Luis Silveria did not trust or even like other people.
He told Indiana prison officials over and over that if he were placed in a cell with another person, he would be violent. He had a history of assaulting other inmates, crafting makeshift weapons and threatening prison staff. In 2004, he threatened to kill a Steuben County judge by slicing his throat “with a dull knife.” He later mailed two federal judges packets of white powder and razor blades.
In 2006, he warned Westville Correctional Facility authorities, “It will not be my fault in the end if someone was to die at my hands. I am doing everything in my power to avoid that situation.”
A year later, he wrote to prison officials, “I promise you the day I hit Wabash Valley is the day someone dies. It’s no longer a threat; it’s a lethal promise.”
On Aug. 22, 2009, Silveria carried out his promise.
Patrick Whetstone, a 25-year-old Goshen man who had been placed in Silveria’s cell, was found dead with a plastic bag over his head, a ligature around his neck and his hands bound behind his back. Whetstone was scheduled to be released from prison less than two months later.
A deadly move
Whetstone had big plans for restarting his life after he left prison in October 2009, the same month he would turn 26.
His mother, Robin Scarrette, had left a tree up from the previous Christmas in anticipation. The presents for him included a new fishing pole.