New York's attorney general appointed a veteran district attorney Thursday as a special prosecutor in the death of a man who was beaten by state corrections officers, saying she needed to recuse her office to avoid potential conflicts.
Attorney General Letitia James, whose office had been investigating events preceding last month's death of Robert Brooks, said the special prosecutor will be Onondaga County District Attorney William Fitzpatrick, who has been the top prosecutor in the Syracuse area since 1992.
