PORTSMOUTH, Va. (WAVY) — After spending time in prison, Benjamin Edwards is now free.
Following a period of sickness, Edwards died Dec. 28 at 3:19 a.m. from COVID-19 while serving time.
His son, Benjamin Williams, was the last family member to speak to Edwards, Dec. 11, in a phone call from the Nottoway Correctional Center in Burkeville, Virginia.
“He called me and he wasn’t feeling well. I have it actually [in] a recording. He was very scared,” Williams said.
In the phone call, family members say Edwards sounded short of breath. He complained of vision loss and hearing loss.
“What cell? What building? You gotta tell me all this,” said Williams in the recorded call with his father.
Family members say Edwards’ health declined rapidly in late summer after he fell from a top bunk in his cell. His family said he was supposed to have the bottom bunk because of his health, but another prisoner took it. They also say Edwards tested negative for the coronavirus around late September or early October and was sent to the infirmary for more than 30 days. He was then returned to a cell in early December, they say.
Ronald Lee Jackson, Edwards’ brother, says he spoke with Edwards about the conditions in his cell.
“He had told me when he was sick that they had moved him to a cell — a cell that [no one else had inhabited] with no running water. The stools weren’t working. They stuck him in there,” Jackson said.
After Edwards’ last conversation with his son on Dec. 11, the family says they received a call the next day from a prison official who stated Edwards had been transported to Centra Lynchburg General Hospital where he was placed on a ventilator. The next call came from a nurse at the hospital just after 3 a.m. on the morning of Dec. 28. The nurse said Edwards had died.
The Virginia Department of Corrections declined to comment on the case, but said there are procedures in place to treat inmates and isolate them when one gets the coronavirus.
According to the Department of Corrections, 7,171 offenders have tested positive for coronavirus. 21 are in hospitals. 45 inmates and two staff members have died from COVID-19.
Because of the pandemic, Virginia adopted an early release program for qualifying prisoners. So far, a total of 1,322 prisoners have been released. Edwards’ family members say he applied for the program but was denied when prison officials said there was a continued risk.
Kimberly Tucker, a longtime friend and advocate, disputes that finding. She said Edwards’ troubles started with a drug addiction.
“He was not a risk to anyone. He couldn’t even raise his arm because of the tube that was into his heart that had been there for over 12 years. Benjamin could have come home if they had released him. We already have a job [for him] and we have a house for him to move into. Everything was set up,” said Tucker, who is assisting several former and current offenders.
“That’s the hard thing bringing him home [deceased], to know that he passed away from this COVID and he didn’t have to. This is what we are getting from the prison system, this is OK for them. It’s not OK for us. It’s not OK,” Tucker said.
Lisa E. Kinney, director of communications for the Department of Corrections, issued a statement to WAVY-TV 10 saying the department cannot comment on the health of prisoners. She did, however, offer a statement on safety protocols they have in place at corrections facilities.
“Inmates testing positive are placed in medical isolation so they don’t infect others. Treatment follows the department’s COVID medical guidelines. We treat symptoms as they arise, just as you would in any primary care setting. We can provide many things, including oxygen, on-site. If they require an inpatient level of care, inmates go to a hospital,” Kenney said.
Kenney also offered a statement on vaccination plans.
“We’re hoping to receive the vaccine within a week or two. Inmates likely won’t be vaccinated in one large group; it’ll be age-based and co-morbidity based like it is for the public. We’re hoping DOC employees will be included in the vaccinations for essential workers. You may want to touch base with VDH for more information on the vaccination schedule,” Kenney said.
Edwards’ loved ones are making plans to bid farewell. They are paying $1,000 for the transport of his remains to Norfolk and funeral arrangements are expected to cost more than $6,000.
They have established a Facebook fundraiser account in hopes members of the public will assist with the expenses.
