Federal civil rights lawsuit filed in Franklin County inmate's death

September 20, 2016

The family of an inmate at Franklin Correctional Institute claims he was gassed to death by guards and DOC employees tried to cover it up.

Randall Jordan-Aparo died in September 2010.

His family filed a federal wrongful death lawsuit against 16 Department of Corrections employees this week.

The 33 page lawsuit contends Jordan-Aparo suffered from a documented blood disorder that can cause anemia, severe nose bleeds and shortness of breath.

The suit claims Jordan-Aparo repeatedly complained of breathing problems and repeatedly asked to go the hospital in the days before he died.

The suit contends at some point Jordan-Aparo was locked in a cell and sprayed three times with CNS gas. The suit claims other inmates heard him screaming "I can't take it ... I can't take the gas."

Jordan-Aparo was found dead later that day.

Tallahassee attorneys Steven Andrews and Ryan Andrews filed the federal lawsuit on behalf of Jordan-Aparo's 12 year old daughter.

"His family ... They can't bring him back," attorney Ryan Andrews said. "All they can hope for is that he didn't die in vain and that hopefully this will stop another inmate from having to suffer the same fate as Randall Jordan-Aparo did at the hands of corrections officers."

A Florida Department of Corrections spokeswoman says the agency is "reviewing the lawsuit" and has an open investigation into Jordan-Aparo's death.

FDLE is investigating too. It had no comment on the probe or the lawsuit.

The suit contends employees falsified reports and tried to cover up Jordan-Aparo's death.

Randall Jordan-Aparo was serving just shy of a 19 month sentence for credit card fraud when he died. The lawsuit says his projected release date was in January 2011.

"He only had 90 days left in prison. That's it ... on credit card fraud charges. He wasn't a violent criminal. He was almost done with all of his time," Ryan Andrews said.

September 20, 2016

MIAMI (AP) -- A federal civil rights lawsuit has been filed on behalf of the 12-year-old daughter of a Florida inmate, alleging he was gassed while in a confinement cell and that officials tried to cover up his death.

Randall Jordan-Aparo's 2010 death at Franklin Correctional Institution was publicized amid scrutiny of the Florida Department of Corrections for suspicious deaths.

The lawsuit filed Monday in Tallahassee federal court by the mother of Jordan-Aparo's daughter alleges corrections officers killed him and the prison's nurses, doctors and warden conspired to cover up his death.

The 27-year-old's death remains under investigation by state and federal law enforcement.

Spokeswomen for the Department of Corrections and the U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of Florida each declined comment to The Miami Herald on the lawsuit.

Corrections investigators also have alleged cover-ups by the corrections department in separate lawsuits over Jordan-Aparo's death.