A supervisor at a psychiatric facility in Staten Island turned himself in to police yesterday and was charged with strangling a patient to death.
Erik Stanley, 37, was working as a developmental aide supervisor at the South Beach Psychiatric Center on Dec. 4.
That was the day 27-year-old Jawara Henry, an autistic patient at the center, became extremely agitated and began biting other patients and staff there.
As Stanley helped other staff try to restrain the man, he “caused Henry’s death by using excessive pressure on the patient’s neck and torso,” said Staten Island District Attorney Daniel Donovan. “[Stanley] did not follow protocol nor use proper techniques while trying to restrain Henry,” said Donovan.
Henry’s death was ruled a homicide, and the city Medical Examiner found he died of asphyxia by neck and chest compression.
Yesterday’s arrest comes after an eight-month investigation by Donovan’s office. Stanley was charged with criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of an incompetent or physically disabled person.
