CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Two former correctional officers from the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia, Mark Holdren and Johnathan Walters, have been sentenced to a combined total of over 41 years for their roles in the assault that led to the tragic death of inmate Q.B. on March 1, 2022.
Holdren, 41, from Beckley, was handed a 20-year prison term, while Walters, 33, of Rainelle, received a 21-year sentence, both sentences to be followed by three years of supervised release. The former officers were found guilty of conspiring with other correctional staff to violate Q.B.’s civil rights.
According to court documents, Holdren unleashed multiple knee-strikes on Q.B., even though the detainee posed no threat. Walters and Holdren then conspired to assault Q.B. further in an interview room, where they used pepper spray, struck him in the head, and twisted his fingers, all while he was handcuffed and restrained.
After the beating, Q.B. was carried by officers, including Walters, who violently swung his head into a metal door to open it. He was then dropped onto the concrete floor of a cell, leading to his death shortly after. Holdren and Walters were aware that their actions were recorded nowhere due to the interview room’s lack of surveillance cameras.
The trial has seen five other correctional officers also face justice. Corey Snyder, Jacob Boothe, Ashley Toney, and Chad Lester have all pleaded guilty for various roles in the incident, with sentences ranging from six years and six months to 17 years and six months in prison.
United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin oversaw today’s sentencing. Holdren and Walters are but two of the six correctional officers who were indicted. Snyder and Boothe await sentencing on July 10, 2025, while Toney was sentenced to six years and six months in June 2025. Lester received his sentence in May 2025 after being found guilty of obstruction of justice.
RELATED: WV Jail Guards Get Decades for Inmate Q.B.’s Death
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Key Facts
- State: West Virginia
- Agency: DOJ USAO
- Category: Public Corruption|Violent Crime
- Source: Official Source ↗
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