Nationwide — Richard “Randy” Cox, an African American man from New Haven, Connecticut, who was left paralyzed while in police custody, continues to see the legal fallout of his case ripple through the city’s justice system. New Haven’s government previously agreed to pay $45 million for its role in Cox’s injuries, but two of the officers criminally charged for their involvement resolved their cases this month by paying just $15 each in court fees—avoiding jail time altogether.
According to New Haven Indepdendent, former Sgt. Betsy Segui and retired Officer Ronald Pressley both accepted identical plea deals to one misdemeanor count of second-degree reckless endangerment. Prosecutors then dropped the companion charge of “cruelty to persons” for each of them. Their sentences include 60 days in jail with the execution suspended, six months of conditional discharge, and a $15 administrative court cost—distinct from a fine—so long as they commit no new crimes.
Their plea agreements sharply contrasted with the decisions of the three other officers charged—Oscar Diaz, Jocelyn Lavendier, and Luis Rivera—who all rejected plea offers in separate hearings on Tuesday. Those officers will now proceed to trial, and their attorneys have publicly expressed confidence that the evidence will ultimately clear them. All five officers were arrested in November 2022 on misdemeanor charges connected to Cox’s transport and treatment.
The administrative consequences for the officers also varied sharply. Segui, Diaz, Lavendier, and Rivera were all fired by the city’s police commission, while Pressley retired before the disciplinary recommendation against him could be heard. Diaz was later reinstated after state arbitrators overturned his termination, adding another layer of complexity to the city’s handling of the case.
The civil case surrounding Cox’s injury concluded earlier, when New Haven agreed in June 2023 to pay $45 million to Cox and his family. Insurance covered $30 million of that sum, with the remaining $15 million coming directly from city funds. The payout remains one of the largest police-misconduct settlements in U.S. history and underscored the national attention the case received.
Cox, 36 at the time, was arrested without incident at a Lilac Street block party on June 19, 2022. During transport, he suffered a catastrophic spinal injury after being thrown in a police van that had no seatbelts. When he arrived at the detention center, he repeatedly told Sgt. Segui and other officers that he could not move and needed immediate medical help. Instead, believing he was drunk and faking his condition, officers dragged him from the van, booked him in a wheelchair, and dragged him into a holding cell—actions that later sparked national outrage and widespread calls for reform.