Man killed in Georgia prison laid there for hours before guards came, autopsy suggests

BUTTS COUNTY, Ga. - The autopsy report for 31-year-old Brandon Burrell suggests hours went by until guards found his body at the Georgia Diagnostic and Classification State Prison earlier this year.

Medics found rigor mortis had already begun on his remains and he was cold to the touch when they arrived.

He had stab wounds all over his body.

Rhonda Perez

Rhonda Perez, his mom, said guards should have heard his screams for help.

"I do not know how long he laid there asking for help, or begging that man to stop," she said, sobbing. "The cuts were small, so it took hours for him to bleed out."

Perez said both she and her son knew he was in danger and their pleas to get him moved the day before his death were unanswered.

Brandon Burrell autopsy results

The autopsy found roughly 60 lacerations on his body.

"Where were all the guards? That was not a quiet fight," she told FOX 5's Rob DiRienzo. "If you’re going to get stabbed like that over and over, I know he was hollering for help. And where were the guards?"

The Butts County Medical Examiner ruled the manner of his death a homicide, adding that meth intoxication complicated his blunt force injuries from the attack.

The Georgia Department of Corrections said its investigation into Burrell's death continues.

"The GDC’s Office of Professional Standards is conducting the investigation which is not yet complete, therefore, we have no details to provide at this time," a spokesperson said in an email. "We are committed to the operation of safe facilities and if there are any discrepancies related to policy in this incident, they will be addressed appropriately. "

History of violence, problems at Jackson prison

The report also revealed there was no running water in the cell and there was blood smeared on the walls.

Burrell was serving time for burglary and gang participation, among other offenses.

His mom says paying his debts to society shouldn’t have been a death sentence.

FOX 5 has reported extensively about the violence inside the Jackson prison, including extortion schemes.

In April, a federal judge slapped the prison’s supermax unit with $2500 per day fine for the deplorable conditions.

"We never would’ve imagined that in the United States," Burrell's mom said. "And I bet there are hundreds of people here that do not even realize that could possibly happen."