Ramel Powell, 38, an inmate awaiting trial for a slashing incident, died at Rikers Island's Otis Bantum Correctional Facility. His death, the first detainee death of 2025, prompted an immediate investigation by the NYC Department of Correction. Powell had been held since July 2023 and was facing serious charges from an attack on a stranger with a boxcutter. The circumstances surrounding his death remain unclear while condolences were extended to his family by DOC officials, who also informed various oversight bodies about the incident.
I, and the entire NYC Department of Correction, express our deepest sympathy to the loved ones of Mr. Powell. We are conducting a full investigation into this tragic event.
Powell was awaiting trial for allegedly slashing another man with a boxcutter on Delancey Street near Essex Street on the Lower East Side on May 8, 2023.
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