STARKE, Fla., Feb. 15 (UPI) -- After deliberating 3-1/2 hours Friday, a Bradford County, Fla., jury of five men and one woman found three former prison guards charged in the beating death of a Death Row inmate innocent on all counts.
The quick verdict in the death of Frank Valdes came after a four-week trial in which more than 40 witnesses testified.
Timothy Thornton, 36, Charles Brown, 28, and Jason Griffis, 28, were working as corrections officers at Florida State Prison in July 1999 when Valdes, 36, died. They were charged with second-degree murder, conspiracy to commit aggravated assault, battery on an inmate and official misconduct. Had they been convicted of murder, they faced a maximum penalty of life in prison.
At the beginning of the trial, defense attorneys claimed Valdes died of self-inflicted wounds. In closing arguments, which lasted 12 hours, they admitted he had been beaten to death, but by someone other than their clients. They said the state had failed to prove its case against them.
Prosecution witnesses, many of whom are prison inmates, told of hearing Valdes being beaten on two occasions in July after seeing the defendants and other officers go to his cell.
Medical examiner William Hamilton testified that Valdes died of multiple blunt force trauma, including kicking wounds. The victim's chest was completely collapsed and he had numerous rib fractures.
Hamilton said there was no way he could have self-inflicted the fatal injuries.
Only one defense attorney, Gloria Fletcher, who represented Thornton, presented any witnesses.
They included a stun gun manufacturer, who said there was no sign such a deterrent had been used on Valdes, and two corrections officers who talked about a gas grenade that might have been thrown into Valdes' cell by her client.
Defense attorneys questioned the credibility of inmate witnesses in their closing arguments, saying they had no reason to tell the truth.
The defense pointed out there was no way to tell who had administered the fatal blows and suggested it might have been five other former corrections officers scheduled to be tried later. All of the accused officers were fired after their arrests.
Valdes was sentenced to death in the 1987 murder of corrections officer Fred Griffis during an attempted escape from a South Florida prison. He had a long criminal record and was in a special disciplinary wing of the prison at the time of his death.
Relatives and friends of the defendants left the courtroom smiling and appeared to be very happy with the verdict.
