N.J. prison said man recovered from COVID. He died from complications months later.
Updated 7:45 AM;
In a foreign country and in a prison in an unfamiliar state, Fernando Marulanda Trujillo couldn’t help but fear he would die.
His heart was slowly failing him. He suffered a heart attack in 2018, prompting him to have open heart surgery and a dual chamber permanent pacemaker inserted. He was hospitalized again in February 2020 for heart issues just days before the first case of the coronavirus in New Jersey.
The pandemic, his attorney warned, could accelerate the inevitable for the man nearing his 70s. Before it did, Alvin Entin, a South Florida attorney, pleaded with a judge to release Marulanda Trujillo, who would have been deported back to his native country of Colombia.
2nd inmate at FCI Fort Dix dies from COVID-19 complications
Fernando Marulanda Trujillo, 69, died on March 25.
Marulanda Trujillo first tested positive of COVID-19 on Dec. 12, according to the BOP. He was transported to a local hospital on the same day, and on Dec. 22, he was declared recovered after presenting no symptoms.
Marulanda Trujillo, who suffered from preexisting medical conditions that made him more vulnerable to COVID-19, was then transported to a long-term care facility, the BOP said.
His conditioned worsened on March 16, and once again he was transported to a local hospital, the BOP said. He died nine days later.