Pubdate: Sun, 17 Dec 2006 Source: East Valley Tribune (AZ) Copyright: 2006 East Valley Tribune. Contact: http://www.eastvalleytribune.com Details: http://www.mapinc.org/media/2708 Author: Dennis Welch, Tribune PRISON GUARD QUITS OVER CELL KILLING A state prison guard who says she was ordered to move a petty drug dealer into the same cell with a convicted killer -- a move that cost the drug dealer his life -- says the killing and the way she was treated afterward by supervisors so unnerved her that she quit a short time later. The guard, Jonna Lyn Zeger of Mesa, called the Tribune to tell her story after the paper reported last week on the death of inmate William Harris. Harris was beaten, choked and stabbed to death with a 9-inch prison shank, according to a Maricopa County Medical Examiner's report that ruled the death a homicide. Since the Sept. 7 killing, Arizona Department of Correction officials have kept quiet about the case, releasing few details. The department recently turned over findings of its criminal investigation to the Pinal County Attorney's Offi ce to determine if any charges should be fi led. Gov. Janet Napolitano also has called for the department to speed up its internal investigation of the killing and determine whether Harris -- who had no record of violence -- should have been placed in a cell with a convicted murderer. That investigation should be completed by the end of this month. Corrections director Dora Schriro is to appear before a joint legislative panel Monday to discuss the department's budget and other issues. She likely will be asked about the Harris slaying. Zeger said she has no idea how Harris ended up in the cell with Michael Gaston, who had been convicted of killing a friend over a car loan. She said she got an order to move Harris into the cell, but that he begged her not to because other prisoners wanted him dead. It's not uncommon for prisoners to protest cell moves. But, she said, prison guidelines mandate that when an inmate claims his life is threatened, he is to be placed back in his single cell while a supervisor is called. Zeger said she moved Harris to his original cell, and another guard told her a supervisor would investigate the inmate's allegations, according to corrections records. It's still unclear whether a supervisor was contacted. But when Zeger returned to the unit later that afternoon, about dinner time, she found Harris in a different cell, lying on the ground with a blanket wrapped around his head. He was covered in blood and Gaston was standing over the body, she said. "There wasn't a drop of blood on him (Gaston)," Zeger said. "That was the strangest part of it all." Gaston showed no remorse and quietly turned around and waited to be handcuffed, she said. Katie Decker, a department spokeswoman, would not confirm or deny Zeger's account because of the ongoing criminal investigation. She said the department does not want to jeopardize the case. "Some accounts of what happened that day have turned into urban legend," Decker said. "Other accounts have some truth. But we ourselves have not yet determined what exactly happened that day." Alan Ecker, a spokesman for the state Department of Administration, did confirm Zeger's employment at the Department of Corrections. Zeger, who'd worked for corrections for more than two years, said she started having recurring nightmares soon after finding Harris' body. She said she asked the department for counseling but none was provided. She quit about two weeks later, in part because of the slaying. But she said she was also angry about her treatment afterward. Zeger said supervisors were unsympathetic and confrontational, and her concerns also were based on the fact that guards were being forced to work overtime -- something she refused to do. Zeger said she had been disciplined for not working the extra hours, which didn't endear her to some supervisors. "I felt that was part of the reason they didn't want to help me with getting over the trauma of that day," she said. Officials with the Pinal County Attorney's Office and corrections would not say whether Gaston is considered a suspect in the case. However, during an internal disciplinary hearing at the prison Sept. 18, Gaston was found guilty of killing an inmate on Sept. 7, according to corrections records. Decker would not talk about that hearing or release any records, but the verdict of the hearing is listed on department's Web site. Gaston, 21, arrived at the prison in April for shooting a friend to death in the desert near Wickenburg. In 2004, Gaston and two others lured their friend into the desert under the guise they were going rock hunting. But it was part of a ploy to scare him into repaying a car loan, court records show. Gaston pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and received a life sentence. He could be eligible for parole in 25 years under a plea agreement with the Maricopa County Attorney's Office. At the time of the Harris slaying, Gaston was part of a cleaning crew. And now, corrections officials are looking into whether he should have been allowed work at all. Decker said it was unclear what types of jobs high-risk prisoners such as Gaston are allowed to have. "Right now we don't know whether he should or shouldn't have been allowed on a work program," she said. "It's a good question, and that's why we're taking a second look." - --- MAP posted-by: Elaine