A former sergeant at a Rosharon, Texas, prison is set to go to trial later this year on charges of aggravated assault in connection with the death of inmate David Witt, pictured above, in 2017.
According to Fox News, the incident was caught on surveillance footage and Lou Joffrion received a recommendation to be fired from the Darrington Unit two days later. In response, prison spokesperson Jeremy Desel indicated Joffrion submitted his resignation.
The suspect is expected to face trail in September, charged with aggravated assault for allegedly forcing Witt — who was wearing handcuffs — to the prison’s concrete floor with such force that it killed him.
Officials say Joffrion is not facing more serious criminal counts including murder in part due to the presence of a powerful opioid in Witt’s system after his death.
Records indicate it wasn’t the prison sergeant’s first encounter with the alleged victim, however. When Witt died in August 2017, the guard accused of killing him had reportedly just completed a probationary period at the prison stemming from claims of a previous violent incident involving Witt.
Joffrion’s defense attorney argued “there was no intent to kill anybody” despite suggestions that his client “slammed [Witt] too hard.”
Witt had been convicted and sentenced to 20 years in prison for aggravated robbery in 2004.
[Featured image: David Witt, Texas Department of Criminal Justice]
