A Manhattan corrections officer was charged with criminally negligent homicide over accusations she ignored an inmate's threats to kill himself

• Prosecutors say Ryan Wilson told an officer he'd kill himself if he wasn't let out of his jail cell.
• Capt. Rebecca Hillman is accused of failing to respond even minutes after Wilson hanged himself.
• Hillman was charged Monday with criminally negligent homicide and filing a false report.

A Manhattan corrections officer was charged with criminally negligent homicide on Monday after prosecutors said she ignored an inmate's warnings that he would kill himself and told colleagues he was just "playing."

On November 22, Ryan Wilson, a 29-year-old inmate at the Manhattan Detention Complex, told an officer that he would kill himself if he was not let out of his cell, a Monday statement from the office of Manhattan District Attorney Cy Vance said.

The statement said that the officer told Capt. Rebecca Hillman she was "needed immediately" but that Hillman instead began filling out paperwork in a different room.

After roughly 10 minutes, the statement said, Wilson hanged himself in front of the unnamed officer, who the statement said requested that the door to Wilson's cell be opened so Wilson could be assisted.

The statement said that moments later, Hillman appeared and told other inmates that Wilson was just "playing."

She's accused of allowing the cell door to be opened but refusing to allow anyone to enter over concerns Wilson "was faking it because he was still breathing." The statement said she then asked for nonemergency backup but said the door should be kept closed in the meantime.

Only about 15 minutes after Wilson hanged himself did Hillman order a medical team to respond, Vance's statement said. The statement said that officers felt a faint pulse at that point but that Wilson had died by the time the medical team arrived. The scene was captured on video, according to CBS2.

On Monday, a Manhattan criminal court charged Hillman, 38, with criminally negligent homicide and filing a false report, The New York Times said. Hillman pleaded not guilty.

Prosecutors said Hillman lied in her official report, which said she had asked for Wilson to be cut down "immediately," ABC7 reported.

"As alleged in the indictment, the death of Ryan Wilson wasn't just a tragedy - it was a crime," Vance said in his statement.

"Our investigation shows that Captain Hillman ordered her subordinates not to take potentially life-saving measures to help Mr. Wilson, and failed to call for medical assistance expediently. This callous disregard for Mr. Wilson's safety resulted in an irreversible loss to his family and friends, and must be held criminally accountable."

CBS2 reported that several of Hillman's colleagues, also correction officers, testified against her in front of a grand jury. If convicted, she could face four years in prison.

"She delayed 15 minutes of opening the cell of Ryan Wilson. That 15 minutes could have saved his life. He would have been here today if that cell was opened," the Rev. Kevin McCall, a New York civil-rights figure who is acting as a spokesman for Wilson's family, told CBS2.

McCall told The Times that Hillman must also be fired.

"We're not satisfied, because this correction officer, this captain who took an oath to protect the inmates and provide safety for the inmates is still working for the Correction Department," he said.

Wilson had been on parole hold in the detention complex since October after being charged with robbery. Wilson's lawyer said he had depression but had never tried to kill himself before, The Times reported.