By Tiffany Williams –
A former corrections officer in New Hampshire was arrested on Thursday and charged with second-degree murder. New Hampshire Attorney General John M. Formella said Matthew Millar, 39, of Boscawen, New Hampshire caused the death of Jason Rothe, who was a patient at the Secure Psychiatric Unit of the Department of Corrections.
On April 29, 2023, six corrections officers at the Secure Psychiatric Unit of the Department of Corrections engaged in a use-of-force incident that resulted in the death of Mr. Rothe.
Formella said the Attorney General’s Office does not anticipate bringing criminal charges against any of the other corrections officers involved in this incident.
On October 25, 2023, Dr. Mitchell Weinberg of the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner determined that Jason Rothe’s manner of death was homicide and that the cause of death was combined traumatic compressional and positional asphyxiation.
An investigation led by the New Hampshire State Police produced evidence that Millar applied downward pressure with his knee and arms onto Rothe’s torso/neck area for several minutes while Rothe was handcuffed and faced down on the floor which is contrary to DOC’s use-of-force protocols and training.
Millar received training on asphyxia and the use of force which detailed the risk of death inherent in the specific manner of restraint he applied.