On March 17, Miami-Dade County State Attorney Katherine Fernandez Rundle released her findings on the case of Darren Rainey, who died at Dade Correctional Institution in 2012 after being placed by prison guards into a shower so hot that, upon his death, skin was separating from his body. She is not charging anyone in his death, which she ruled accidental, saying he was not burned, but simply showing signs of decomposition.

This conclusion has not been supported by independent pathologists consulted by The Miami Herald, which first broke this story. The nature of skin damage can be assessed by microscopic tissue examination, yet the Medical Examiner’s report was based on just a single sample. Ms. Rundle has refused to allow independent testing, and has reneged on her previous agreement to let independent pathologist Dr. John Marracini, one of the two pathologists consulted by the Herald, do an independent review of the evidence.

Please join Stop Prison Abuse Now in calling on Ms. Rundle to allow an investigation by an independent pathologist so that justice can at last be achieved for Darren Rainey. Please sign our petition here. Background information is available here.