FLORIDA (Washington Insider Magazine) – Authorities announced Thursday that three Florida penitentiary officials were detained on charges of murder after allegedly beating a prisoner to death, whereas a fourth remained at large.
The Florida Department of Law Enforcement said Ronald Connor, 24, Kirk Walton, 34, and Christopher Rolon, 29, were detained Thursday after a months-long investigation into the horrific event at the Dade Correctional Institution in Miami-Dade County.
According to prison records, they were detained on various conspiracy counts, namely second-degree murder, cruel treatment of a detainee, and aggravated battery of an elderly adult. Information about the attorney was not easily obtainable.
Law enforcement did not disclose any other information about the fourth prison officer who is being sought.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, which led the investigation with the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, the event took place on the morning of February 14, just before the prisoner was supposed to be moved to a detention center in Lake County.
After the inmate allegedly sprayed urine on an official, he was handcuffed and taken from his psychiatric unit cell, where police “began to beat him,” said a statement from the Florida Department of Law Enforcement.
The detainee, whose identity was withheld by the authorities, was confined alone in a van compartment. He was discovered dead during a halt near Ocala, about a 300-mile journey from Dade Correctional Institution, police said.
According to the Florida Department of Law Enforcement, the prisoner died of internal injuries caused by a punctured lung. According to the agency, he also suffered bruises to his face and body that were “consistent with a beating.”
According to ABC NEWS, the Florida Department of Corrections first placed ten officials on administrative leave as a result of the event. According to the department, one officer resigned as a result of it.
The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, which is investigating the case, will hold a media briefing alongside the Florida Department of Law Enforcement and the Florida Department of Corrections on Friday afternoon to provide further information on the criminal allegations.