Prisoner dies after beating in cell 105 at Quatre Camins, family reports lack of intervention
Manuel Moreno, 49, was found dead in Quatre Camins prison following an assault by his cellmate. An inmate in the adjacent cell stated he heard blows for an hour without staff intervening.
Death in cell 105
Manuel Moreno, 49, was found dead on 17 September in cell 105 of the disciplinary wing of Quatre Camins prison, according to El País. His cellmate, Ismael Boutaleb, 27, has been charged as the alleged perpetrator of the assault. Boutaleb was moved to that cell after a fight with another inmate in module 3, where he spent 20 minutes in isolation before being housed with Manuel.
The sequence of events was documented in statements given to the Mossos d'Esquadra. After 21:20, when the nightly headcount was ending, prisoners in cell 106 began hearing noise. One of them stated that he heard his neighbour screaming whilst continuous blows could be heard. "Manuel uttered inarticulate screams and did not say any words. The blows and Manuel's screams lasted half an hour. Afterwards blows continued to be heard for a while. Throughout the entire sequence, the blows were heard for an hour," the witness told investigators.
Late intervention by staff
For an hour, inmates in adjacent cells shouted for the assault to stop and banged on the walls to alert staff, according to the statements recorded. It was not until 23:22 that the neighbours used the intercom to alert staff. The officer in charge contacted cell 105, and Ismael responded: "Nothing's wrong, it's already sorted, but you should come." Manuel did not respond to the worker's calls.
When staff accessed the cell, they found Ismael "sitting on a chair smoking a cigarette". Manuel was on the floor, lifeless, with a sheet around his neck. When asked what had happened, Ismael responded with "complete coldness": "Yes, I hit him a bit," according to a staff member's statement to the Mossos.
Questions about custody and prevention
Manuel's family questions the centre's decisions regarding shared accommodation. Tino, the victim's brother, asked: "How is the selection made? If he comes with problems with another prisoner, why do you put him there?" and "Why do they take so long? Why don't they act sooner?" The brothers wore deep mourning. "Until the grief passes," they replied when asked how long they would maintain the mourning period.
According to the head of services at Quatre Camins cited by the Mossos, the centre's policy is to house inmates together "to prevent self-harm". Manuel had spent several days in the disciplinary wing for reasons that his relatives do not know. Boutaleb, with numerous previous convictions, had arrived at Quatre Camins from Mas d'Enric prison (Tarragona) for property-related offences.
Legal proceedings and statements
The Public Prosecutor maintains that Manuel died from the "brutal assault" by Ismael, who after the beating "lit a cigarette and remained there sitting impassively", showing no "signs of having his intellectual or volitional capacities impaired", nor "any sign of remorse". Before the judge, Ismael claimed they had argued because Manuel did not want anyone in the cell, that Manuel had started the fight, and that he was not aware of having caused his death. His defence has requested a psychiatric evaluation.
Tino states: "I cannot get it out of my head that this could have been prevented". The family demands responsibility not only from the attacker, but also from the prison and the Generalitat. "The guilty one is him, let him pay. But also the prison, and the Generalitat. Let them accept that they made a mistake," he says.
Family context
Manuel was the eldest of the male siblings in a family of nine children, had no children, and had been in prison for approximately two years. His mother, Dolores, 79, visited her son regularly and spoke to him daily. Since his death, "she has been devastated," according to Ricardo, his 33-year-old brother.
The Justice Department confirmed that an internal investigation has been opened in addition to the judicial investigation. In a statement released on the day of the incident, it assured that professionals acted "immediately", that management was "in contact with the family" and that they had been offered "the available support". The administration also stressed that "the two inmates had no record of incompatibility".
Source: El País