Thousands turn out to salute murdered corrections officer

July 10, 2008

Thousands turn out to salute murdered corrections officer

By LYDA LONGA
Staff Writer

DAYTONA BEACH -- As a tribute to his mother, Donna Fitzgerald's only son wore a pink tuxedo jacket to her funeral Wednesday, the coat a vibrant spot in the sea of blue, dark green, black and brown uniforms worn by hundreds at the slain corrections officer's funeral.

The 50-year-old Fitzgerald was murdered by an inmate on June 25 at Tomoka Correctional Institution, corrections officials said. Enoch Hall, 39, who is serving two life sentences for rape and kidnapping, is charged with first-degree murder in Fitzgerald's death.

According to reports, Hall stabbed Fitzgerald several times with a piece of sheet metal he fashioned into a knife. The night she died, Fitzgerald was supervising Hall and several other inmates who were on an overtime work detail in the prison's PRIDE program.
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