Gothamist

A non-profit newsroom, powered by WNYC.

Gothamist

WNYC Listen Live

Donate

News

Jail Captain Charged With Criminally Negligent Homicide After Allegedly Standing By As Detainee Hanged Himself

George Joseph

Published Apr 26, 2021

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

Never miss a story

Email address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .

Rebecca Hillman, wearing sunglasses, a hooded jacket, tries to conceal herself as she is led into court

George Joseph / WNYC

George Joseph

Published Apr 26, 2021

FacebookTwitterRedditEmail

We rely on your support to make local news available to all

Make your contribution now and help Gothamist thrive in 2026. Donate today

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office has decided to prosecute a jail captain for allegedly issuing orders that prevented staff from promptly intervening in the sucide of Ryan Wilson, a detainee who died at Manhattan Detention Complex last November. At an arraignment hearing Monday, prosecutors announced that Captain Rebecca Hillman was being charged with criminally negligent homicide and offering a false instrument for filing in the first degree.

“As alleged in the indictment, the death of Ryan Wilson wasn’t just a tragedy — it was a crime,” said District Attorney Cy Vance in a statement. “Our investigation shows that Captain Hillman ordered her subordinates not to not take potentially life-saving measures to help Mr. Wilson, and failed to call for medical assistance expediently. This callous disregard for Mr. Wilson’s safety resulted in an irreversible loss to his family and friends, and must be held criminally accountable.”

At the hearing, prosecutors accused Hillman of failling to take swift action as Wilson, who reportedly suffered from bipolar disorder, began a suicide attempt on the afternoon of November 22, 2020. The 29-year-old was detained in the Manhattan facility, commonly known as the Tombs, on a robbery charge.

Listen to reporter George Joseph's radio story for WNYC:

According to the district attorney’s office, after Wilson started to hang himself with a noose, fashioned from his bedsheets, Hillman told another officer not to enter his cell, asserting that Wilson was “faking it.” As Wilson continued to hang, Hillman went on her rounds, prosecutors said, failing to call for a medical team to assist until approximately 15 minutes after Wilson began dangling from the bedsheets. . By the time, medical staff got there, the 29-year-old was dead, prosecutors said.

Afterwards, the captain filled out an official false report claiming that she had Wilson’s cell door reopened and the detainee cut down from his noose “immediately,” the DA’s office said.

Ryan Wilson was found dead inside his cell at the Manhattan Detention Complex last November.`

Reverend Kevin McCall, spokesman for Wilson family

Hillman and another corrections officer were suspended last year as corrections authorities investigated the incident. The Manhattan District Attorney’s Office investigated the death in conjunction with New York City’s Department of Investigation.

At an arraignment hearing Monday afternoon, Hillman pleaded not guilty to both charges, and was released until her next hearing in July. She did not respond to questions.

In a statement, Wilson’s family thanked the Manhattan District Attorney’s Office for bringing the charges.

“This is the step in the right direction. We celebrated last week for Geogre George Floyd, now we celebrate this week for Ryan Wilson,” said Reverend Kevin McCall, a spokesman for the Wilson family. “We are not satisfied until all corrections officers are put in jail.”“The district Attorney Cy Vance is helping New Yorkers believe in a system that didn’t work for us for years,” McCall added.

Hillman’s union president did not provide a statement on her behalf, but numerous corrections officers in white uniforms sat in the back of the courtroom in an apparent show of solidarity.

George Joseph reported this story for the WNYC/Gothamist Race & Justice Unit. If you have a tip, or if you work or have worked in a prosecutor's office, a law enforcement agency or the courts, email reporter George Joseph at [email protected]. You can also text him tips via the encrypted phone app Signal, or otherwise, at 929-486-4865.

Tagged

Manhattan Detention Complex

Race And Justice Unit

criminally negligent homicide

manhattan da

George Joseph

George covers Brooklyn for THE CITY with a focus on criminal justice and housing. He previously worked for WNYC and Gothamist, and has published stories with NPR, ProPublica, Esquire, and The Intercept among other outlets.

Gothamist is funded by sponsors and member donations

MORE news

NYC Council to weigh changes to juvenile jails as assaults and overcrowding rise

The City Council is holding a hearing Tuesday to consider several bills aimed at reducing the youth detention population and improving conditions for those who remain.

Samantha Max

Published Oct 26, 2026 at 12:10 p.m. ET

Early Addition: Who's giving out those chic little Nordic gummies this Halloween?

Because the status trick-or-treat candy has arrived, here are your early links: NYC Marathon-themed early voting sticker, New Jersey's Socialist Party on the rise, Herald Square billboard fight and more.

James Ramsay

News

Early Addition: Who's giving out those chic little Nordic gummies this Halloween?

James Ramsay

In East Brooklyn, aging NYCHA homes get a $636M upgrade

Willow Higgins

What NYers can expect as open enrollment for health insurance begins

Caroline Lewis

Why New Yorkers should care about bats beyond spooky season

Catalina Gonella

Never miss a story

Catch up on the most important headlines with a roundup of essential NYC stories, delivered to your inbox daily.

Sign upEmail address

By submitting your information, you're agreeing to receive communications from New York Public Radio in accordance with our Terms .