Judge Gives Killer 15 Years to Life in Central Jail Beating That Led to Wrongful Death Suit

A judge on Thursday sentenced a man who fatally beat a fellow inmate in a San Diego jail to 15 years to life in state prison.

John Roman Medina, 20, pleaded guilty last month to second-degree murder for the Dec. 29, 2021, slaying of Dominique McCoy, 38. Medina turned 18 years old less than two weeks prior to McCoy’s death and was in San Diego Central Jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and felony animal abuse.

The killing prompted wrongful death lawsuits against the county from McCoy’s family, who alleged he had been jailed on a wrongfully issued warrant.

According to their complaints, McCoy was arrested for a probation violation, though his probation had been terminated nearly two months prior.

Despite the erroneous warrant, McCoy was arrested on Dec. 23, 2021, and remained behind bars for nearly a week before a judge ruled that the arrest was made in error and ordered his release, the lawsuits state.

Just before McCoy’s expected release, Medina was placed in McCoy’s cell. The family alleges Medina’s violent charges meant he should not have been placed with an inmate like McCoy, who did not have a history of violent offenses. His probation case stemmed from a misdemeanor offense.

The civil cases remain pending.

Medina’s guilty plea included an agreement to the length of the prison term.

His attorney, Peter Blair, said his client suffered from mental health issues that should have been addressed and that Medina likely should have been housed somewhere that provided more adequate treatment for those issues than a county jail.

Blair called what happened “a horrible tragedy” and said it was “a crime that I think maybe could have been prevented if we knew more and there was more help being provided.”

Medina did not make a statement at his sentencing hearing, but Blair assured McCoy’s family in attendance that his client “is very remorseful” and said those feelings are “very genuine and very deep.”