More than a year after an inmate was allegedly raped and beaten to death by his cellmate inside a Philadelphia prison, his family is demanding the government be held accountable.
Father of three Kevante Washington, 31, was serving the final months of his 8-year sentence on drug and gun charges in the Federal Detention Center of Philadelphia, when loved ones said he was sexually assaulted and fatally beaten by his cellmate in May 2023, according to the Delaware News Journal.
The lawsuit filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania Wednesday, and reviewed by the Lawyer Herald, seeks compensatory damages against the U.S. Bureau of Prisons, accusing it of negligence and wrongful death.
"It has been over a year without any information about what happened," Washington's mother, Cynthia Santiago, told the Journal Friday. "We deserve answers. His three children deserve answers. The public deserves answers."
The filing identified Robert Smith as Washington's cellmate and alleged attacker. No criminal charges have been filed against him in connection with Washington's death, however he remains imprisoned on drug charges.
"There are only two people in the cell. It doesn't take Sherlock Holmes to figure out who the perpetrator is," Emeka Igwe, the family's attorney said, according to the paper. "This isn't a whodunit kind of mystery. We know who did it. They know who did it. What is the delay?"
The filing alleges the prison was understaffed and "negligently failed to prevent the attack" on Washington, after he had previously warned prison staff "of threats to his life," the documents read.
Prison officials allegedly failed to act in a timely manner when the attack was happening, according to the filing.
According to his autopsy, Washington suffered from multiple contusions and lacerations all over his body, the lawsuit states. There was also evidence of rape.
He succumbed to his injuries at a hospital the next day.
Washington leaves behind two daughters, ages 13 and 9, and a son, age 8.
