Third CT Prison Inmate Dies In State Custody In Week

NEWTOWN, CT — An inmate at Garner Correctional Institution has died after being found unresponsive in his cell early Friday morning.

It was the third inmate death at a Connecticut state prison within a week.

The latest inmate, identified as Clemente Giusto, 50, of Bridgeport, was discovered around 2 a.m. Friday, officials said.

While staff initiated life saving measures, and paramedics attempted to revive him, he was pronounced dead at 2:34 a.m., according to the state Department of Correction.

The inmate had been hospitalized recently, and he had returned to Garner four hours before being found, correction officials said. Giusto had been awaiting trial after being charged with criminal violation of a protective order, according to the department.

The Office of the Chief State Medical Examiner will conduct an autopsy to determine the cause and manner of death.

The Department of Correction and state police are investigating this death and two other recent inmate deaths.

Earlier this week, inmate Andrey Desmond died after being found unresponsive in his cell, also at Garner. Desmond had been serving a five-year sentence stemming from an assault on State Rep. Maryam Khan. The cause of death is “pending further studies,” according to the medical examiner’s office.

Another inmate, Noe Taveras, died last weekend after being found unresponsive in his cell at MacDougall-Walker Correctional Institution. He had been serving a 30-year sentence for first-degree manslaughter. The medical examiner’s office has ruled that death a suicide.

Department of Correction Commissioner Angel Quiros extended sympathy to the inmates’ families.

“These tragic incidents affect all those involved very deeply,” Quiros said. “I assure you that the safety and well-being of those under our supervision remains a fundamental priority.”

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