Correction officer admits to writing false report of inmate hanging himself
Officer Michael Dorsainvil is on trial for beating Rikers Island inmate Carl Williams and later claiming that Williams hung himself.
Officer Michael Dorsainvil is on trial for beating Rikers Island inmate Carl Williams and later claiming that Williams hung himself.
In a statement, Dorsainvil claimed that Williams had pulled out a string from a bag to hang himself, but that statement was later disproved by security footage. But despite the footage disproving his claim, Dorsainvil continues to maintain that he did not lie.
Assistant District Attorney Pishoy Yacoub cross-examined Dorsainvil on Tuesday about the footage, asking, “There was no bag, right?”
“Right,” Dorsainvil said.
“And it’s clear that there was no string, right?” Yacoub pressed him.
“Right,” Dorsainvil said.
“So that was a lie, right?” Yacoub asked.
“No,” Dorsainvil insisted.
In March of 2013, Dorsainvil confiscated a bag of Williams’ food and ordered him alone into a pen that doubled as a search area. Dorsainvil reported that Williams threw insults at the officers before he changed his tone and then threatened to kill himself, saying, “I’m a hang up. And if you come in here, I’m a cut you up.” However, though Dorsainvil reported a “string-like object” taken from his bag, surveillance shows Dorsainvil removed Williams’ bag before placing him in the pen.
Dorsainvil faces up to 15 years for gang assault charges along with Officers Christopher Huggins and Mark Anglin.
