CLAYTON COUNTY, Ga. — Just over a year after filing an appeal to his conviction for violating the rights of inmates in his custody, former Clayton County Sheriff Victor Hill lost his appeal in federal court.
Channel 2 Action News first shared when Hill filed an appeal to his prison sentence in March 2023. A judge sentenced the former sheriff to serve 18 months in federal prison.
The former sheriff was convicted in October 2022 for multiple charges related to violating inmates’ rights.
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Hill was found guilty of causing physical pain and bodily injury to six men. He was sentenced in March 2023 and reported to federal prison the following May.
While serving his sentence, Hill was moved from federal prison this past March to community confinement.
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In a Monday ruling, a trio of federal judges for the 11th Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that Hill’s appeal of his conviction on all grounds of appeal filed by Hill’s attorneys.
According to the court ruling, Hill was appealing his conviction on three grounds:
- That he was not given fair warning that his conduct while sheriff was unconstitutional
- That the district court abused its discretion while questioning a juror about allegations of misconduct
- That the prosecution did not present sufficient evidence that his conduct had no “legitimate nonpunitive purpose, was willful and caused the detainees’ injuries”
The court said none of these challenges to his conviction were valid.
“Hill challenges that conviction on three grounds. We reject each one. First, Hill had fair warning that his conduct was unconstitutional—that is, that he could not use gratuitous force against a compliant, nonresistant detainee. Second, sufficient evidence supported the jury’s conclusion that Hill’s conduct had no legitimate nonpunitive purpose, was willful, and caused the detainees’ injuries. Third, the district court did not coerce the jury verdict but properly exercised its discretion in investigating and responding to alleged juror misconduct,” according to the court.
As a result, his appeal was denied and the conviction was affirmed.
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