Crime & Safety
Tecumseh Prison Riot: Slain Inmate Stabbed Over 130 Times, Investigator Says
Michael Galindo died from the "sharp-force wounds" and from breathing in smoke after someone set a fire in the cell where tried to escape.
TECUMSEH, NE — Inmates took over Nebraska's Tecumseh State Correctional Institution in March and an investigator said this week that one of two inmates killed during the prison riot was stabbed more than 130 times.
Michael Galindo died from the "sharp-force wounds" and from breathing in smoke after someone set a fire in the cell where he apparently tried to escape from his attackers, State Patrol Investigator Neal Trantham said during a hearing in the case Wednesday. The chaos was sparked by staff finding 150 pounds of inmate-manufactured booze, police said. It was the second deadly riot in two years at the facility.
Up to 15 inmates attacked Galindo, surveillance video showed, but fellow inmate Eric Ramos was the primary attacker, Trantham said. Ramos is charged with first-degree murder. (For more information on the deadly prison riot and other Across Nebraska stories, subscribe to Patch to receive daily newsletters and breaking news alerts. If you have an iPhone, click here to get the free Patch iPhone app.)
Find out what's happening in Across Nebraskafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
Ramos' attorneys questioned that assertion, asking how the investigator could identify Ramos when all inmates wear the same prison-issued clothing. They also noted some attackers draped towels on their heads to conceal their faces.
Find out what's happening in Across Nebraskafor free with the latest updates from Patch.
"What you have is a 'Where's Waldo?' situation," said Jeff Gaertig, one of Ramos' attorneys.
Ramos has been the only inmate involved that investigators can identify through piecing together surveillance videos from various areas of the housing unit, Trantham said.
The judge ruled there was enough evidence for the case to move forward. No one is charged in the death of the other inmate found dead after the riots, Damon Fitzgerald.
Brad Hansen, who took over as warden soon after the killings, said the prison was too understaffed at the time to go in sooner to regain control of the housing unit.
The deaths came two years after a larger riot at the same prison left two other inmates dead.
Image via Shutterstock
