SALT LAKE CITY — An inmate at the Salt Lake County Jail is facing a murder charge after police say he punched another inmate repeatedly in the head.
According to charging documents filed Thursday, Kitiona Kitiona Lolani Jr. has been charged with aggravated murder as a first-degree felony in the death of Daniel Davis.
The charges stem from an incident at the Salt Lake County Jail on August 4. The charges state surveillance video shows Lolani and Davis exchange words before Davis picked up his food tray and walked around the table where Lolani was sitting.
At that point, police say Lolani punched Davis in the face and kept punching him after he fell to the ground. Police say Davis appears to try to protect his face and move away, but Lolani is shown in the video holding Davis with one hand and punching him with the other.
Police say Davis did not fight back during the attack and was struck an estimated 22 times.
A corrections officer responded amid the commotion but says Lolani ignored his orders to stop and said when he deployed “his entire bottle of OC spray” it had no effect. OC spray is another name for pepper spray.
The officer said Lolani kept hitting Davis until Davis stopped moving, then told the guard who asked him what he was doing that Davis “…messed with the wrong person”, charging documents state.
An autopsy determined Davis died due to blunt force injury to his head.
Davis’ mother spoke to Fox 13 about his death earlier this month.
“It was something that could have been prevented, and he would still be here but the guards weren’t doing their job,” Judy Davis said.
Judy Davis said her son was in jail on domestic abuse and drug charges. She said he has a good heart and was a good son, and she wants more answers in his death.
“We want the Salt Lake County Jail to let us know what happened and why it happened,” she said. “Why did they let it happen?”
Lolani had been incarcerated on an unrelated offense for several months prior to the alleged murder.
