Moments after Dangelo Nowlin entered his cell at the Cumberland County jail Wednesday morning, other inmates heard pounding noises and a man yelling for help, according to court records.

It was around 11:50 a.m. when one inmate said he heard punches being thrown and screams of “Help! What did I do to you? and “Stop,” according to an affidavit of probable cause filed against Nowlin by Middlesex Township police.

Court documents said the witness moved to another location within the common area to get a better view of where the sounds were coming from, which was when he saw Nowlin toss Erick Gainer, 41, of Marysville in Perry County, off the upper bunk and onto the floor where he punched and kicked him.

The witness said Gainer was “defenseless” and not fighting back.

Gainer had been asleep

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