Rikers Island Guard Guilty in Beating Death of Prisoner
The facility where Brian Coll kicked Ronald Spear to death is so violent it’s currently under federal oversight.
Ronald Spear wore glasses and typically walked with a cane. While the 52-year-old awaited trial at Rikers Island, a city jail so violent it’s currently under federal oversight, he was housed in a medical unit because his kidneys were failing and he needed regular dialysis. On his wrist was a bracelet that read, “Risk of Fall.” Early on December 19, 2012, less than a week before Christmas, Spear demanded to see a doctor.
Brian Coll was hired by the Department of Corrections in 2002 and was working in the North Infirmary when Spear walked out of his dormitory and tried to enter
