A Broward inmate is facing several charges after allegedly beating his cellmate to death at the county's Main Jail back in December.
According to an arrest report, 35-year-old Kevin Barnes was caught on surveillance video choking cellmate Janard Geffrard for two minutes before stomping on the victim inside their shared cell on December 16th. The attack lasted at least 20 minutes, the arrest report said.
A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy found Geffrard unresponsive on the floor almost a half an hour after the attack, bleeding from his mouth, the report said.
Get South Florida local news, weather forecasts and entertainment stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC South Florida newsletters.
According to the report, surveillance footage captured Barnes walking in their shared cell at 4:21 p.m. and was out of view to the left side where the toilet was located. Three minutes later, the video showed Barnes place Geffrard in a chokehold, the report said.
Barnes then paced around the cell for 10 minutes and at 4:36 p.m., began stomping his feet on Geffrard’s head and upper torso. More than 20 minutes into the attack, a deputy opened the cell door, and found Geffrard lying unresponsive against the wall, the report said.
The arrest report added that Barnes did not attempt to notify deputies of Geffrard’s condition nor did he try to get help.
Local
After being read his rights, Barnes later admitted to investigators he choked Geffrard because “he did not agree with his lifestyle because he was gay,” and that he “smelled and never cleaned himself," the report said.
He also said he kicked Geffrard to check if he was alive and decided to stop attacking him to “spare his life," the arrest report said.
Following the attack, Geffrard was transported by Fort Lauderdale Fire Rescue to Broward General Hospital in critical condition with fractures to his left rib and sternum and bruising in his lungs, the arrest report said.
The lawyer representing the Geffrard family said the victim was declared brain dead on December 26th then died five days later.
The lawyer is now calling for justice and says there needs to be a thorough investigation.
Officials said BSO’s Internal Affairs Unit has an open and active administrative investigation into the incident, and two BSO employees, a detention deputy and a detention technician, are currently on administrative investigative leave with pay, officials said.
Barnes is facing several charges including attempted felony murder and evidencing prejudice while committing the offense.
