ALBANY, N.Y. (NEWS10) — The investigation into the death of Robert Brooks while incarcerated at Marcy Correctional Facility in Oneida County continued when the office of Attorney General Letitia James recused itself and appointed Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick as special prosecutor.
Andrew Safranko, an attorney at Lamarche Safranko Law, has been retained by one of the corrections officers involved in the incident. Safranko explained that the change from the Attorney General, as well as other factors from the incident that led to Robert Brooks' death, means there likely will not be a quick legal resolution.
"We have no idea. Just waiting on the attorney general or the FBI and those guys to release that, but they won't release that and don't have to release it to us until after there are charges pending. So we don't know if they'll go on like they've been doing and release it to the public first, or they're going to wait and do it in the course of discovery in a criminal case," said Safranko.
Also this week, Morgan Hook, Managing Director at SKDK (a public relations firm that advocates for public policies) explained the impact of legislation that took effect in January of 2025. He detailed laws requiring paid prenatal care, and changes to the minimum wage. He also detailed a proposed rule that could increase home construction costs.
"They're thinking about making it a mandate to have fire sprinklers, like full fire, like the kind you might have in high-rise buildings, installed in one and two-story residences. And this could take effect in January, and any new houses that are built would require these things that cost somewhere like, $30,000 or $40,000 per house," said Hook.
Also this week, the state's Inspector General Lucy Lang explained her office's priorities heading into the new year. To see this interview and more, here is a list of how you can watch Empire State Weekly in your area of New York:
