Gay Victim's Mother Sues Prison Staff
The mother of a gay man who was killed in prison is suing the Warden and his staff members for not protecting him.
Rodriguez Burks was twenty three when he was killed last July at the Alger Correctional Facility by his cellmate, DeShawn Madden.
Burks had been sentenced to prison back in December of 2016 for recieivng stolen property and then running away and hiding from the cops. This caused him to be classified as level 4 security.
As for Madden, he was transferred to Alger on July 18, 2017 due to overcrowding at his last facility. He was sentenced for carjacking, armed robbery, and assault with intent to murder, thus causing his level 5 security status.
While Madden has since been convicted of 1st Degree Murder, Burks’ mother says justice isn’t fully served yet. As such, she’s filed a lawsuit.
More: Trump Shamefully Rolls Back Protections For Trans Prisoners
As the personal representative of Rodriguez Burks’ estate, Dequita Burks has filed a lawsuit with the help of the Geoffrey Fieger law firm.
“Although Madden was charged with the killing of Rodriguez Burks, each and every defendant, herein was the proximate cause of the murder,” the lawsuit states.
The lawsuit has named Warden Catherine S. Bauman, Deputy Warden Robert Wickstrom, prison Administrator Dean Potilla and 18 other staff members as their targets.
The lawsuit also states that all of those people knew that Burks was gay and that Madden was homophobic. Even worse, both men had asked to be separated and Madden even threatened to hurt Burks if he wasn't moved.
That’s not all. The lawsuit goes further to say that not only did the defendants fail to regularly check up on Burks, but that there may have been some racial discrimination behind it.
The lawsuit is ultimately seeking $75,000 in damages each for four counts including gross negligence, racial discrimination, and cruel and unusual punishment.
h/t: MLive
