Convicted Child Molester Fatally Beaten by His Cellmate at Florida Jail, Police Say

A prison is seen in this file photo. Pixabay

A convicted child molester was reportedly beaten to death by his cellmate in Florida this week, according to reports.

Paul Dixon, 43, was charged with second-degree murder after fatally beating his cellmate, believed to be 56-year-old David Oseas Ramirez—a convicted sex offender—on Tuesday, July 30, police said.

Dixon was already on a life sentence for a murder he committed in 1994. He attacked Ramirez, who was sharing the cell with him. The cell was located on the fifth floor of Duval County jail, according to the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office.

According to jail records, Ramirez was released from Duval County jail at 7.43 p.m. on July 30 with the reason of release given as “deceased,” reported First Coast News. However, the sheriff’s office has not yet officially identified the victim, according to the outlet.

Ramirez was also serving a life sentence at the time of his death. He was charged in 2012 with lewd and lascivious molestation of a victim less than 12 years of age. According to the Florida Department of Corrections records, he was back at the jail for a hearing, reported Jacksonville.

The victim, who was one of two inmates sharing the cell with Dixon, is believed to have been drowned in the cell’s toilet, according to First Coast News. However, this has not been confirmed. The 43-year-old didn’t appear to use a weapon in the attack, according to Assistant Chief Brian Kee.

Kee told reporters that the section of Duval County jail where the crime took place is mainly for sentenced inmates who were awaiting a transfer to state prison.

By the time the Jacksonville Fire and Rescue paramedics and jail’s medical team arrived at the scene, the victim had already died. His cause of death is yet to be determined by the Jacksonville Sheriff’s Office Medical Examiner.

“Homicide detectives are investigating a death in one of these cells. Foul play is suspected, due to an altercation that took place between the victim and his cellmate,” Kee said.

The sheriff’s office said that footage of the attack was captured on surveillance cameras, and contains evidence which they are evaluating. However, the video will not be released while the case is under investigation, reported First Coast News.

Kee added that the third individual in the cell has been listed as a potential witness.

Jeffrey Epstein Reportedly Placed on Suicide Watch

Convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein has been placed on suicide watch after he was found injured in his jail cell on July 24, according to a report.

A law enforcement source briefed on Epstein’s situation told ABC that the 66-year-old was found injured in his jail cell at the Metropolitan Correctional Center in the Manhattan borough of New York City.

Epstein is being held as he awaits trial for sex trafficking charges.

Epstein was found with marks on his neck indicating he'd done the damage to himself, the source said. After a medical evaluation, Epstein was placed on a suicide watch.

The Bureau of Prisons, which oversees the center, is probing what happened and officials consider it a possible suicide attempt, the source told ABC.

“Jeffrey Epstein is currently housed at MCC New York and not in a local hospital as has been reported,” the Bureau of Prisons said in a statement on July 25. “As with all inmates, for privacy and security reasons, we do not share information on an inmate’s medical status or their conditions of confinement.”

Epstein was arrested on July 6 after landing in New Jersey on a flight from Paris.

Charges unveiled two days later Prosecutors said Epstein “caused to be enticed and recruited minor girls to visit” his properties “to engage in sex acts with him, after which he would give the victims hundreds of dollars in cash.”

“Moreover, and in order to maintain and increase his supply of victims, Epstein also paid certain of his victims to recruit additional girls to be similarly abused,” authorities wrote in an indictment. “In this way, Epstein created a vast network of underage victims for him to exploit in locations including New York and Palm Beach sexually.”

Epstein was aware of the ages of the girls. Many of them were minors—some as young as 14—according to authorities.

A federal judge on July 18 ordered that Epstein be held on bail, saying he presented a danger to others and was a flight risk.

“The government has established a danger to others and the community by clear and convincing evidence,” said U.S. District Judge Richard Berman.

The Epoch Times reporter Zachary Stieber contributed to this report.