Inmate Beaten To Death Inside Newark Prison — Family Says Guards Didn’T Open Cell For Two Days

A family is demanding answers after their loved one was beaten to death inside a New Jersey prison, just weeks before he was supposed to be released.

Authorities say Melvin Rivas Inoa, 28, died inside Northern State Prison in Newark after allegedly being attacked by his cellmate. The Essex County Prosecutor’s Office has charged Abdul Bryant with murder. Bryant has pleaded not guilty.

According to investigators, Inoa suffered severe blunt-force trauma to his body, face, and head.

Court documents also raise troubling questions about what happened inside the prison. A neighboring inmate reportedly told investigators he heard loud banging, kicking, and someone begging for help coming from the cell.

Records indicate Inoa was last seen alive around 7 p.m. on January 20, but officers did not open the cell until the morning of January 22, when his body was discovered.

Inoa’s family, who live in the Bronx, say he had recently warned them he feared for his life while in a restricted housing unit.

“He told my mom he would be home soon,” said his sister. “We thought he was safe. He wasn’t.”

His mother said the phone call informing her of her son’s death left her devastated.

Prison officials say staff are required to conduct regular safety checks and inmate counts during every shift. The New Jersey Department of Corrections says it is cooperating with the ongoing investigation.

For Inoa’s family, the pain remains overwhelming.

“I’m destroyed,” his father said.