By Ashley Garst
C1 Editor
It was a quiet evening at home for Teresa Rivera before the news came in the next morning: Correctional Officer Eric Williams had been stabbed to death by an inmate.
Teresa had never met Officer Williams. Her home in Merced, Calif. is nearly 3000 miles across the country from the federal prison in northeastern Pennsylvania where he was slain.
But the tragedy hit her and her family hard – nearly five years ago, her brother, Jose Rivera, was the last CO to be killed on the job. “It was like it was happening all over again,” she said of the moment she learned that Williams had been killed Feb. 25.
On June 20, 2008, Officer Rivera was just a half hour short of finishing his shift at the US Penitentiary Atwater. He was wrapping up an inmate count, locking cell doors one by one when he was attacked by two inmates and fatally stabbed.
“It’s been hard living without him,” Teresa said. “You just learn to accept the fact that they won’t be with you any longer.”
Seeing justice done has been a long, slow process for the Rivera family. Earlier this month, The Fresno Bee reported the two inmates accused of the killing will finally go on trial in July of next year.
Prosecutors and defense attorneys had both wanted even more time, proposing that the trial start in early 2015, according to the article. But a judge ruled that the case “has already suffered” sufficient delay over the past five years due to a combination of procedural complications and a pretrial appeal over a mental competency hearing.
Federal authorities are currently investigating an inmate for the murder of Williams.
The suspect, identified as Jessi Con-ui, 36, was serving time in federal prison on drug charges. Con-ui was also sentenced to life in prison for a murder in Arizona in 2002.
For many, Williams’ death nearly five years after Rivera was slain shows a lack of changes in a system that seemingly continues to put its employees last.
Teresa described pushing to get corrections officers the stab-proof vests that her brother should have had at the time of the incident. Following Williams’ murder, the Federal Bureau of Prisons announced it will issue pepper spray to officers at high-security prisons, including the Wayne County facility where Williams was killed.
But Teresa says that’s not all they should be doing.
“More staffing is needed so that officers aren’t alone when something like this happens,” she said. “If Jose had had someone with him, he would have had a better chance.”
Rivera was working alone that night, with only a radio as a body alarm, keys, and a pair of handcuffs. Williams was also working alone and supervising over 100 inmates.
Overcrowding continues to be an issue across the U.S., with corrections officers working solo to oversee hundreds of inmates, leaving them prone to attacks. Both officers were ambushed before being killed.
Both prisons have been cited for safety issues following the corrections officers’ deaths, which had been complained about beforehand by staff but, according to reports, ignored by management.
But even if these things change, it won’t bring back Teresa’s brother. Every day is a struggle, knowing that things could have turned out differently.
“If they don’t give corrections officers the tools they need, yes, this could happen again,” she said.
“Be safe, be on the lookout. You do a job that’s really dangerous, and we are thankful for what you do,” she said, speaking to the corrections community. “We are trying to get you the things you need.”