Ricardo Cruciani, a doctor found guilty last month of sexually assaulting several of his patients, was found dead Monday morning from a suspected suicide in the Rikers Island prison complex.
Mr Cruciani, a 68-year-old neurologist who treated chronic pain, was found early Monday morning in the prison shower room with a sheet around his neck, according to prison documents obtained by DailyExpertNews. Shortly afterwards, the medical staff arrived to take care of him. He died about an hour after he was discovered, the documents show.
His death came about two weeks after a jury found him guilty of 12 counts of predatory assault, sexual assault, rape and other crimes, as a result of his treatment of six patients he saw around 2012.
Mr. Cruciani was being held in a general population dormitory at the Eric M. Taylor Center that was understaffed, according to an official familiar with what happened and who was given anonymity to speak about the matter without permission.
A second officer said Mr Cruciani entered the shower room at 4:23 am and was unresponsive at 5:35 am by the officer overseeing the living quarters. Officers are expected to scout the area every 30 minutes, but it’s unclear if that happened, the official said.
The Eric M. Taylor Center has become increasingly chaotic since it became a facility that processes new prison admissions, staff and attorneys for inmates said. Inmates at the center have complained about overcrowding in the cells and delayed access to medical care and medicines, if at all.
In a statement, New York City Correctional Officer Louis A. Molina said he was “deeply saddened to learn that this individual has died in custody.”
“We will conduct a preliminary internal assessment to determine the circumstances surrounding his death,” he said in the statement, which did not identify Mr Cruciani. “Our thoughts and prayers go out to his loved ones.”
Mr Cruciani’s lawyer Elizabeth Edwards Macedonio said she had just learned of his death and declined to comment when reached by phone Monday morning. Mr Cruciani’s trial attorney, who planned to appeal the verdict, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr Cruciani is the 12th person to have died this year while incarcerated in the city jails or shortly after he was released.
William K. Rashbaum and Troy Closson reporting contributed.