A Salt Lake County jail inmate was charged Thursday with murdering a fellow detainee allegedly by punching him multiple times in the head.
Kitiona Kitiona Lolani Jr., 23, is accused of punching Daniel Davis about 22 times during the Aug. 4 confrontation, according to charging documents.
Lolani reportedly attacked Davis after the two “exchange[d] words" around a table at the jail, prompting Davis to stand up and walk toward Lolani. Lolani then punched Davis, 38, and didn’t stop until the older inmate had stopped moving, according to the documents.
(Photo courtesy of Salt Lake County jail) | Daniel Lamont Davis died Aug. 4, 2018, after an altercation at the Salt Lake County jail
Police said Davis tried to escape the beating and didn’t fight back.
Jail staffers tried to intervene in the assault, according to the documents. One officer commanded Lolani to stop hitting Davis, then sprayed Lolani with an entire bottle of pepper spray. Neither approach had any effect on the inmate.
After the assault, the officer asked Lolani what he was doing, and Lolani reportedly said, “[Davis] messed with the wrong person,” according to court documents.
Davis died later that day at the hospital. He was in jail after violating a previous out-of-custody agreement stemming from a misdemeanor domestic violence charge.
Lolani has been incarcerated since Nov. 13 for allegedly violating the conditions of his parole or probation, in addition to drug- and traffic-related charges, according to jail records.
He has previously been charged with assault, including a second-degree-felony count of aggravated assault and a class A misdemeanor count of assault causing substantial bodily injury. He pleaded guilty to the misdemeanor charge in 2016.
