I-TEAM: Daughter angry after her father is killed inside Northeast Florida mental hospital

The daughter of a person killed contained in the Northeast Florida State Hospital in Macclenny turned to the News4JAX I-TEAM, asking for assist in getting solutions about her father’s demise.

She says her father, Warren Barrett, was brutally killed by his roommate Mark Stone — who’s dealing with prosecution on a second-degree homicide cost.

Warren Barrett was one of many a whole bunch of sufferers residing within the Northeast Florida State Hospital whereas being handled there for psychological sickness.

In April 2021, investigators say, he was brutally crushed by Stone. Barrett later died from that beating.

The I-TEAM has spent months digging by authorized information after Barrett’s daughter claimed her father’s demise ought to have been prevented — blaming lack of workers on the hospital and pairing two males with violent histories as roommates.

Barrett’s daughter — who desires to stay nameless — performed the I-TEAM the final voicemail her father left her.

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“And inform your mother that I like her,” the voicemail stated. “And I like all people within the household.”

She says her father was a loving and caring man.

“He tried to be one of the best individual he might be for who he was,” she stated.

She says she is indignant after studying from hospital authorities that her 72-year-old father was brutally crushed by his roommate inside the ability.

Baker County deputies stated Stone, 44, admitted to going after Barrett however says Stone was appearing in self-defense.

Barrett’s daughter desires solutions: Why nobody intervened? Why Barrett and Stone have been assigned to the identical room once they had histories of violence? And why nobody referred to as police for hours after discovering Barrett injured on the ground in a pool of his personal blood?

“I used to be very shocked once I needed to determine his physique as a result of I didn’t know the diploma of what occurred,” she informed us.

Based on Stone’s arrest report, Barrett had fractured ribs, mind bleeds and a damaged neck. The incident occurred on April 5, 2021, and Barrett died 10 days later — on April 15.

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However Barrett’s daughter says it wasn’t till she obtained a letter from the state — dated April 27 — that she discovered her father’s demise was associated to the April 5 assault that occurred contained in the hospital. “It was a vicious assault,” stated Baker County Press Writer Jim McGauley.

McGauley has reported on the Northeast Florida State Hospital for years.

“Right here’s one from 1999,” he confirmed us whereas an previous article written.

McGauley says he has coated quite a few reviews of violence on the hospital — together with alleged rapes, stabbings, and abuse. “What do you suppose has modified?” we requested.

“Ever because it turned a part of the Division of Kids and Households, I feel it form of drew right into a shell. It’s a psychological hospital. So, you understand, I feel they’re very cautious about what will get out,” McGauley stated.

The I-TEAM found, from January 2020 to August 2021, sheriff’s deputies responded to 21 delayed battery calls from the hospital —Barrett’s case was one in every of them.

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Employees informed investigators that they didn’t instantly report the incident between Barrett and Stone as a result of they’d not realized the extent of Barrett’s accidents — regardless that Barrett was present in a pool of blood.

The identical day of the assault, Stone informed one other workers member that he beat Barrett and that’s when safety made the report. Police discovered a observe that Stone left on a dresser close to his mattress which stated, “I couldn’t simply lay there and endure bodily hurt. I needed to do what I might to forestall being struck.”

Police stated two different sufferers within the room didn’t see what occurred.

Barrett’s daughter believes the hospital was understaffed when her father was crushed.

“What do you suppose the workers ought to’ve completed?” we requested her.

“Effectively, apparently there wasn’t sufficient staffing if this all went down. And no one heard something. So the place was the workers?” she questioned.

The I-TEAM took that query to DCF — the state company operating the ability. DCF despatched us a chart stating that on the time of the incident on April 5, 2021, the hospital was “appropriately staffed with the minimal necessities.” We began asking DCF questions on staffing after Barrett’s demise final 12 months, and in an August 2021 e-mail, the company wrote partially: “…the unit was appropriately staffed through the time of the incident.”

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“The minimal direct care workers required for this residing space is three workers through the day and two through the evening. The minimal required nursing workers is one per day and one per evening.”

DCF went on to say: “Safety personnel should not stationed in residing areas however make a number of stroll throughs on every shift.”

The I-TEAM additionally spoke to Anthony Nix, who says he was as soon as housed on the Northeast Florida State Hospital and later turned an worker. He now not works there.

Nix says he has been attacked by sufferers as effectively, and he claims staffing on the hospital is inadequate.

Nix wrote a letter to DCF about what he calls aggressive sufferers.

“The difficulty that now we have with the hospital is that they don’t have ample staffing on none of those wards to supply a protected atmosphere for the residents of this hospital,” he stated.

In response to his letter, the hospital administrator stated, though they wish to have extra workers, it’s not at all times doable on account of circumstances past their management.

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Whereas Stone stays in jail awaiting trial on a cost of second-degree homicide in Barrett’s demise, his daughter thinks extra folks ought to be held accountable.

“I feel everybody who was concerned on the hospital ought to be on trial as effectively as a result of they made selections that affected the end result for each of them,” she stated.

And she or he nonetheless desires to know why Stone and Barrett have been put collectively as roommates since they each had a historical past of violence.

Based on an article within the Orlando Sentinel, Stone was 24 years previous in 2001 when he slashed his mom’s throat per week after spending three months in jail on a home battery cost.

As for Barrett, courtroom information present he was abusive, and his daughter says he had been suicidal and recognized with schizophrenia.

Barrett’s daughter says their violent histories ought to have stored the 2 males from being positioned collectively in the identical room.

The I-TEAM checked DCF’s room task coverage. It says to separate residents or break up hostile mixes of people who find themselves involuntary civilly dedicated, incompetent to proceed and residents with not responsible by motive of madness. Due to stone and Barrett’s background and DCF’s personal coverage, we requested why the 2 males have been roommates, however DCF stated it couldn’t remark because of the ongoing investigation.

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Barrett’s daughter says she might not get the solutions to all of her questions till her father’s case will get to trial, however she says regardless, her father didn’t should die.

“It was nonetheless my father, and he liked us,” she stated.

Stone’s subsequent courtroom listening to is scheduled for Tuesday.