Rikers Island inmate slashed, picture shows up on Facebook

RIKERS ISLAND, Bronx (WABC) -- What happens at Rikers Island often stays at Rikers Island, but that wasn't the case for one inmate after a fellow inmate slashed him across the face.

Somehow a picture of the victim ended up on social media.

Rikers Island officials never called the victim's mother.

"I found out about my son being stabbed on Facebook," said Marlene Aloe, victim's mother.

Aloe is the emergency contact for her son, who is an inmate at Rikers Island, but no one called her after another inmate slashed her son's face on Saturday evening, with correction officers close enough to describe the attack.

"The officers were right there when this inmate sliced my son's face, and I believe that they set him up and they did nothing about it," Aloe said.

David Morrero, 36, is in Rikers while prosecutors decide if they will retry him after a murder conviction was overturned.

On Saturday night, according to the incident report, an inmate with a violent history in and out of jail, approached Morrero.

"He came toward him with his hand up in a downward slashing fashion, or swiping motion, had a sharp object in his hand and slashed his face," said Pamela Roth, the victim's attorney.

A correction officer took the photo for the internal investigation and report, but someone published it on Facebook.

"It's not supposed to be leaked, this is private confidential information of what occurred to my client," Roth said.

Two days after his face was slashed right in front of correction officers, neither his mother nor his lawyer have been able to speak with Mr. Morrero, and his mother is worried about what will happen next.

"I'm very worried about my son's safety. Rikers is known as a notorious jail, it seems as if they can't contain their inmates, it seems like the inmates have control," Aloe said.

The Department of Correction would not comment on the slashing or how the photo became public.