On July 17, 1999, death row inmate Frank Valdes (born October 28, 1962) was killed in the Florida State Prison. That morning, nine prison officers, carrying an electric pistol, entered his cell and beat him.
Video Death of Frank Valdes
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Valdes has a death sentence resulting from the fatal shootings of 1987 Glades Prison Officer Glades Fred Griffis. At that time, Valdes was trying to help a prisoner escape. Fellow inmate William van Poyck was sentenced to death for his role in the Griffis killing, and was executed on June 12, 2013.
Prosecutors from state criminal proceedings stated that the Valdes attack was due to a desire to prevent him discussing the ill-treatment of detainees with journalists. The Florida Repair Department stated that Valdes had threatened one of the officers, causing the extraction team to be called into his cell. Being
The incident took place in the X-Wing area in prison. Prisoners state that correctional officers place the body in the hallway and use bleach to clean Valdes cells; the inmate stated that the officer placed Valdes's body in another cell and was then called 911. The autopsy resulted in a prisoner's shoe print on Valdes's skin, and he also broke a rib. Valdes was declared dead at Shands Hospital in Starke. That day, the Florida Law Enforcement Department (FDLE) was notified of the incident.
The DOC decides that Valdes committed suicide by diving from his bed and hitting the bars of the cell. FDLE decided that he died of beatings. Nine officers, who were suspended from their work, refused to speak. This encourages the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) to join the FDLE investigation.
Maps Death of Frank Valdes
Trial
Captain Timothy Alvin Thornton, Sergeant Charles Austin Brown, Sergeant Jason Patrick "J.P." Griffis and Sergeant Robert William Sauls were indicted by a grand jury of Alachua County, Florida on February 3, 2000. The charges were second-degree murder, official corruption, battery life on a prisoner, and batteries worsened. Five other guards also had charges. One defendant was released in 2000. In 2002, Thornton, Griffis, and Brown were released. The judging jury consists of five men and one woman. Bill Cervone, Florida State Attorney, dropped the remaining charges in 2002. Cervone argued that the trial was problematic because it was in Bradford County, Florida, where another prison was located, and he also cited two previous releases.
Jason Griffis has nothing to do with Fred Griffis. Jason Griffis accused the court of political motives.
Aftermath
The Correction Department dismissed the nine officers. Yolanda Murphy, a DOC spokesperson, stated that the nine had faked the report and used excessive and/or unnecessary force and therefore violated Department rules. Valdez's ex-wife and family brought civilian clothes. In 2002, US Department of Justice (USDOJ) officials stated that they were considering filing civil rights claims against the three officers.
As a result, the Florida Repair Department added cameras in the X-Wing and began requiring the use of video cameras during cell capture and planning the use of force events.
See also
- Death of Darren Rainey
- The Death of Marcia Powell
- Rodney Hulin's suicide
- Liam Ashley's murder
References
External links
- "Message from the Secretary" (Archive). Florida Department of Corrections. May 10, 2002.
- Word, Ron. "Closes the argument set for Starke's murder trial against the correctional officer" (Archive). Associated Press at WTLV . February 15, 2002.
Source of the article : Wikipedia
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