MIAMI — Multiple corrections officers at the Dade Correctional Institution (CI) were arrested and charged with murder Thursday. Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) said the charges stem from an inmate assault and murder Feb. 14.
Officers Christopher Rolon, 29, Kirk Walton, 34, and Ronald Connor, 24, each face a murder charge. Investigators believe one officer involved in the case is still at large but wasn't named.
The inmate was scheduled to be transferred to Lake CI on the morning of Feb. 14. Following an incident of the prisoner allegedly throwing urine at an officer, he was placed into handcuffs and removed from his cell.
That's when FDLE said the officers beat him, even though he was in handcuffs and obeying commands. According to FDLE, the inmate was severely injured and had to be carried to a transport van. The van made a stop in Ocala where the inmate was found dead inside.
A police medical examiner determined a punctured lung leading to internal bleeding caused the inmate's death. The inmate had injuries to his face and chest.
“In the past two and a half months, FDLE agents and analysts have worked more than 1,700 hours on this investigation, conducting more than 45 interviews and writing 77 investigative reports so far," FDLE Commissioner Rick Swearingen said. "I am proud of the work our members have done on this case and our partnership with State Attorney Rundle to ensure justice on behalf of the victim and his family.”
Rolon, Walton, and Connor were booked into Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center Thursday morning. FDLE said the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office will prosecute this case.
