Rocky Ali Beamon, who had killed three people, two of which were persons on the registry with whom he was incarcerated, was sentenced to death this past Friday.
He was in prison for a murder charge, when in 2012 at Apalachee Correctional Institution in Jackson County, he killed his cellmate who was on the sex offender registry. in 2017 he killed another person on the registry. According to the Miami Herald, in May of 2018, Beamon wrote a letter to 14th District Judicial Circuit Judge Christopher Patterson in which he professed that killing sex offenders “was the best feeling I’ve had in a long time.”
Instead of responding to different comments I’ll just say this here. It is horrible what happened here, but that is prison sometimes. In Florida for the most part it is not as bad as other states, no kill on sight state wide here. This person who is now on death row obviously has some issues and will never get them addressed, so be it. I hope he lives long enough to understand what he has done and feels grief for it.
I know for a fact that before cell phones everywhere some inmates could ask a guard, at the front gate all inmates can be looked up, and often they don’t mind letting other inmates know. So much for care in their job description. Now with cell phones it is ready to look up anyone at any time.
My husband was in Apalachee for one year. It was horrible. It is one of the prisons that led the head of the union for prison guards in south Florida to say that Florida prisons are nothing more than modern day dungeons. Ben Conarck, the journalist who was at the Jacksonville Florida Times Union and now is working for the Miami Herald, did several great articles about that prison, causing FDOC to make some changes. The inmates were so appreciative of what he did for them.
An example of what the climate was like there three years before my husband arrived:
https://thegrio.com/2018/01/31/prison-guard-allegedly-beat-black-inmate-because-he-wanted-to-marry-a-white-woman/
My husband is in a far better place now.
Here is one more recently in the news. No one believes the inmates and are told to shut up when they complain.
https://www.tampabay.com/opinion/2019/09/22/florida-prisons-are-unsafe-one-reason-the-guards-editorial/
I sit in on court cases a few times a month ( most are open to the public ) and one case a young man who was 19 was in a relationship with his 15 year old girl friend.
A Pedophile is classified under the mental health guidelines as someone who preys on children under 12.
Well while sentencing this young man, the judge classified him as a pedophile. When the defense tried to argue the definition of a pedophile, the judge fired back that he should not be encouraging these pedophiles to prey on children.
Some of the problems we have besides the media is judges making up the rules, laws and labels as they see fit and challenge anyone to defy them. Like calling a kid who stole a candy from the store a Robber. I know it is not the same but just because you can call someone anything you want does not make it right.
I spoke to the arresting officer who testified, and after court was over, asked if he agreed the young man was a pedophile and he told me off the record he thought that was ” A bit harsh “
CherokeeJack, I completely agree. The judge mentioned in this article ( Chris Patterson) was my attorney 21 years ago. This man Lied, Manunipulated, and even Threated to withdraw from my case, after he was paid in full, all because I would not accept a plea deal. Even after he took witnesses depositions, found out that my alleged victim planned the whole ordeal weeks before my knowledge, he still continued with this behavior. I was only 23 at the time and he knew that he could take advantage of the situation. After my personal experience with this man, I have often wondered how many others he has mistreated as a judge. And we are supposed to be the bad guys…..
I am sorry this happened to you. I had a female judge who was known as the executioner. As soon as my attorney found out what judge I was getting, he went out into the hallway and started throwing up. I knew I was screwed after that. My attorney somewhat made it right on an appeal where he got my entire sentence thrown out by another judge, but by then I had already completed 60% of my sentence.
Also that judge although believing I was at least somewhat innocent, could not make the charges go away, just the sentence which he agreed was given to me because the judge used emotion and anger in her sentence. If I ever was a victim of a crime, I would hope she was the judge on my side as she is vicious ( Was , not sure she is still a judge since it was over 30 years ago )
I hope he appeals.
@ CherokeeJack:
Actually, the textbook definition of pedophile is one who is primarily or exclusively sexually attracted to PREPUBESCENT children, regardless of age.
And you’re absolutely correct about that judge. If it were me, I would be arguing that on appeal. Might not matter in Florida state courts, but hopefully would in federal ones.
You are correct and The news loves to use “pedophile” even when a 50 year old man has sex with a 16 year old. They ( news, prosecutors and judges ) love to throw that at every sex offense involving anyone under 18.
Not saying it was right but my Dad married my Mom when she was 15 and he was 27. They just had their 57th wedding anniversary.
Absolutely correct, Dustin. Words are important. As you pointed out, the word “pedophile” has a specific clinical diagnosis with no meaning outside of that context. Pedophilia is a very rare diagnosis which is considered by some in the psychological community to be a permanent condition that can be managed but not cured, like some view alcoholism.
When the term is misapplied to all SOs, the presumption of an incurable condition often goes along with it. This untruth reinforces public opinion for more draconian laws. Jeffrey Epstein was not a pedophile, but is often referred to as such. I write emails to the media whenever I find that word (and others) used incorrectly. Incremental education!
Veritas.
That is so scary to hear because these people have enormous power over us.
It’s not just the laws that govern sex Offenders but a lot of corrections officers who either have access to files or other means of inmate information, will tell lots of other inmates just for the excitement of it or for own personal agendas
Burn baby burn killer.
I don’t know the story of the Sex Offenders but how sad if they were in prison for a probation or parole violation as heinous as not reporting an email address or being late on curfew. The law puts targets on the backs of Sex Offenders by having archaic laws and having a Registry that points out where the registrants reside. They can be killed whether in prison or are living in their own home.
I’m glad justice has been served for these two that were killed in prison. If our justice system is going to incarcerate offenders that may have mental problems , they need to be completely separated from the general population.
It’s especially bad in Florida because they plaster it all over the DOC site and the web.
So, I read a little more on this guy. In 2012, he allegedly stalked a sex offender in prison for weeks before murdering him in the shower, strangling him and stabbing him 80 times. 80 times! Then, in 2017, he murders his sex offender CELLMATE… why, oh why, was a sex offender put in a cell with him as his cellmate? Talk about criminal negligence or worse. The guy has professed to hating sex offenders and wants to kill time. I’m shocked I haven’t read more about this and whether the prisons or Florida are being sued in this case. I guess it takes someone to care, and maybe the victim didn’t have any close family or supporters.
Let me tell you all something that perhaps many of you already know… Many of these prisoners who hate people with sex offenses would be the FIRST ONES to commit a sexual offense if given the opportunity when no one is watching. Let’s face it; spending years in lockup will cause anyone (especially male) to become “sexually frustrated”.
There are even prison rapes done by NON-SEX OFFENDERS. These prison “heroes” are just a bunch of hypocrites.
I’ve heard so many fellow prisoners talk in the most disgusting sexual manner about some of the better looking female correctional officers and what they’d like to do to them.
But just as with most people, prisoners take it upon themselves to ASSUME that “sexual offense” means “child molestation”.
What has to be done (although I believe society is too far gone to be educated) is to make it more known that a sexual offense doesn’t mean it’s against a child and can also be victimless (public urination, sex in a public place between two consenting adults, mid-age teens lying about their real age, etc).
I wonder how good he feels now that he’s been sentenced to die for his actions. I honestly hope he’s got family that are suffering for his actions of playing pretend hero. And I’m not sorry to say it. No one cares about the suffering of relatives of a person with a sex offense so I give 0 shits about the suffering of the relatives of a convicted criminal playing hero.
And this convict’s letter should go to show how harmful the registry is. Period.
Some inmates feel it’s acceptable for an adult to have sex with a teenager, so long as the adult is not a sex offender.
That’s the logic.
As long as the teenager is already promiscuous, and the adult was not a stranger preying on an innocent teen via the computer, then such conduct is considered acceptable. That’s the thinking. Unless, of course, the adult has been convicted of a sexual offense, in which case they are a sex offender and should be shunned.
People on death row often sit there for 20 or more years. By time he gets passed all the appeals, that state might put all death penalties on hold and move everyone to a life sentence.
At least on death row, I do believe he will be put in a cell by himself where he cannot harm anyone but himself.
Some can handle the loneliness in solitary confinement but that would drive me insane and hope it drives him nuts as well.
Anyone on death row in Florida is in a one-man cell 24X7. The only time they get out of their cell is for their three 5-minute showers per week, approximately 4 hours of outside rec time per week, with other death row inmates only, and if they have a doctor’s call out. Other than that they’re in there 8 by 10. I know, I worked as an orderly on death row at fsp while I was incarcerated there.
That’s little different than being in “protective custody” (PC) which I was incrementally for a total of nearly two years. One is treated exactly as if the detention was for disciplinary reasons. I was told that different treatment would inform other inmates that a person was in PC. As if they didn’t know already. Psychologists consider solitary to be a form of torture.