Man dies in Georgia prison days after family pleads to guards for protection
JACKSON, Ga. - A death at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson on Sunday has prompted an investigation.
Brandon Burrell died while in custody at the state prison in Butts County over the weekend.
Jackson state prison inmate asked for protection
Burrell’s family said they had to learn from another inmate over the phone what exactly happened to him.
"Brandon was bleeding out, had been stabbed, and needed help," said Kaylyn Shilling, his fiancée, "He wasn’t responding. It took about an hour for them to get his body, the other inmate said."
Brandon Burrell with his young daughter. (Supplied)
Jail officials did not confirm those details, citing the active investigation.
Days before Burrell's death, in emails obtained by FOX 5, Shilling told jail staff that she knew her fiancé was in immediate danger, detailing "numerous violent threats" coming from inside the prison system.
She said they got back to her, but her request for them to move him into protective custody was not granted.
"They said that they would do everything that they can, and everything was going to be OK," she said. "Not only a week later, he was murdered."
Brandon Burrell with his young daughter. (Supplied)
Problems plague Jackson state prison
The Georgia state prison system has been at the center of a years-long Department of Justice investigation into allegations of civil rights abuses and violence.
However, the prison in Jackson has an especially violent track record.
Last month, FOX 5's Eric Mock reported on families who said they were extorted by inmates from inside the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification Prison.
They say inmates texted or called threatening to hurt their family member who was incarcerated there if they didn't pay up.
Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison in Jackson
Last July, attackers beat and stabbed a man incarcerated there. In a cell phone video recorded by an inmate, not a single guard appeared to be in sight.
Family of Brandon Burrell plan funeral
A spokesperson for the jail said Burrell was serving a 10-year sentence for violating the Street Gang Terrorism Act, with an expected release date in 2033.
His mom, Rhonda Perez, said that while her son made his mistakes, the judge never gave him a death sentence.
"I know Brandon committed crimes and deserved to be punished," Perez said. "I’m not saying that. But, the punishment does not fit the crime."
Brandon Burrell with his young daughter. (Supplied)
The GBI confirmed they took custody of Burrell's body at the GBI Crime Lab, where a medical examiner will conduct an autopsy.
Burrell leaves behind a 9-year-old girl and a 2-year-old boy.
"Our whole future was planned out on him coming home to us," his fiancée, Schilling said. "His kids are growing up without him. He won’t be able to see them grow up because someone chose to take his life away."