Attorney Michael Levine has filed a wrongful death suit for the unjust death of a 22-year-old prisoner at Federal Correctional Complex Coleman, one of the nation’s largest federal prisons.
Our client’s son, Davon Gillians, died in May 2021 after being beaten, pepper-sprayed by guards, and improperly restrained by guards while his prescription medication was withheld from him. The guards knew that Davon had sickle cell disease requiring daily treatment, but their neglect ultimately resulted in a cardiac arrest. The death was deemed a homicide by the medical examiner.
Now, our firm is representing Robert Conyers, Davon’s father, in his suit against multiple correctional officers responsible for Davon’s care as well as warden Bryan Antonelli, who knew there was a culture of abuse at the prison.
“My son made a mistake and was serving his time just like our justice system requires, but that doesn’t mean they get to punish him beyond what the law allows,” Robert said. “My son was killed and we must hold those responsible accountable.” Robert has been denied any details into his son’s death beyond a death certificate. Our firm has been told that the FBI and the Department of Justice Office of Inspector General are investigating Davon’s death.
Davon was due to be released this year.
What We Know
Davon was restrained for up to two days and then placed in a cell with an inmate with a reputation for violence. That inmate attacked Davon, and guards used excessive pepper spray in an attempt to break up the fight. Davon was in such poor condition that he was unable to get out of the cell on his own. At that time, rather than ensure Davon received much-needed medical treatment, officers placed him back in the restraint chair. Inmates at Coleman reportedly heard Davon crying for help, begging for water, and pleading that he was afraid he was going to die.
Shortly thereafter, Davon suffered cardiac arrest and was rushed to the emergency room, where he later died.
A Culture of Abuse
This is not the first time Coleman’s correctional officers have been under investigation. The women’s prison in the same complex was the subject of a lawsuit where 15 female inmates accused 6 guards of sexual abuse. Those guards admitted to “sexual contact,” but they were not prosecuted. The guards were then allowed to resign, some of them retaining their benefits.
STFBC Will Hold These Officers Accountable
Words cannot do justice to the horrific ways Davon was treated. No human being under any circumstances deserved to be treated this way. Our firm will not allow those responsible to sweep Davon’s death under the rug.
We will uncover the wrongdoing that occurred here, present it to a Florida jury, and get justice for Davon and his family.