A prisoner has died at the Hattieville Prison and his family says either the police or the prison is to blame for his death. 6 weeks ago, Ladyville Police say they picked up 43-year-old Stanley Hilton was and remanded him to prison on charges of burglary.
This morning Hilton was taken to his family in a coffin and they say have no idea how or when he died, or what caused his death. At around 11 this morning, prison officials arrived at his sister's home with the coffin and told her that he needs to be buried. But she says that the cause of his death may be related to allegations he had made that police had beaten him.
Rose Hilton, Sister
"Six weeks ago my brother was walking, I know he was walking and the police beat him and from since the police beat him he can't walk no more and he can't talk. The only words he was able to tell was that the police beat and they threw something down his throat."
Alfonso Noble,
Thing like what did he say they threw down his throat?
Rose Hilton,
"Acid he said, yes."
Gerald Westby, Commissioner of Police
"Well from the preliminary briefing I've had, he was in police custody well over a month ago and he was in prison and he died from an ailment. That is what I understand and I don't think that police is anyway culpable at this time."
Rose Hilton,
"That is a lie, that is a lie. I have a brother who died from an illness and that is the why theyb want to put that on this one because three months ago before the police held him he was in the hospital and he didn't have that illness so that's a lie."
Alfonso Noble,
So it's not possible that he was sick and might have died from the illness?
Rose Hilton,
"No."
Alfonso Noble,
That's not possible?
Rose Hilton,
"No way. From the day the police held my brother he can't walk no more. He can't walk, he can't talk, and nothing. He can't even hold in anything, all he does is vomit and shit blood every time. That is all he did at jail. And this morning at 11:20 the jail sent his body to my yard and they told me I had to bury the body now. I didn't even know that my brother was dead because the jail still hasn't gotten in touch with me. I haven't gotten any explanation, any death certificate; nothing and I feel that we are being treated like we are nobody. If they arrested him for theft, let him spend his time but don't be abusing him for nothing. I want a post mortem right now on his body and a fair one, not a corrupted one, I need a fair post mortem on him."
Alfonso Noble,
So if you hadn't taken the body to the morgue or whatever...
Rose Hilton,
"I told them to take the body to the station when they brought it because they pulled up like they were crazy and told me I had to this man right now. This man has children and we can never bury him without his children seeing him. They didn't call and told us that Stanley Hilton died. We haven't gotten nothing like that and every time I call the jail they keep hanging up the phone on m because they will be responsible for burying him, not me because if my brother had dropped down out there from a sickness, we would not have buried him like that. They just came and said Stanley Hilton to bury right now. How can we bury somebody without a dead certificate and this man has children, this man has a family."
It's quite a story and while we were today unable to reach authorities at the prison for comment we understand that Hilton may have died at around 7 this morning.
