WV Jail Guards Get Decades for Inmate Q.B.’s Death

CHARLESTON, W.Va. – Justice, however delayed, is hitting the Southern Regional Jail in Beaver, West Virginia. Two more former correctional officers have been sentenced to federal prison for their participation in the savage beating of pretrial detainee Q.B., who died on March 1, 2022, after a coordinated assault. The sentences signal a deepening crackdown on systemic abuse within the state’s correctional system.

Corey Snyder, 30, of Shady Spring, received a staggering 19 years and seven months in prison after admitting to conspiring with colleagues to violate Q.B.’s civil rights through the use of excessive and unlawful force. Jacob Boothe, 27, of Rainelle, was handed a three-year sentence for the calculated decision to stand by and watch the brutality unfold, failing to intervene as fellow officers unleashed a torrent of violence on the restrained inmate. The DOJ has been systematically dismantling the culture of impunity within the jail.

Court documents detail a horrifying scene. After Q.B. attempted to leave his assigned pod, officers responded and immediately engaged in a violent struggle to subdue him. Snyder joined the fray, applying force including a chokehold and throwing Q.B. to the floor. What followed was a calculated escalation of abuse. Snyder and others conspired to unlawfully punish Q.B., taking him to an interview room – a known “blind spot” with no surveillance – where they subjected him to a relentless barrage of strikes to the head, kicks, knee strikes, finger manipulation, and chemical spray, all while he was handcuffed and posed no threat. Boothe, present throughout the assault, made no effort to stop it.

Both Snyder and Boothe acknowledged they knew the use of such force against inmates, even pretrial detainees like Q.B., was illegal. Snyder further admitted to the practice of bringing inmates to “blind spots” specifically to facilitate unrecorded assaults, shielding themselves from accountability. The systemic nature of this abuse is deeply disturbing. This wasn’t a spontaneous outburst; it was a pre-planned operation designed to inflict pain and evade oversight.

Snyder and Boothe are far from alone in facing consequences. United States District Judge Joseph R. Goodwin has been steadily handing down sentences in this case. Mark Holdren, 41, of Beckley, received 20 years, and Johnathan Walters, 33, of Rainelle, 21 years, both with three years of supervised release. Ashley Toney, 25, of Fairdale, got six years and six months for failing to intervene. Chad Lester, 35, of Odd, a former lieutenant, was convicted at trial and sentenced to 17 years and six months for obstruction of justice – attempting to cover up the death. Steven Nicholas Wimmer, 26, of Bluefield, received nine years, while Andrew Fleshman, 23, of Shady Spring, awaits sentencing on July 14, 2025.

Assistant Attorney General Harmeet K. Dhillon led the prosecution, highlighting the DOJ’s commitment to holding correctional officers accountable for civil rights violations. The Grimy Times will continue to follow this case and expose the dark underbelly of the American correctional system, where abuse and cover-ups thrive. The sentences delivered today are a start, but a complete overhaul of the Southern Regional Jail’s culture is desperately needed to prevent future tragedies.