The stabbing attack of disgraced former USA Gymnastics doctor Larry Nassar in federal prison was not captured on camera, The Associated Press reported on Wednesday.
A person familiar with the matter said Nassar was attacked inside his prison cell, which is a blind spot for cameras that only cover the common areas and corridors. He was stabbed multiple times in the neck, back and chest by another inmate at United States Penitentiary Coleman in Florida.
He was declared to be in stable condition as of Monday.
Nassar pleaded guilty in 2017 to sexual assault charges after being accused by hundreds of gymnasts of sexual abuse throughout his career. He was sentenced to 40 to 175 years in jail in 2018.
He has already been sentenced to 60 years in prison for possession of child pornography and 40 to 125 years in prison for three further counts of sexual assault.
More than 150 victims who revealed their own experiences of abuse by Nassar spoke during his sentencing hearing or filed comments to be put in the record, including Olympic gymnasts Aly Raisman and McKayla Maroney.
Nassar has admitted to sexually abusing gymnasts while working at Michigan State University and for USA Gymnastics.
A person familiar with the stabbing incident told AP that a prisoner armed with a makeshift weapon attacked Nassar, and the two officers guarding the cell where the he stayed were working overtime shifts because of staffing shortages.
The attack on Nassar in prison is the second time that he has been attacked since he began his sentence. He was previously assaulted at a federal prison in Arizona in 2018 within hours of being placed in the general prison population.
His defense blamed the attack on the attention given to his case and the weekly broadcast sentencing session in which his victims made their stories.
Cameras from outside Nassar’s cell might have been able to film the assailant strolling in and out of Nassar’s cell even if the attack itself was not captured. Cell doors in most federal prison units are normally open during the day to allow offenders to walk around.
SOURCE: The Hill and The Associated Press.
You must be logged in to post a comment Login