COVID-19 status complicates death report on ADC inmate who died in jail pod brawl

Ricky Daffron and Randy Baker
Ricky Daffron and Randy Baker

TEXARKANA, Texas - A Bowie County inmate who died in a local hospital after a fight with another inmate in October was infected with COVID-19, records show.

According to a custodial death report on file with the Texas Attorney General's Office and prepared by Bowie County Sheriff-elect Jeff Neal, Ricky Daffron presumably died as the result of homicide though his COVID-19 diagnosis by staff at Wadley Regional Medical Center in Texarkana "complicates that belief."

The report on Daffron's death notes that it will be amended once a final report has been received from the medical examiner. Neal said a final autopsy report has not been received in the case.

Daffron, 59, was allegedly verbally combative with several inmates within his pod Oct. 9 at the Bowie County jail annex, according to the death report. Baker, 37, allegedly attacked after Daffron spit on him. Baker allegedly got the best of Daffron and continued to hit and kick him after he was down and unresponsive.

The jail annex is located on Front Street behind the Bi-State Justice Building in downtown Texarkana.

At the hospital, Daffron was determined to be suffering from a severe head injury, including a brain bleed and broken orbital socket. He was also diagnosed with COVID-19.

Daffron died Oct. 28 - more than two weeks after the jailhouse fight - in the hospital.

According to Bowie County court records, both Daffron and Baker were Arkansas Department of Corrections inmates being held in Texarkana via a contract with Bowie County. That contract was recently canceled by ADC in a letter citing differences over COVID-19 protocols. All ADC inmates that were being housed in the Bowie County jail have been returned to Arkansas, according to ADC spokeswoman Cindy Murphy.

ADC's website states that Baker, aka "Riff Raff," is serving a four-year prison sentence which began July 13, 2017, for drug crimes he committed in Yell County. Baker is currently being held in a maximum security unit of ADC in Tucker, Arkansas.

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