Family of man who died in West Virginia jail receives justice award

CHARLESTON, W.Va. (WOWK) — Inside Kanawha County’s ceremonial courtroom Thursday, a family was awarded for their courage to stand up against the justice system.

The Bailey family was awarded the 2025 Advocate for Justice Award after Zachary Bailey, 26, died while in custody at North Central Regional Jail in 2019.

Bailey was incarcerated in July 2019 after a battle with substance use disorder and he was only in custody for a few hours before he died. In 2024, his family, with the representation of the West Virginia Association for Justice, took the case to civil court, where it was revealed that six correctional officers laid on Bailey, which led to his suffocation and death.

“He was being punched and hit. He was being kicked,” attorney Jesse Forbes said. “He was being smothered, and the life was running out of him.”

The association wanted to honor Bailey’s family for their unwavering strength over the past six years, particularly his mother, Robin, who accepted the award.

“This award recognized a citizen’s fortitude coming forward, not taking no for an answer, protecting her son,” Forbes said. “Protecting that legacy, changing that legacy.”

The celebration was a somber one. Although the award can’t bring Zachary back, it can help more families who may find themselves in a similar situation.

Robin Bailey is hoping for that outcome.

“I just don’t want to see anybody else have to do this,” she said. This has been really hard, and it still is hard. To lose one of your family members this way, it’s just- I don’t know. It’s hard. No one deserves what he got.”

The case was legally settled in 2024, but it’s something the association says should have never happened in the first place.

“That has no place in America,” Forbes said. “It’s got no place in West Virginia, and the civil justice system is what brought that truth out. That’s why it’s so important to protect it.”