Benito Ocampo Albarran, a Mexican illegal immigrant on death row, hanged himself at a prison in Bessemer, Alabama on Sunday, according to local authorities. WAFF is reporting that Benito Ocampo Albarran, aka Benito Albarran, ended his life by hanging while serving time for the murder of Officer Daniel Golden, a policeman who was killed in the line of duty during a domestic violence call several years ago.
Prison personnel at the William E. Donaldson Correctional Facility stated that the death row inmate was last seen alive about 20 minutes before he was found dead. Albarran had recently complained of stomach ailments and was placed in the prison hospital just before his death, according to WTVY-Channel 4.
Officer Daniel Golden’s death made headlines in 2005, after he was shot dead while begging for his life in a parking lot of a Mexican restaurant as he helplessly waited for his partner to help him. According to trial court records, Daniel Golden was dispatched to the El Jalisco restaurant located on Jordan Lane in Huntsville, Alabama after receiving a call for domestic violence. Information taken by 911 operators stated that his Albarran’s wife, Laura Castrejon, complained that her husband arrived at their work location drunk and proceeded to physically abuse her. She was hoping to have her husband quietly removed from the establishment.
But things went wrong once Officer Golden got out of his vehicle and headed inside the restaurant. Witnesses at the scene say they watched a Hispanic/Latino male, identified later as Benito Albarran, walk up to the officer, point his gun, and shoot him at point blank range. They also watched in horror as the well-respected cop begged for his life. The last thing the witnesses heard Officer Golden say was, “wait!,” before watching Albarran shoot the cop in the head and stomach.
“I saw the police gun jam. Then the Mexican fired the shot and hit him and on impact he went down.”
An autopsy report confirmed that Benito Albarran shot Officer Daniel Golden in the head, face, and abdomen. Prosecutors sought the death penalty and won. While incarcerated, Albarran tried to appeal his conviction but was unsuccessful.
Officer Golden’s wife, Donessa Golden, was devastated when she heard the news. According to her statement, she prayed for God not to take her precious husband from her.
“Paramedic heard it over the radio. It was my partner. Called me on my cell phone screaming ‘he’s been shot.’ I said I haven’t been shot, I’m at home. No, Daniel’s been shot.”
Officer Golden’s mother, Diane Golden, was in disbelief at the level of violence heaped upon her son—for nothing. Here is what she stated, according to WAFF .
“The thought of our little boy, grown man, begging for his life. Him walking closer, Daniel looking at him begging for his life. That’s unbearable.”
Now, the man who killed her son is dead. And still, his death does little to ease the family’s pain. No word on whether Benito Ocampo Albarran’s body will be claimed by a local relative in the United States, or if his body will be shipped back to his native country.
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