VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. (June 8, 2026) — Nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has filed a lawsuit concerning the death of Rolin G. Hill. The suit alleges that deputies at the Virginia Beach Correctional Center beat Hill during a mental health crisis. Hill died six days later on June 10, 2024, at age 34. Attorney Crump filed the suit with attorneys Kenneth LaDuca and Kenneth Koppelman of Price Benowitz, LLP, on behalf of Stanley Hill, administrator of his son’s estate.
The suit names the Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, the Virginia Beach Correctional Center, the Virginia Beach Police Department, Virginia Beach Emergency Communications & Citizens Services, the City of Virginia Beach, and individual defendants.
According to the complaint, a 911 was made on June 4, 2024, involving Rolin Hill, who was having a mental health crisis. Dispatchers sent police rather than a mental health response, and officers took him to the correctional center instead of a hospital. The complaint alleges the actions taken by law enforcement show a systemic failure to train responders in crisis intervention.
The complaint alleges that once Hill was in custody, sheriff deputies beat him on the concrete floor of his cell while he was partially restrained in a wrap. According to the suit, deputies punched, kicked, and kneed Hill, and one deputy drove a knee into his neck. The suit also alleges a supervisor was present but did not intervene to protect Hill. The complaint states that much of the encounter was captured on video. It further alleges the deputies left Hill on the floor without medical care. Hill died six days later from blunt force injuries and asphyxia the complaint alleges were a result of the deputies beating Hill.
“Virginia Beach Sheriff Deputies betrayed Rolin Hill in his hour of need. Instead of getting Rolin the help he needed, law enforcement beat him to death. The system failed him at every turn,” Attorney Crump said. “Rolin was a son and a brother. He spent the last six days of his life dying from injuries inflicted by the very people sworn to protect him. We will not rest until every person responsible is held accountable.”
The complaint names Sheriff Norman Dewey “Rocky” Holcomb in his individual and official capacities, along with the deputies alleged to be directly involved: Deputy Eric G. Baptiste, Deputy Michael C. Kidd, Deputy Kevin B. Wilson, and Sergeant Marlon Ramirez. Also named are Virginia Beach Police Department Chief Paul Neudigate, and police department officers, including Officer Justin Ford and Sergeant Michael Dougherty, and Virginia Beach Emergency Communications & Citizens Services Director Jada Lee.
Criminal charges are already pending against several deputies in Virginia Beach Circuit Court. Baptiste faces second degree murder and five counts of assault and battery; Kidd faces second degree murder and two counts of assault and battery; and Wilson faces a charge of second degree murder.
“What deputies did to Rolin Hill in that jail cell was savage.” said Attorney Kenneth LaDuca. “Criminal charges are a start. This lawsuit is about making sure every officer and institution that failed Rolin answers for their actions leading to Rolin’s death.”
The suit asserts violations of Hill’s constitutional rights and brings wrongful death and survival claims under Virginia law. It seeks compensatory damages of $25 million per defendant, punitive damages, and attorneys’ fees and costs. The case is styled Hill v. Virginia Beach Sheriff’s Office, et al., Circuit Court for the City of Virginia Beach (Case No. CL26-3002).
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Through his work, nationally renowned civil rights and personal injury attorney Ben Crump has spearheaded a legal movement to better protect the rights of marginalized citizens. He has led landscape-changing civil rights cases and represented clients in a wide range of areas including civil rights, personal injury, labor and employment, class actions, and more. Ben Crump Law is dedicated to holding the powerful accountable. For more information, visit bencrump.com
