Video
http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/1224205513/Inmates_Murder_Caught_on_CCTV
A Maricopa County inmate killed a fellow prisoner Thursday by stomping his head and choking him for 15 to 20 minutes in his cell, according to court documents.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Friday that Pete Van Winkle, 26, then tried to throw Robert Leroy Cotton, 28 of Apache Junction, over the railing of a second-floor landing in the Fourth Avenue Jail, 201 S. Fourth Ave in downtown Phoenix.
L) Van Winkle R) Cotton
The attack was caught on surveillance video and witnessed by three other inmates in the housing units, court documents state.
Van Winkle is documented as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a prison gang, and was awaiting trial on charges of attempted second-degree murder and misconduct involving weapons.
Cotton had been in jail for almost a year and was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in March to charges of driving a stolen vehicle and drug possession.
Jerry Sheridan, chief of custody, said that while Cotton's charges were nonviolent, he had a history of violence in the jail.
Sheridan said the men were in housing for dangerous inmates, just one step down from the most severe housing of solitary confinement.
In their housing unit, five inmates at a time are allowed out of their cells for four hours a day while two detention officers oversee them.
Sheridan said the men were at a table at about 8 p.m. and Cotton went upstairs and into Van Winkle's cell, which is a rule violation.
Cotton could be seen on video sort of nodding toward Van Winkle, who followed him upstairs.
Sheridan said the detention officer in the guard tower was filling out a log to document his recent security check when the assault began, and that he didn't have a direct view of the cell. "He was there, he was alert," Sheridan said.
He said there are 804 cameras in the jail, but they have to be turned on individually for officers to see live coverage.
None of the other inmates acted as if anything unusual was happening, and one them even walked past the cell three times and went into the shower next to Van Winkle's cell.
Van Winkle dragged Cotton out of the cell, leaving a trail of blood, when the officer finally caught sight of them as Van Winkle tried to lift Cotton over the railing.
The officer called for help and about 15 other officers arrived within a minute, Sheridan said.
Van Winkle's clothes were covered in blood when he was arrested.
He was rebooked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and is being held on $2 million bail.
http://www.nothingtoxic.com/media/1224205513/Inmates_Murder_Caught_on_CCTV
A Maricopa County inmate killed a fellow prisoner Thursday by stomping his head and choking him for 15 to 20 minutes in his cell, according to court documents.
The Maricopa County Sheriff's Office said Friday that Pete Van Winkle, 26, then tried to throw Robert Leroy Cotton, 28 of Apache Junction, over the railing of a second-floor landing in the Fourth Avenue Jail, 201 S. Fourth Ave in downtown Phoenix.
The attack was caught on surveillance video and witnessed by three other inmates in the housing units, court documents state.
Van Winkle is documented as a member of the Aryan Brotherhood, a prison gang, and was awaiting trial on charges of attempted second-degree murder and misconduct involving weapons.
Cotton had been in jail for almost a year and was awaiting sentencing after pleading guilty in March to charges of driving a stolen vehicle and drug possession.
Jerry Sheridan, chief of custody, said that while Cotton's charges were nonviolent, he had a history of violence in the jail.
Sheridan said the men were in housing for dangerous inmates, just one step down from the most severe housing of solitary confinement.
In their housing unit, five inmates at a time are allowed out of their cells for four hours a day while two detention officers oversee them.
Sheridan said the men were at a table at about 8 p.m. and Cotton went upstairs and into Van Winkle's cell, which is a rule violation.
Cotton could be seen on video sort of nodding toward Van Winkle, who followed him upstairs.
Sheridan said the detention officer in the guard tower was filling out a log to document his recent security check when the assault began, and that he didn't have a direct view of the cell. "He was there, he was alert," Sheridan said.
He said there are 804 cameras in the jail, but they have to be turned on individually for officers to see live coverage.
None of the other inmates acted as if anything unusual was happening, and one them even walked past the cell three times and went into the shower next to Van Winkle's cell.
Van Winkle dragged Cotton out of the cell, leaving a trail of blood, when the officer finally caught sight of them as Van Winkle tried to lift Cotton over the railing.
The officer called for help and about 15 other officers arrived within a minute, Sheridan said.
Van Winkle's clothes were covered in blood when he was arrested.
He was rebooked into jail on suspicion of first-degree murder and is being held on $2 million bail.