A New York state jury on Monday convicted a former correction officer of murder for beating a prisoner to death in December, and acquitted two more officers of charges following a two-week trial.

The jury in Utica, New York, found David Kingsley guilty of murder and manslaughter for killing Robert Brooks, a Black 43-year-old prisoner at Marcy Correctional Facility in Marcy. He died Dec. 10 after a savage beating at the hands of prison guards. The attack was captured in body-worn camera footage.

Mathew Galliher and Nicholas Kieffer are the officers who were acquitted. A fourth correction officer, Michael Fisher, who didn't have any physical contact with Brooks, is being prosecuted as an accessory to Brooks' killing and is slated to have a separate trial.

In the video of the beating, which was made public by the Office of the New York State Attorney General in December, officers can be seen assaulting Brooks with kicks and punches inside Marcy's infirmary while he's being held on an examination table.

Kevin A. Luibrand, an attorney representing Galliher, called his client "a man of integrity" who "did nothing wrong" and said the New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision "abandoned Matt for political reasons" once the department came under fire for the officer's conduct. Luibrand said the department was to blame for failing to supervise and properly train officers and sergeants on how to handle prisoners.

"He risked life in prison by going to trial and did so because he knew what he did and did not do on December 9, and trusted the evidence and the jury," Luibrand told Law360 in an email Monday. "The evidence showed that DOCCS was rooting for a conviction so as to avoid scrutiny on DOCCS monumental systemic failures."

Attorneys for the other defendants did not respond to requests for comments Monday.

Thomas Mailey, a spokesperson for the DOCCS, told Law360 in an email Monday afternoon that the department "acknowledges the profound impact that this case has had on the community, incarcerated individuals, their families and our dedicated staff."

"We fully respect the judicial process and commend the diligent efforts of law enforcement and the court in upholding accountability," Mailey said. "The actions of the former employees involved do not reflect the core values of DOCCS, and we take full responsibility for ensuring that our facilities embody a culture of dignity, respect and safety for all."

At least 10 corrections officers have been charged in relation to Brooks' deadly beating. Two of them, Nicholas Anzalone and Anthony Farina, pled guilty to first-degree manslaughter in September and agreed to a sentence of 22 years in prison. Another two, Michael Mashaw and David Walters, pled guilty to second-degree manslaughter for sentences ranging from two and one-third to nine years in prison.

In a statement Monday, the Center for Community Alternatives, a nonprofit advocating for alternatives to incarceration, called the verdict "not justice" and encouraged state lawmakers to enact reforms that would lead to less people being incarcerated in prisons, which have long been plagued by violence.

"There is no justice in this verdict and no justice in this trial," Thomas Gant, a CCA organizer, said in the statement. "Robert Brooks was murdered not just at the hands of these prison guards, but by a system of human caging that tears apart families and values brutal perpetual punishment over healing and transformation."

Brooks' death is one of several incidents involving violence directed at inmates in New York state prisons.

In March, 22-year-old Messiah Nantwi, who was in custody awaiting trial, died at Mid-State Correctional Facility, also in Marcy, following a violent encounter with prison guards amid a wildcat correction officers strike. At least 15 prison staffers were placed on leave in the aftermath of Nantwi's death, and 12 were charged with crimes including murder and manslaughter.

Another former prisoner, Matthew Raymond, reached a $1.2 million settlement with the DOCCS in March to end a civil rights lawsuit stemming from what he described as a vicious assault at the hand of prison guards at Auburn Correctional Facility, in the Finger Lakes region of the state, that left him with lifelong injuries.

On Dec. 27, state Attorney General Letitia James made the decision to release the footage of Brooks' fatal beating.

Days later, James said the office would recuse itself from the investigation of the correction officers involved in Brooks' death, pointing to a conflict of interest arising from the fact that the attorney general's office was already representing four of the guards who were being investigated in other, unrelated matters.

Onondaga County District Attorney William J. Fitzpatrick was appointed as a special prosecutor in the case. He is also prosecuting the former officers charged in Nantwi's death.

The attorney general's office declined to comment Monday.

--Editing by Janice Carter Brown.

Update: This story has been updated to include comments from an attorney representing one of the defendants.