A
t a churchinHarlemoneday
last winter,a woman named
Mariaaskedthecongregantsto
prayforWilsonDiaz-Guzman.
Notlongafter,sheshowedupin
thepriest’soffice,sobbing.Diaz-Guzmanwas
dead.Thefollowingweek,theSundayservice
wasdedicatedtohismemory.
It wastheonlypublicmarkerofhisdeath—
therewerenonewsarticles,nopicturesinthe
paper.Hissurvivorswerereluctanttotalkto
us.Diaz-Guzmanwasanimmigrantandspoke
littleEnglish,anditispossiblethatwhile
he was alive, his invisibility was necessary
for his survival.
Diaz-Guzman had arrived on Rikers Island
on January 17 to await trial on a charge ofsex-
ual assault against a child. Over the next several
days, he expressed thoughts of killing himself.
Someone with knowledge of his case saidthat
he acted strangely in the cell where he’dbeen
placed alone; that his mattress was removed
and that he stood on the metal bed frame;that
he ranted. Some people in the unit latersaid
he was asking for his medication. A lawyer has
filed a notice of claim on his family’s behalf, the
first step in bringing a lawsuit against thecity.
Among the reasons for the suit are false arrest
andimprisonmentanddenialofmedicalcare.
Onthefifthday,Diaz-Guzmanhangedhimself
froma sprinklerhead.
A“hangup,”thecorrectionofficerscallit.
Eachofthemisissueda metalhookforthe
expresspurposeofcuttingpeopledownwhen
theyhangup.“Theofficers,they’resupposedto
sharpenthehookoncea month,
buttheydon’t,sothebladeis
dullandthey’resawingaway,”
saysAllenCheyKing,a detainee
whoworkedfora yearasa sui-
cide-preventionaide,making
theroundstodisruptattempts
inprogress.Theprotocolwasto
yellwhileholdingupthebody.
Hecameacrossthreepeople
hangingupinhistimeasanaide.Hequitthe
program,hesays,becauseit wasa losingbattle
withofficerswhodidn’tcare.Hedidn’twantto
havesomeoneelse’sdeathonhishands.T
omascarlocamacho arrived at Rikers in August
2020 afterassaulting a mental-health clinician in the
Bronx.Hehadbeendiagnosedwithschizophrenia; he
spentfiveweeksin Bellevue’s prison psych ward before
returningtoRikers in early 2021. One of the men who got
toknowhimtherewasAllenChey King. Camacho didn’t speak much
English,butthetwodetainees connected because they both readthe
Bible.“Tomaswasa reallyhumble, quiet man,” King says.
OnMarch2, KingsawCamacho in the bathroom, dizzy and disoriented
afterfallingandhittinghis
head.Someonereportedto
anofficerthatheneeded
medicalattention.Anoffi-
cer then put Camacho into
a holding pen in the intake
area, where he was left for
seven to eight hours.
These pens are smaller
than a regular cell, with no
bed, toilet, or water. They
are famously filthy—urine
on the floors, feces smeared
on the windows. Inmates
have to call a guard to
relieve themselves, except
the guards are on the oppo-
site side of the building,so
they often don’t hear.
Somehow, Camacho
gothisheadcaughtinthe
slotofthedoor.Thespace
ishorizontal,maybesix
incheshigh,justbigenoughfora trayoffoodortwohandstobecuffed.
WhenCOsfoundCamacho,hishearthadstopped.Theygotit beat-
ingagainandtransferredhimtoElmhurstHospital,buthisbrainhad
beendeprivedofoxygenfortoolong.Someonereached
Camacho’sson,KevinCarlo,athomeinAustraliavia
FaceTime.Carlotooka screenshot:hisfatherina hos-
pitalbed,anoxygentubeunderhisnose,eyesclosed.
Soonhewouldbetakenofflifesupport.Themedical
examinerlatergavethecauseofdeath:complications
followingcardiacarrest.Hecategorizedit asa suicide,
butCarlowastoldhisfathergothisheadtrappedwhile
hewascallingforhelp.
“Mydadwa sn’tjusta nobody,”Ca rlosaysv iaFa ce -
bookmessage.“Hewasa rolemodeltomeandmanyofmyfriends
inmanydifferentaspects,like‘obey&protectyourmother,’‘don’t
trusteveryoneonthestreets,’‘finishschool,’‘studysomething.’”
Carloisespeciallybotheredbyonething.Whendoctorsrealized
Camachowouldn’tlive,theyarrangedforcompassionaterelease.
Thiswasprobablymeantasa kindness;hecouldbeunshackled,
andofficerscouldleavehisroom.ToCarlo,it’saninsult.Hisfather
wasfreedonlywhentheyknewhewasa deadman.WILSON DIAZ-
GUZMAN, 30JANUARY 22
TOMAS CARLO
CAMACHO, 48MARCH 2
“THEBLADEIS
DULLAND
THEY’RE
SAWINGAWAY.”If you are in crisis, please call the National Suicide
Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 for free,
anonymous support and resources.Camacho, right, and his son.
PHOTOGRAPH: COURTESY OF KEVIN CARLO (CAMACHO)
16 new york | january 3–16, 2022