A Black man who was terrorized by prison guards as an inmate at the Northeast New Mexico Correctional Facility in Clayton during a shakedown has filed a lawsuit against several guards.
Carl Berry was an inmate at the facility on April 15, 2021, when prison guards announced a shakedown. After Berry called out for another inmate, Demetrius Wright, to remain calm because he feared the guards were “goading” him into reacting so they could justify using force against him, he says the guards targeted him.
The lawsuit claims that one of the guards, Christian Trujillo, yelled, “Shut the f—k up, this ain’t Santa Rosa. I’m gonna show you how we do it in Clayton.” After beating another inmate named Steve Watkins, Trujillo said, “You mother f—kers are gonna learn this is my house.”
The guards — listed in the lawsuit as Christian Trujillo, Emanuele Bobbio, Danny Pelayo, Ashley Lawrence and Bernardo Villegas — then went into Berry’s cell with Captain Heather Jaramillo around 8:45 a.m. and surrounded him while yelling that he was a “punk,” a “p—sy” and threatening to “f—k him up.” The lawsuit also claims that one of the guards sexually assaulted Berry.
“Defendant Pelayo stood behind Mr. Berry, put his crotch up against Mr. Berry’s backside, and pushed his crotch into Mr. Berry’s butt. Mr. Berry told Defendant Pelayo to stop,” read the lawsuit. “Defendants laughed at Mr. Berry and Defendant Pelayo continued. Mr. Berry told Defendants he would file charges under the federal Prison Rape Elimination Act (“PREA”). Defendant Trujillo told Mr. Berry he was a ‘PREA p—sy.’”
Recent Comments