Prison investigates death as a homicide

Posted on Fri, Nov. 02, 2007
Prison investigates death as a homicide
BY HURST LAVIANA AND STAN FINGER
The Wichita Eagle

David Warren Sr. got the call Saturday from Wesley Medical Center: His son had been transferred there in critical condition from the Hutchinson Correctional Facility.

When he got to the hospital, "he was already brain dead," Warren said.

The doctors told Warren his son died of blunt-force trauma.

Prison officials confirmed Thursday that they were investigating the death of David Warren Jr., 28, as a homicide.

Prison spokesman Steve Schneider said the inmate was found unconscious about 1 p.m. Saturday in one of the prison's maximum-security cell blocks.

He was transported to Hutchinson Hospital and later flown by air ambulance to Wesley, where he died Sunday afternoon.

Schneider said David Warren Jr. worked as a custodian, doing cleaning and maintenance in commons areas of the 25-cell unit.

Schneider said the body was found in the doorway of a clothing room in the cell block's shower area. He said he could not discuss other details of the investigation.

David Warren Sr., who has worked as a cook and a caterer, said he has an appointment to talk to a lawyer and plans to learn everything about his son's death.

"I want to know why," he said. "I want to know exactly what happened -- and don't be beating around the bush either. Somebody up there knows what happened.

"I think they know, but they're not saying."

Prison records show that David Warren Jr. had been in and out of the state prison system since 1998 on burglary, theft and aggravated robbery charges. He spent the bulk of a six-year term at the El Dorado Correctional Facility before being paroled in February 2006.

When he was returned to prison in January on a drug charge, he was sent to Hutchinson.

David Warren Sr. said that when he last talked to his son by telephone 1 ½ months ago, there were no signs of any problems.

"He would've told me if something was wrong up there," he said. "The last time I talked to him he was on the up and up -- cheery. He was in good spirits. He wasn't sad about something. He wasn't angry about something."

Warren conceded that his son was no angel, but said he had a good heart.

"He was happy, just like his dad -- making jokes about everything, keeping people happy," he said. "He didn't hate nobody. He was just a happy person."

Sedgwick County District Court records show that David Warren Jr.' s latest arrest occurred in April 2006 after his parole officer told him he was wanted on a parole violation.

"He went directly to the parole office and turned himself in," his lawyer said in court papers. "That was when narcotics were found on him."

In a plea for leniency, the lawyer noted that the possession of cocaine offense occurred as Warren was "sowing his wild oats" after a long prison term.

David Warren Sr. said that before his son went back to prison, he talked about the future.

"He wanted to have his own restaurant," he said. "He wanted to be a cook."

He said his son also offered him a gift.

"He was going to give me one of his kidneys," he said.

The father, who is undergoing dialysis, said he declined the offer.

He was in the room Sunday when his son was disconnected from a hospital life-support system.

"I stayed there till his heart stopped beating," he said. "I gave him a hug and said, 'Daddy's still here. Daddy still loves you.' What he did in his life is over. He's still my son."
Reach Hurst Laviana at 316-268-6499 or hlaviana@wichitaeagle.com.

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