A prisoner who was allegedly tortured, beaten and sexually assaulted by a prison gang just 14 days before he was due to be released has died, his family revealed.
Daniel Williams, 22, was serving a 12-month sentence for second-degree robbery at the Staton Correctional Facility in Elmore, Alabama, when a guard reportedly found him unconscious in his dorm on October 22.
Upon arrival at the hospital, he was declared brain dead and provided palliative care, his family described in a GoFundMe campaign. He was taken off life support on November 5 and died four days later.
The warden reportedly told his family that Williams had suffered a “drug overdose,” but prison insiders told the Political reporter from Alabama that he had been “kidnapped, tied up, assaulted and sold out” by another prisoner “for two or three days.”
His father Terry Williams and stepmother Taylor Bostic claim 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 during 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 found him unconscious in his dorm on October 22. He was then hospitalized and put on a ventilator.
The hospital removed Williams from life support on November 5. He was then 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 suffering a drug overdose 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 noted bruises and injuries consistent with an attack on his body.
“I went to him, he’s beaten and bruised and you can see where his hands were tied. I mean, you can see it’s clearly not a drug overdose,” Bostic told the newspaper.
“And then (Terry) called the principal and asked him why on earth he was telling us his son was dying of a drug overdose when it was clearly an assault. And all he could say after that was that it is being investigated.”
In addition to bruises and apparent bindings, Bostic claims a nurse told her and Mr. Williams that there were “visible handprint bruises between Daniel’s legs.”
The family says they requested a rape kit, but claims their request was initially denied. They allege that hospital staff ultimately conducted the Nov. 1 investigation after an attorney was involved. The results of the kit are unclear.
The hospital removed Williams from life support on November 5 and was reportedly told that if he did not die within 10 days, a warden would have to decide whether or not he should return to prison.
The 22-year-old was then transferred to a medical unit at Kilby Correctional Center on November 9 and died shortly afterwards. after his arrival.
The warden reportedly told his family that Williams (pictured) had suffered a ‘drug overdose’, but prison insiders claim he was ‘kidnapped, tied up, assaulted and sold out’ by another inmate ‘over two or three days’.
Mr Williams and Bostic say they are now committed to getting justice for Williams, who left behind a son and daughter, both aged one year.
“We have to stop this,” said the outraged father. ‘If I can save a few lives. You know. I am grateful.’
The couple has retained a lawyer and claims the hospital has refused to respond to his lawyer’s questions. a crowdfunding campaign was established to assist with funeral expenses 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 the Staton Correctional Facility. Inmate Williams was found unconscious in his dorm and was transported to the health care unit.
“Medical staff treated Williams and monitored his condition. The decision was made to transfer him to an area hospital for further evaluation and treatment.”
Federal authorities have been investigating violence in Alabama prisons since 2019, after the Justice Department released a report alleging that prison conditions violated inmates’ civil rights.
The report alleged that the state had not taken enough measures to prevent violence and sexual abuse between prisoners, to protect them from excessive force by staff and to provide safe conditions for confinement.
His father Terry Williams and stepmother Taylor Bostic say they are now committed to getting justice for Williams, (pictured) who left behind a son and daughter, both aged one year.
The Equal Justice Initiative, a nonprofit organization that advocates for prisoners’ rights, has branded Williams’ death “tragic” and “preventable,” claiming that cases like his are “all too common in America’s prisons.” Alabama’. Williams is pictured with an unknown lover
The DOJ then sued Alabama over “unsafe” prison conditions in 2020.
The Equal Justice Initiative (EJI), a nonprofit organization that advocates for the rights of prisoners, has branded Williams’ death “tragic” and “preventable,” claiming that cases like his are “all too common in the prisons of Alabama’.
The EJI also states that in ‘many cases’ medical emergencies are dismissed by prison staff as ‘intoxication’ or ‘the fault’ of the prisoners. The advocacy group claims that deaths could often have been prevented if the ‘person had been treated in time’.
MailOnline has reached out to the Williams family and the Alabama Department of Corrections for comment.