‘They mattered': Families demand answers from Florida prison after inmates were killed

Two Florida families say it’s been months since their loved ones were killed in prison, and they still don’t have answers from the correctional facility where the murders took place.

“They were human beings; they mattered,” said Kimberly Wald, an attorney at Haggard Law Firm, who is filing lawsuits on behalf of the families, who are from Hialeah and Plant City respectively.

“One death alone at a private prison is unthinkable, unimaginable,” Wald added.

Antron Griffin, who was serving time for aggravated assault at the South Bay Correctional Facility, was killed on March 11, 2024.

“Our family will not tolerate this, and will not give up until we get justice,” said Andrea Griffin, Antron’s sister, who was accompanied by several family members.

The family told NBC6, Griffin, 31, was stabbed to death.

“My brother loved his nieces and nephews, unfortunately his life got cut shot where he didn’t have a chance to have kids on his own,” Antron’s sister added, while wiping tears from her face.

Four months later, the same thing happened to Allec Garcia.

“He was sentenced to serve his sentence not to lose his life,” said Alfredo Garcia, Allec’s brother.

According to the family, Garcia, 34, was stabbed three times inside the South Bay Correctional Facility while serving his sentence for felony battery.

Allec’s mother, Clara Garcia, talked to her son July 3 – the day he was killed. But it would be days before she found out her son had been murdered.

“I had no knowledge that my son had been dead for three days and up till today that’s how it’s been,” Clara Garcia said.

Both families remain in the dark about the circumstances surrounding the deaths of their loved ones.

All they know is that these two men we murdered, likely died from stab wounds and that both men had been threatened.

But months later, neither the Griffin nor the Garcia families have received any answers from the GEO Group or from law enforcement.

“Private prisons like every prison owe a duty to the people that they are taking care of, according to their own contracts, to keep them safe, to make sure that they don’t get killed…basic human rights,” Wald said.

The South Bay Correctional Facility, which is located near Belle Glade, a town south of the Lake Okeechobee, is operated by the GEO Group. They’re one of the nation’s largest private prison contractors operating about 50 facilities across the country, four of them are located in Florida.

NBC6 requested an on-camera interview with GEO Group officials, but a spokesperson sent a statement in which the company insisted they’re committed to the safety, security, and well-being of those entrusted in their care.

“The facts and circumstances surrounding these two incidents are currently under investigation. Geo is fully cooperating with the appropriate law enforcement officials who are reviewing these cases,” a company spokesperson said.

When asked who the ‘appropriate law enforcement officials’ were, the spokesperson did not respond.

“This is not just about our brother, this is about justice, about humanity, and about making sure that every person no matter their past is treated with dignity and safety while in custody,” Alfredo Garcia said.

The complaint accused the prison’s private operator of negligence and cites that between 2009 and 2024, at least a dozen inmates have died under the facility’s care.