NEW YORK (PIX11) – Another inmate has died while in custody at the Rikers Island Jail Complex, the Legal Aid Society announced on Tuesday.
Donny Ubiera, 33, is the eighth person to die in DOC custody this year, the Legal Aid Society said.
“Donny Ubiera, age 33, was found unresponsive in his cell in the George R. Vierno Center at approximately 5:15 a.m.” a spokesperson for the city Department of Correction said. “He received immediate medical care but was pronounced dead at approximately 5:51 a.m. The cause of death is unknown at this time and will be determined by the medical examiner.”
Ubiera, a Queens resident, had been in DOC custody since March 29. He was due back in court on Tuesday, according to court records.
Ubiera was charged with two counts of attempted murder, assault, and criminal possession of a weapon, according to police.
Back in 2022, Ubiera allegedly attacked two people in separate incidents on a No. 7 train, police said. Ubiera allegedly stabbed a 62-year-old man in the face. In a second incident, Ubiera approached a 55-year-old man who was waiting for a train and allegedly stabbed the victim in the neck with a knife, police said.
Both victims sustained non-life-threatening injuries. In both incidents, Ubiera allegedly attacked without any provocation, and then ran off on foot, police said.
“Rikers Island has claimed the life of another one of our clients, Donny Ubiera, who died earlier this morning at the George R. Vierno Center,” the Legal Aid Society said in a statement. “We call for a sweeping investigation and on DOC to inform the family and counsel of any findings at each step in the process.”
The DOC also stated Ubiera’s family had been notified, and all notifications have been made to the federal monitor, the state Attorney General, the Department of Investigation, the Board of Correction, the State Commission of Correction, and the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
This story comprises reporting from PIX11 News reporter Mira Wassef.
