On July 17, 1999, death row inmate Frank Valdes (October 28, 1962 – July 17, 1999) was killed at

Florida State Prison Florida State Prison (FSP), otherwise known as Raiford Prison, is a correctional institution located in unincorporated Bradford County, Florida. It was formerly known as the "Florida State Prison-East Unit" as it was originally part of Florida St ...

in Bradford County. That morning, nine correctional officers, carrying stun guns,Bragg, Rick.
F.B.I. Joins Investigation Into Florida Inmate's Death
" ''

The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...

''. July 29, 1999. Retrieved on June 28, 2014. entered his cell and beat him to death.Brown, Julie K.
Prison death is one of several raising questions in Florida

. ''

Miami Herald The ''Miami Herald'' is an American daily newspaper owned by the McClatchy Company and headquartered in Doral, Florida, a List of communities in Miami-Dade County, Florida, city in western Miami-Dade County, Florida, Miami-Dade County and the M ...

''. June 14, 2014. Retrieved on June 28, 2014.

Background

Valdes had a death sentence resulting from the 1987 fatal shooting of

Glades Correctional Institution The Glades Correctional Institution was a Florida Department of Corrections state prison for men in unincorporated Palm Beach County, Florida, near Belle Glade.

Correctional Officer Fred Griffis. At the time, Valdes was attempting to assist an inmate escape.Word, Ron.
Correctional officers acquitted on all charges in slaying of death row inmate
(). ''

Associated Press The Associated Press (AP) is an American non-profit news agency headquartered in New York City. Founded in 1846, it operates as a cooperative, unincorporated association. It produces news reports that are distributed to its members, U.S. newspa ...

'' at ''

WLTV WLTV-DT (channel 23) is a television station in Miami, Florida, United States, airing programming from Univision. It is one of two flagship stations of the Spanish-language network (the other being WXTV-DT in the New York City market). WLTV-DT ...

''. Updated February 15, 2002. Retrieved on June 28, 2014. Fellow inmate William Van Poyck (July 4, 1954 – June 12, 2013) was sentenced to death for his role in Griffis' murder, and was executed on June 12, 2013. After Valdes' death, prosecutors of the state criminal trial stated that the attack on him was due to a desire to prevent him from discussing mistreatment of inmates with reporters.3 Guards Acquitted In Death of Inmate
" ''

''. February 16, 2002. Retrieved on June 28, 2014. The

Florida Department of Corrections The Florida Department of Corrections operates state prisons in the U.S. state of Florida. It has its headquarters in Florida's capital of Tallahassee. The Florida Department of Corrections operates the third largest state prison system in the ...

(FDC) stated that Valdes had threatened one of the officers, leading to an extraction team to be called to his cell.1999

.

. Retrieved on June 28, 2014.

Beating

The incident occurred in the X-Wing area of the prison. Inmates stated that the correctional officers placed the body in a hallway and used bleach to clean the Valdes cell; the inmates stated that the officers placed Valdes' body in another cell and then called 911. The autopsy showed prints of correctional officer boots in Valdes' skin, and he also had broken ribs. Valdes was pronounced dead at the Shands Hospital in Starke. That day, the

Florida Department of Law Enforcement The Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) is a state-wide investigative law enforcement agency within the state of Florida. The department formally coordinates eight boards, councils, and commissions. FDLE's duties, responsibilities and ...

(FDLE) was notified about the incident. It was alleged that Valdes committed suicide by diving off of his bunk and hitting the bars of the cell. The FDLE ruled that he died due to a beating. The nine officers, who were suspended from their jobs, refused to talk. This prompted the

Federal Bureau of Investigation The Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) is the domestic intelligence and security service of the United States and its principal federal law enforcement agency. Operating under the jurisdiction of the United States Department of Justice, ...

(FBI) to join the FDLE investigation.

Trial

Captain Timothy Alvin Thornton, Sergeant Charles Austin Brown, Sergeant Jason Patrick "J.P." Griffis, and Sergeant Robert William Sauls were indicted by an

Alachua County, Florida Alachua County ( ) is a county in the north central portion of the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 278,468. The county seat is Gainesville, the home of the University of Florida since 1906, when the campus ope ...

grand jury on February 3, 2000. The charges were second degree murder, official corruption, battery on an inmate, and aggravated battery. The other five guards also had charges. One defendant was acquitted in 2000. In 2002, Thornton, Griffis, and Brown were acquitted. The jury giving the verdict consisted of five men and one woman. Bill Cervone, the Florida State Attorney, dropped the remaining charges in 2002. Cervone argued that the trial was problematic since it was in

Bradford County, Florida Bradford County is a county in the U.S. state of Florida. As of the 2020 census, the population was 28,303. Its county seat and largest city is Starke. History New River County, as it was known at the time, was created in 1858 from segment ...

, where other prisons are located, and he also cited the two previous acquittals. Jason Griffis had no relation to Fred Griffis. Jason Griffis accused the trial of being politically motivated.

Aftermath

The Florida Department of Corrections fired all nine officers. Yolanda Murphy, the FDC spokesperson, stated that the nine had falsified reports and used excessive and/or unnecessary force and had, therefore, violated the Department's rules. Valdes' ex-wife and family brought civil suits. In 2002, officials from the

United States Department of Justice The United States Department of Justice (DOJ), also known as the Justice Department, is a federal executive department of the United States government tasked with the enforcement of federal law and administration of justice in the United State ...

(USDOJ) stated that they were considering bringing civil rights charges against the three officers.National Briefing , South: Florida: U.S. Weighs Charges For 3 Guards
" ''

''. February 23, 2002. Retrieved on June 28, 2014. As a result, the FDC added cameras in the X-Wing and began requiring the use of video cameras during cell extractions and planned use of force events.

Background

Beating

Trial

Aftermath

See also