A victim of a brutal jail cell beating is sharing his story exclusively with WINK News.
Lee County Sheriff's Office deputies reported that Brandt Diaz was nearly beaten to death by Yanko Romero in their shared cell at the Lee County Jail. Diaz spoke with WINK News anchor Claire Galt about his terrifying experience.
"I had, like, nightmares, so I woke up screaming and stuff," said Diaz. "I didn't know where I was. I didn't know what was going on because I blacked out."
Diaz described the extent of his injuries.
"The nurse was calming me down, telling me I'm in the hospital until my family came and let me know what the problem was and what happened," said Diaz. "The doctors told me that my face was damaged, like the bottom of a bag of potato chips. That's how my bones were. He said it was the worst case he had ever seen."
Diaz and his attorney believe the two should never have been placed in the same cell. Romero was in jail for murder and was a suspect in another murder case from 2023 in Michigan. His common-law wife informed investigators that he had a history of schizophrenia and bipolar disorder. Meanwhile, Diaz was incarcerated for nonviolent crimes, including burglary and larceny.
WINK News will air the full story with Claire Galt at 5:30 p.m.