An inmate who was allegedly tortured, beaten and sexually assaulted by a prison gang just 14 days before his scheduled release has died, his family has announced.
Daniel Williams, 22, was serving a 12-month sentence for second-degree theft at the Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore, Alabama, when a guard reportedly found him unresponsive in his dorm on October 22.
When he arrived at the hospital, he was declared brain dead and received palliative care, his family described in a GoFundMe campaign. He was taken off life support on November 5 and died four days later.
The guard apparently told his family that Williams had suffered a “drug overdose,” but insiders at the prison told the Alabama Political Reporter that he was “kidnapped, tied up, assaulted and sold” by another inmate for “two or three days.” be.
His father, Terry Williams, and stepmother, Taylor Bostic, claim that their son’s body showed signs of physical abuse, including that “his hands were tied.”
The couple claims Williams’ doctor described the alleged abuse as unlike anything he had ever seen in his 30-year medical career.
Daniel Williams, 22, was serving a 12-month sentence for second-degree theft at the Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore, Alabama, when a guard reportedly found him unresponsive in his dorm on October 22. He was taken off life support on November 5 and died four days later
The hospital withdrew Williams from life support on November 5. He was subsequently transferred to a medical unit at Kilby Correctional Center (pictured) on November 9 and died shortly after his arrival
Williams was reportedly taken to Jackson Hospital after allegedly suffering a drug overdose while in jail.
His family was not informed of his hospitalization until three days later, on October 25. They then visited him at the facility and found bruises and injuries consistent with an attack on his body.
“I visited him. He is beaten and bruised and you can see where his hands were tied. “I mean, you can tell it’s obviously not a drug overdose,” Bostic told the newspaper.
“And then [Terry] called the warden and asked him why the hell he told us his son was dying of a drug overdose when it was obviously an assault. And all he could say after that was that there was an investigation.’
Bostic claims that in addition to the bruises and obvious binding, a nurse told her and Mr. Williams that there were “visible handprints between Daniel’s legs.”
The family says they asked for a rape investigation to be conducted, but claim their request was initially rejected. They claim hospital staff finally examined him on November 1 after hiring a lawyer. The results of the kit are still unclear.
The hospital took Williams off life support on Nov. 5 and reportedly told him that a warden would have to decide whether he would have to return to prison if he did not die within 10 days.
The 22-year-old was then transferred to a medical unit at Kilby Correctional Center on November 9 and died shortly after his arrival.
The warden reportedly told his family that Williams (pictured) had suffered a “drug overdose,” but insiders at the prison claim he was “kidnapped, tied up, assaulted and sold for two or three days” by another inmate. been.
Mr. Williams and Bostic say they are now committed to getting justice for Williams, who left behind a son and a one-year-old daughter.
“We have to stop this,” said the outraged father. “If I can save a few lives, I’ll be grateful.”
The couple has a lawyer and claims the hospital has refused to respond to their lawyer’s requests. A crowdfunding campaign was launched to cover the funeral costs and other related costs.
The Alabama Department of Corrections has confirmed reports of a “possible inmate-on-inmate attack” on Oct. 22.
In a statement to Alabama.com, a spokesperson said, “On Sunday, October 22, 2023, a possible inmate-on-inmate attack was reported at Staton Correctional Facility.” Inmate Williams was found unresponsive in his residence hall and taken to the infirmary .
“Medical staff treated Williams and monitored his condition. “It was decided to transfer him to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment.”
His father, Terry Williams, and stepmother, Taylor Bostic, say they are now committed to getting justice for Williams (pictured), who left behind a one-year-old son and daughter
The Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of inmates, branded Williams’ death “tragic” and “preventable,” claiming that cases like this “are all too common in Alabama’s prisons.” Williams is pictured with an unknown loved one
Federal authorities have been investigating violence in Alabama prisons since 2019 after the Justice Department released a report alleging prison conditions violated inmates’ civil rights.
The report alleged that the state failed to take sufficient measures to prevent violence against inmates and sexual abuse, failed to protect them from excessive force by staff, and failed to provide safe prison conditions.
The DOJ sued Alabama in 2020 over its “unsafe” prison conditions.
The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of inmates, has branded Williams’ death “tragic” and “preventable,” claiming that cases like this “are all too common in Alabama’s prisons.” .
The EJI also argues that in “many cases” medical emergencies are dismissed by prison staff as “drunkenness” or the inmates’ “fault.” The advocacy group claims that deaths often could have been prevented if the person had received “timely treatment.”
Web has reached out to the Williams family and the Alabama Department of Corrections for comment.