A man who fatally beat a fellow inmate at the San Diego Central Jail in late 2021 pleaded guilty this week to second-degree murder. John Roman Medina, 20, is slated to be sentenced next month to 15 years to life in state prison for the slaying of Dominique McCoy, 38. Medina, who was 18 years old at the time, was in jail on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon and felony animal abuse when McCoy was killed on Dec. 29, 2021. The killing prompted wrongful death lawsuits against the county from McCoy’s family, who alleged he had been jailed on a wrongfully issued warrant. According to their complaints, McCoy was arrested for a probation violation, though his probation had been terminated nearly two months prior. Despite the erroneous warrant, McCoy was arrested on Dec. 23 and remained behind bars for nearly a week before a judge ruled that the arrest was made in error and ordered his release, the lawsuits state. Just before McCoy’s expected release, Medina was placed in a cell with him. McCoy’s family alleges Medina’s violent charges meant he should not have been placed with an inmate like McCoy, who did not have a history of violent offenses and whose probation case stemmed from a misdemeanor offense. The civil cases remain pending. Medina remains jailed without bail is set for sentencing on Oct. 24.