Three former deputies who were fired after the in-custody death of an inmate at a Virginia jail last year have now been charged with the inmate’s murder.
Eric G. Baptiste, 39, Michael C. Kidd, 39, and Kevin B. Wilson, 34, all face second-degree murder charges in connection with the death of 34-year-old Rolin Hill.
A grand jury also indicted Baptiste on five counts of assault and battery and Kidd on two counts of assault and battery.
Hill died days after he was booked into a Virginia Beach jail on charges of trespassing, resisting arrest, and disorderly conduct in June 2024.
According to the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, Hill was being “uncooperative and combative” during the booking process and had to be restrained for “his safety and the safety of the arresting officers and jail deputies.” The Virginian-Pilot reported that less than half an hour after he arrived at the jail, Hill suffered a medical emergency and had to be rushed to a local hospital. He died six days later.
Hill’s friends disputed the report authorities released about the circumstances leading up to the 34-year-old’s death.
“What do we believe happened to him? What the family thinks … there was more than four deputies that were fighting with him, and they said he was being combative, and I believe that they beat him until he had a medical emergency, and then they felt they had to deal with it as they saw fit afterwards, which was not the correct way,” one person who knew Hill told WAVY News last June.
In October 2024, a medical examiner determined that Hill died from “positional and mechanical asphyxia due to restraint with neck and torso compression” and ruled the death a homicide.
The men accused of Hill’s murder were among five law enforcement officials who were fired from their jobs shortly after the medical examiner’s ruling.
The Virginia Beach NAACP stated that the former deputies’ arrests are a “critical first step in the pursuit of justice.”
“This untimely loss of life is a sobering reminder of the urgent need for accountability and systemic reform in law enforcement practices,” NAACP President Eric Majette said. “We urge everyone to come together as a community to demand accountability, support the Hill family, and advocate for justice and reform.”
Virginia State Police and the Virginia Beach Commonwealth’s Attorney’s Office were tapped to investigate Hill’s death. A special grand jury was also impaneled and later returned indictments against Baptiste, Kidd, and Wilson.
“I have faith in the criminal justice system to ensure justice is served for both Rolin Hill and the individuals involved in this incident,” Virginia Beach Sheriff Rocky Holcomb said in a statement released Friday. “For that reason, I requested an independent, third-party investigation by Virginia State Police immediately upon being notified of what occurred and cooperated fully with that investigation… My heart continues to be with the family of Mr. Hill and I send them my sincerest condolences and support as they seek healing and justice.”
All three former deputies have turned themselves in and are being held without bail. They will be arranged in the Virginia Beach Circuit Court Monday morning.
An attorney for one Baptiste told The New York Times his client “had an exemplary career dedicated to serving and protecting this community and the inmates who are incarcerated within it.”
“He has been wrongfully accused of a horrendous crime from apparent actions while performing his sworn duties,” Brian Latuga said.
