Colorado prison guards ‘smiled’ at a gay prisoner who begged not to be put in cell with rapist
A man who was the victim of a devastating three-day hell of rape and beatings and forced to clean his own blood off the prison cell wall after prison guards refused to help him is suing the federal government.
The gay prisoner, who was housed in prison in Florence, in southern Colorado, has filed a lawsuit after prison guards ignored his plea to not share a room with the man, who had threatened to rape him prior to them sharing the cell.
The 21-year-old has alleged that several prison officers, including two senior ranking members of staff, paid no to little attention when alleged rapist William Mexican and his gang evicted him from the prison’s public grounds due to his sexuality.
The gang, known as The Boys, claimed that they would attack the victim if he did not enter segregation. When the prisoner made this known to the guards, he was punished for being “deceitful”, with one officer simply smiling at him, said The Denver Post.
Further allegations state that in spite of the victim being openly taunted, with the guards insisting “he would be fine” sharing a cell with Mexican.
Over the course of the next three days, the victim was repeatedly raped and beaten, suffering injuries to his rectum, ribs, chest and face. Mexican was said to have threatened to kill the victim if he spoke out.
In spite of the gay prisoner’s injuries, one prison guard laughed at the victim as he took him to hospital.
The victim is seeking compensatory damages for physical and emotional pain and suffering.
“This is malice. This is sadistic. They set him up to be beaten and raped and that is exactly what happened to him,” said the defendant’s Denver attorney David Lane to The Denver Post.
Alleged rapist Mexican originally entered the prison on sexual abuse charges in 2015. The lawsuit states that he carried out the attack so he didn’t look like he condoned the prisoner’s sexuality.
A date for the trial has not yet been set.
