In an alarming incident that has sparked widespread outrage, a 22-year-old man named Daniel Williams met a tragic end within the walls of Alabama’s Staton Correctional Facility.
This unsettling occurrence, highlighting the grave issues within the state’s prison system, has resulted in a call for justice and accountability.
The Case
Daniel, a young father who was nearing the end of his 12-month sentence for second-degree theft, was found unresponsive in his dormitory on October 22.
Upon being rushed to the hospital, he was declared brain dead, and after being taken off life support, he passed away a few days later.
His fiancée, Amber Williams, told WVTM: “I went to the hospital, and the nurses told me that he was assaulted and beaten really badly. And when I went into the room, he had bruises all down his arm, like down to his fingers, he had bruises over here. He had cuts up and down and bruises on his legs. And it was bad,” she told the outlet.
Family’s Allegations
The Williams family, left to deal with the shock and grief of their loss, alleges that Daniel was subjected to brutal physical and sexual assault in the days leading up to his death. Terry Williams, Daniel’s father, has hired an attorney to seek justice.
Taylor Bostic, Daniel’s stepmother, and Terry Williams’ wife, said a doctor apparently told their family that Daniel was “in a coma long before he ever got medical attention.”
“When we went to see him he’s beaten and bruised up and you can tell where his hands were bound,” said Williams’ stepmother.
“Somebody’s got to pay for it, and I’m not backing down. It’s my son,” Terry Williams, Daniel Williams’ father, told Fox News Digital. “I’ll go to my grave with this if I have to.”
“Of course, we’re sad, but we’re angry. We’re angry that… they allowed this to happen. He was beaten for almost two days,” she said. “He was left unresponsive for half of a day before he was found. How?”
Read: Blood Leaking From New York Apartment Ceiling Leads To Arrest In Brutal Murder
Prison Insiders’ Claims
Insiders from the Staton Correctional Facility, who chose to remain anonymous, corroborate the family’s allegations.
They state that Daniel was “kidnapped, bound, assaulted and rented out” by another inmate for approximately “two or three days” before he was found.
Prison Authorities’ Response
Despite these serious claims, the prison warden allegedly informed the Williams family that Daniel had died of a drug overdose.
According to Alabama Political Reporter, Staton warden Joseph Headley notified Daniel’s father, Terry Williams on October 25 that his son was at Jackson Hospital.
He told them Daniel had suffered a drug overdose and was brain dead and on life support.
“I called the warden, and I cussed him. I said, Dude, you know this is not an overdose case? You know exactly what happened. How is this crap going to happen like this? Well, it’s under investigation right now. And that’s the last time I even talked to the warden,” Terry Williams said.
Concerns about Alabama’s Prisons
This tragic incident adds to the concerns over Alabama’s prison system.
Over the past two years, at least 12 prison officers working at Staton Correctional Facility and the adjoining Elmore and Draper prisons have been arrested for assaulting inmates.
In 2020, the Department of Justice filed a lawsuit against the state of Alabama, accusing it of failing to prevent inmate-on-inmate violence and sexual abuse and not protecting inmates from staff’s excessive force.
This led to a federal investigation of 13 men’s prisons in Alabama, including interviews with around 1,000 inmates.
Unanswered Questions
The Williams family’s ordeal raises several unanswered questions. They were not informed about Daniel’s hospitalization until three days after it occurred.
Moreover, Terry Williams’ request for a rape kit was reportedly denied until his lawyer intervened.
His family learned from other men at Staton that their son had been assaulted in a dormitory, tied up, “rented out,” and likely sexually abused for two to three days before he was removed from the dorm and given medical treatment.
Call for Justice
The tragic death of Daniel Williams has triggered a call for justice, not just for him, but for all inmates who have faced or are facing similar treatment.
“Deaths like that of Mr. Williams are tragic, preventable, and happen all too frequently in Alabama’s prisons,” said Equal Justice Initiative Director Bryan Stevenson. “EJI receives reports from medical care providers, family members, and other incarcerated witnesses every month, about prisoners whose medical emergencies are dismissed by untrained officers as intoxication or somehow their own fault. In many of these cases, had the person been treated in time, they would have survived.”
According to EJI, in 2017, 35-year-old Billy Smith was taken from the healthcare unit at Staton to Jackson Hospital for what the prison said was a possible drug overdose. He never regained consciousness, was later found to have a fractured skull, and died of blunt force trauma injuries.
An investigation found he had been assaulted by incarcerated people and officers at Elmore Correctional Facility. Officers then “hog-tied” him face down on a gurney and left him bleeding and vomiting for more than an hour.
Joseph Headley was the warden at Elmore at the time. He was interviewed by investigators and never reported any officer involvement, EJI reported.
An incarcerated man and a prison guard were later charged with manslaughter in the killing of Billy Smith; Mr. Headley was transferred to the head warden position at Staton.
In 2022, Victor Russo was taken to the hospital in Birmingham after he was found unresponsive with “apparent blunt force trauma injuries” in a cell at William Donaldson Correctional Facility. He died two days later.
One day before he collapsed, Mr. Russo had written a letter to Donaldson warden Phyllis Morgan telling her that Lt. Mohammad Jenkins had repeatedly struck him in the head while he was handcuffed. Mr. Jenkins also reportedly sprayed Mr. Russo in the mouth with mace during the assault.
Federal prosecutors charged Mr. Jenkins with assaulting Mr. Russo and another man incarcerated at Donaldson. But the Alabama Department of Corrections said “foul play is not suspected” in Mr. Russo’s death and classified the death in published statistical reports as “accidental.”
The Justice Department notified Alabama in 2019 that the conditions in its prisons, created by “understaffing, culture, management deficiencies, corruption, policies, training, non-existent investigations, violence, illicit drugs, and sexual abuse,” violate the Eighth Amendment rights of incarcerated people by subjecting them to an extreme risk of harm.
Since October 2016, when federal prosecutors launched an investigation, at least 98 people have been killed in Alabama’s prisons. Hundreds more have died from preventable causes, such as suicides and drug overdoses.
Overall mortality has also skyrocketed. ADOC reported more deaths in custody last year than in any previous year in the state’s history.
GoFundMe
Friends of Daniel’s family launched a GoFundMe page to help with burial costs.
“Our name is Elite Drain and Septic. We are creating this go-fund me to help out our employee, Terry Williams. Tammy and Terry Williams are having to make a decision to take their 22 year old son off life support on Sunday 11/05/2023,” said the organizer “This is a decision no parent should have to make. This baby was beaten , tortured and sexually assaulted at Staton Prison by a gang of people with only 14 days until his release. He was pronounced brain dead on arrival to the hospital. We are helping Terry and his family with funeral expenses. They have taken him off life support and will keep him comfortable until he passes. On Thursday, November 9th, Daniel gained his angel wings. They were not prepared for this sudden tragedy. Any donations and prayers will be greatly appreciated. Keep the family in your prayers.”
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