Broward inmate attacked by cellmate, deputies say. It’s part of jail’s troubled history

A Broward jail inmate was caught on tape choking his cellmate over his sexuality in a December attack that lasted at least 20 minutes, court records show. It’s just one of several incidents in recent years that the public defender says sheds light on the horrid conditions in the county’s jails.

Kevin Barnes, 35, is accused of ambushing 29-year-old Janard Geffrard in their shared cell on the seventh floor of the jail on Dec. 16. A Broward Sheriff’s Office deputy found Geffrard unresponsive on the floor almost half an hour after the attack.

“Otherwise healthy individuals are finding themselves dying or being neglected medically in the jail,” Broward Public Defender Gordon Weekes told the Miami Herald. “It has to come to an end.”

Geffrard was transported to Broward Health Medical Center in critical condition with sternum and left rib fractures and bruising in his lungs. He was declared brain dead, though he remains on life support until his organs are donated.

BSO spokesperson Carey Codd said the internal affairs unit has launched an administrative investigation into the incident.

“Two BSO employees, a detention deputy and a detention technician, are currently on administrative investigative leave with pay,” Codd said.

The attack came a month after Barnes was deemed incompetent due to mental illness in a probation violation and grand theft auto case from September. Geffrard was also found incompetent in November in a burglary case from June that was being heard in mental health court.

According to a report, surveillance footage captured Barnes walking into the cell at 4:21 p.m. and heading out of view to the left side where the toilet is located. Three minutes later, Barnes placed Geffrard in a chokehold.

Barnes, deputies say, then paced around the cell for 10 minutes. At 4:36 p.m., he began stomping his feet on Geffrard’s head and upper torso.

More than 20 minutes into the attack, a deputy headed upstairs and opened the cell door, according to the report. Barnes didn’t attempt to notify deputies of Geffrard’s condition nor did he try to get help.

Barnes later told investigators he choked Geffrard because it “upset him” that Geffrard is gay. He also said he kicked Geffrard to check if he was alive and decided to stop attacking him to “spare his life.

A cycle of neglect?

In a letter sent to Sheriff Gregory Tony on Thursday, Weekes pushed for outside oversight to curb abuse and neglect contributing to the conditions of Broward’s jails. Weekes, who has written to the sheriff after other incidents, said his suggestion for more crisis intervention training and deputy supervision “have fell on deaf ears.”

From 1995 to 2017, the jail was under a consent decree that set a population cap and required formal monitoring. As part of the agreement, BSO acknowledged jail conditions were unconstitutional. In 2021, the jail was again placed under a consent decree after the ACLU and BSO came to an agreement that ordered improved conditions to prevent COVID-19 outbreaks.

“Something’s going on in the jail that is creating this repeated pattern,” Weekes told the Miami Herald.

In the letter, Weekes also demanded greater transparency, including the release of the surveillance footage. Issues with staffing and response times, he said, must be addressed to prevent future incidents.

“Video surveillance is intended to protect inmates from the brutality of a beating or to reduce the likelihood of injury,” he said. “However, for video monitoring to be effective deputies must actually monitor the video feed.... Understaffing and holiday shortages are no excuse for the loss of life.”

A troubled history?

Almost 20 inmates have died while in custody since 2021, Weekes said. And that figure doesn’t encompass most violent incidents. Some include:

▪ In 2021, Kevin Lavira Desir, 43, died of brain injuries after a violent altercation with jail officers. Desir, who suffered from mental illness, was awaiting trial on criminal mischief and marijuana possession charges.

▪ In 2020, Joseph Williams, 26, died in BSO custody after he and his mother repeatedly asked for medical attention. Williams also had a long history of suffering from mental illness.

▪ In 2019, Sonny Rugani, 17, died by suicide even after he was admitted into the jail on suicide watch. Sonny was facing adult charges as a result of the state deciding to direct file — a practice where prosecutors send juveniles to adult court.

▪ In 2019, Tammy Jackson, a 34-year-old jailed and pregnant woman struggling with mental health issues, was forced to deliver her child alone in an “isolation cell.”

▪ In 2018, a 32-year-old inmate with mental health issues self-mutilated, cutting off his penis and flushing it down the toilet.