Six Maryland Guards Convicted in Prisoner’s Beating, Cover-up; § 1983 Suit Filed
by Chuck Sharman
For bloodying a state prisoner and then deleting video of his teary account to cover up the assault, the last of six Maryland Department of Public Safety and Correctional Services (DPSCS) guards involved was sentenced in federal court on April 21, 2026.
The assault took place at Eastern Correctional Institution in July 2021, when guard Samuel Warren became irritated with the prisoner for wearing his face mask below his nose. After a verbal exchange, Warren handcuffed the prisoner behind his back. At that point, prosecutors said, the prisoner “either pulled away [or] tripped because he was shuffling with lowered pants.” Warren then threw him on the floor and punched him multiple times in the head, leaving him bloodied and crying.
When taken for medical treatment, the prisoner was filmed by another guard as he sobbed and recounted the assault—footage later reviewed by Warren, along with his supervisor, Sgt. Jermaine Sturgis, and four fellow guards: Ananias Wilson, Neil Daubach, Daric Evans and David Quillen. Sturgis remarked that the video “looked bad” and suggested deleting it. All six agreed to tell DPSCS investigators the same lie about what happened to the footage.
Quillen, 39, was the last sentenced, after pleading guilty in the U.S. District Court for the District of Maryland to conspiracy to obstruct justice and destruction of federal records. He was ordered to serve two terms of two years each on federal probation and pay $400 in special assessments. See: United States v. Quillen, USDC (D. Md.), Case No.1:24-cr-00009.
Warren, 40, pleaded guilty in the federal court to deprivation of rights under color of law and falsification of records. He was handed a 15-month federal prison term on March 13, 2026, plus two years of supervised release and $200 in special assessments. See: United States v. Wilson, USDC (D. Md.), Case No. 1:23-cr-00339. He also apologized to the victim, saying that “[i]It should never have happened” and “I hope you will someday forgive me,” the Baltimore Banner reported.
Evans, 34, pleaded guilty to conspiracy to obstruct justice, also in the federal court. He was sentenced to two years on federal probation on February 26, 2026, and ordered to pay a $100 special assessment. See: United States v. Evans, USDC (D. Md.), Case No. 1:24-cr-00058.
Sturgis, 41, went to trial in the federal court, where he was found guilty on December 12, 2025, of conspiracy to obstruct justice and making false statements. His sentencing is currently scheduled for June 1, 2026. Daubach pleaded guilty in the same court to falsification of records and witness tampering and was sentenced on October 10, 2025, to a year and a day in federal prison, plus two years of supervised release. He was also ordered to pay a total of $400 in special assessments. See: United States v. Sturgis, USDC (D. Md.), Case No. 1:24-cr-00363.
Wilson, now 40, pleaded guilty in state court to obstructing and hindering the investigation, and he was sentenced to 18 months in state prison in September 2023, the Baltimore Banner reported. His employment status with the DPSCS, like that of the other five guards, was unclear.
Their victim identified himself as 39-year-old prisoner Keith Krikstan, in a civil rights suit he filed in the federal court in July 2024 under 42 U.S.C. § 1983. Though his physical injuries have healed, he remains under psychiatric treatment, he claimed, adding that he repeatedly reassures his family that he is not suicidal “in case [guards] attempt to stage” his death. PLN will continue to monitor the case and update any developments. Krikstan is represented by attorneys Joseph B. Chazen, Paul A. Turkheimer, Adam I. Shareef and Samuel T. Wolf of Meyers, Rodbell, and Rosenbaum, P.A. in Riverdale Park. See: Krikstan v. Maryland, USDC (D. Md.), Case No. 1:24-cv-02001.
Additional source: Baltimore Banner
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Related legal case
Krikstan v. Maryland
| Year | 2024 |
|---|---|
| Cite | USDC (D. Md.), Case No. 1:24-cv-02001 |
| Level | District Court |