Three Florida correctional officers charged with murder

Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE). (Florida Department of Law Enforcement)

MIAMI, Fla. – Agents with the Florida Department of Law Enforcement (FDLE) arrested three correctional officers accused of murdering an inmate at Dade Correctional Institution (CI) on February 14, 2022,” the FDLE said in a press release today.

The officers, Christopher Rolon, 29, Kirk Walton, 34, and Ronald Connor, 24, are each charged with murder.

FDLE agents from Jacksonville and Miami, with assistance from the Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office, began the investigation at the request of the Florida Department of Corrections, the FDLE said.

According to the FDLE, in the early morning of February 14, a Dade CI inmate was scheduled to be transferred to Lake CI. Prior to being removed from his cell in the mental health unit, the inmate reportedly threw urine on one officer.

Correctional officers were able to place handcuffs on him and remove him from his single cell.

After the inmate was removed, even though he was in handcuffs and compliant with officer commands, agents say the officers began to beat him.

The inmate was beaten so badly he had to be carried to the transport van, the FDLE said. Once inside, he was placed in a secure compartment by himself.

According to the FDLE, the van made a stop in Ocala where the inmate was found deceased, laying on a bench inside the van.

The Medical Examiner determined the death was caused by a punctured lung leading to internal bleeding. In addition, the inmate had injuries to his face and torso consistent with a beating.

Rolon, Walton and Connor were arrested this morning and booked into the Turner Guilford Knight Correctional Center.

One correctional officer remains at large.

The Miami-Dade State Attorney’s Office will prosecute this case.