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| Prison officer charged with murder in inmate death |
| By Arizona Daily Star |
| Published: 04/28/2004 |
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A veteran Arizona Department of Corrections officer has been charged with second-degree murder in connection with the November beating death of an inmate at the Tucson state prison, officials said Tuesday. Officer Ronald Cuestas, 43, also faces a charge of conspiracy to commit aggravated assault with a deadly weapon or dangerous instrument for the Nov. 6 death of Timothy Sweet, 40. Neither DOC officials nor authorities with the Pima County Attorney's Office would say exactly what role Cuestas is believed to have played in the death, although they said other people may face charges, too. An attorney for Candy Lovett, Sweet's sister, said talks with officials lead her to believe at least one inmate was involved, although she and Lovett have been frustrated by the lack of information that's been released. Attorney Erin Alavez also is preparing a wrongful death claim against the state, though Alavez said she and Lovett were pleased by the decision to file charges. Meanwhile, the officer's attorney, Michael Bloom, said he was "extremely disappointed" by the charges and predicted that Cuestas, a father of four, will be exonerated. Few details have been released about the incident since Sweet, serving a 17-year prison term, was found dead in his locked cell with his cellmate during what DOC officials said was a "routine check" at the prison at 10000 S. Wilmot Road. Nothing unusual was suspected at first, despite Sweet's young age, because he had health problems, DOC spokeswoman Cam Hunter said. An autopsy reported he had hepatitis and a rare necrosis - an area of dead tissue - of the liver. It was only after the post- mortem examination, Hunter said, that the agency realized he had been killed. That exam showed Sweet died of multiple blows, including a skull fracture and several broken ribs. The blows to his chest also resulted in a lacerated spleen, doctors found. Cuestas, who's been with the DOC since 1985, was placed on paid administrative leave shortly after the death and hasn't been allowed to return to his $33,470-a-year job since. Hunter called the incident an anomaly, and said there's no evidence of any pattern of crimes in the prison. Among other precautions, Hunter said officials have been rotating officers in the unit to ensure they don't work with the same inmates on a regular basis. She said officials also are reviewing the incident internally, to determine if anything else could have prevented it - or to keep incidents like it from happening in the future. The charges were filed last week, and Cuestas was formally notified Friday, said David Berkman, chief criminal deputy at the Pima County Attorney's Office. He added that the officer has a preliminary hearing May 17, in which officials hope to show that there's enough evidence for a trial. |
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