Atwater inmate gets life sentence for killing his cellmate

A 36-year-old man was sentenced to life in prison for killing a fellow inmate at U.S. Penitentiary Atwater, the federal government announced Friday.

U.S. District Judge Lawrence J. O'Neill sentenced Juwan Tonay Ferguson after a jury in July convicted him of voluntary manslaughter. Ferguson used to live in San Francisco and was serving a 10-year federal sentence for assaulting and trying to rob a Postal Service employee. He had a 1998 state felony conviction for assault with a firearm.

Ferguson and the 28-year-old victim, Domosanies Duvall Slaughter, were cell mates in the special housing unit at the prison. Government officials were unable to say why Slaughter was in prison.

Ferguson complained on Aug. 2, 2006 to correction officers he wanted Slaughter removed from his cell. Slaughter hit Ferguson, who in turn beat him unconscious, according to a press release.

Correctional officers saw Ferguson drag the unconscious Slaughter from under the cell's bed.

"Despite orders to stop, he continued to beat the victim's head on the concrete floor and kick the back of his head," the press release reads.

Slaughter was taken to the hospital and pronounced brain dead on Aug. 6. He died two days later.

Reporter Scott Jason can be reached at (209) 385-2453 or sjason@mercedsun-star.com.