks’ death.

Two of them pleaded guilty earlier this year and others are headed to trial.

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