Erick Gainer, Pennsylvania father beaten to death by fellow cellmate less than 24 hours after arriving at prison to serve 90 days DUI sentence.
A father of a young girl booked on charges of drunk driving was beaten to death just hours after being booked into jail to start his 90-day sentence, according to Pennsylvania authorities.
Erick Gainer, 41, of Williamsport was found badly battered with a swollen brain in his cell in Cumberland County on Oct. 23 after a fellow inmate reported hearing him screaming ‘Stop!’ and ‘Help! What did I do to you?,’ according to court docs obtained by the Patriot-News.
‘It wasn’t even 24 hours from when I dropped him [off at prison] when I got the phone call from the warden,’ Gainer’s girlfriend, Tessa Shorb, told WHP of the ‘biggest dorky dad-joke teller ever.’
Williamsport dad beaten to death by fellow cellmate hours after arriving to serve 90 days DUI sentence
The father of one was sentenced on Oct. 21 for DUI for a November crash in which his car veered down an embankment in Silver Spring Township. The following day, Gainer a local bartender was dropped off at the jail the next day to begin serving his 90 day sentence.
Recalled Shorb as she tried calming down her anxious boyfriend, ‘Don’t worry. It is one of the safest jails, the nicest jails. You’re going to get through it.’
It would be the last time she ever spoke or saw Gainer.
Less than a day into his 90 day sentence, Gainer’s cellmate — Dangelo Nowlin, 33, of California — allegedly hurled him to the floor and killed him with his bare hands the morning after he was booked in, according to officials.
Another cellmate reported hearing punches around 11:50 a.m. along with screams, according to an affidavit of probable cause.
The inmate reportedly saw Nowlin throw Gainer off the upper bunk and onto the cell floor, where he began punching and kicking him, according to the affidavit.
How did a father in for short prison sentence end up dead?
Gainer was asleep when the attack started, with no motive given by police for the seemingly unprovoked attack. He was rushed to the hospital for emergency surgery but died from his injuries around 6:30 p.m. Oct. 24, the day after he was attacked and two days after arriving at the jail.
‘This was just cold-blooded murder,’ stated Gainer’s brother, Lonnie Gainer. ‘He took a kind, gentle soul, Erick wouldn’t hurt a fly.’
‘He took the better part of me,’ the grieving brother said. ‘If I could trade places with Erick, I would have in a heartbeat.’
The assault has since led to Gainer’s loved ones asking how the tragedy happened.
‘With brain injuries, seconds matter, minutes matter,’ Lonnie said. ‘How long did they keep him in their infirmary? How long was he there? How long did it take for somebody to come to his aid?’
Nowlin was charged with criminal homicide.
He was serving time for trespassing for refusing to leave a truck stop — allegedly punching someone in the head when he was asked to leave.
Cumberland County officials continue to investigate.
