The family of a man who allegedly was beaten to death by another inmate last year at the San Diego Central Jail has filed a lawsuit against the suspected killer.
Relatives of Dominique McCoy, 38, previously sued the county in federal court, alleging McCoy was placed in a cell with John Roman Medina, then 18, late in 2021.
The family alleges McCoy was wrongfully arrested on an erroneous warrant, then killed hours before he was set to be released from the jail on Dec. 29. Medina, now 19, is charged with the murder and remains in custody.
On Wednesday, the family filed a separate lawsuit against Medina, who is due in court next week for a hearing in the criminal case.
According to McCoy’s family, he was arrested for a probation violation stemming from a misdemeanor drug offense. His probation, however, had been terminated nearly two months prior.
Despite the erroneous warrant, McCoy was arrested on Dec. 23 and remained behind bars for nearly a week before a judge ruled that the arrest was made in error and ordered his release, the lawsuit states.
The suit states that Medina, who had been recently arrested on suspicion of felony animal abuse, assault with a deadly weapon and violence against a child, should not have been placed with a prisoner like McCoy, who did not have a history of violent offenses.
– City News Service