Hathian 8th September 2024
The Observer has spent a few days trying to unpick the death of a woman who has tentatively been identified as Nina Ferrentino.
Miss Ferrentino lost her life when she unwisely and in an unprovoked attack chose to test Bryce Canden’s patience and resolve. From interviewing Mr.Canden and via follow-up with the Hathian PD to check his story we can be sure that for reasons unknown, but possibly linked to mental illness or substance abuse that the woman attacked Bryce with a crowbar and despite being warned away and then physically disarmed returned to attack him again. We understand that subject to repeated assaults, Bryce choose to use a level of force he deemed appropriate and Nina was slammed to the pavement, expectedly suffering fatal injuries in the process that despite the efforts of paramedics could not be survived.
While deaths in Hathian are expected and common, the Observer dug some more as firstly we wanted to verify that Bryce was justified in his self-defence claim and then as more details emerged that we understood who Ferrentino really was.
Bryce – “It was self defence”
The Observer approached Bryce near the Labour Union and after establishing that we weren’t there to mess him around he was open with us around the incident…
Bryce: “I’m actually a rather level headed kind of guy. But she was here to pick a fight. Warned her I wasn’t the one she wanted to pick that fight with. She wasn’t inclined to listen. Honestly it was all self defense.”
Observer: “Right… what happened in your own words then? I understand she had a crowbar and attacked you, did you turn that against her?”
Bryce: “As I tried to explain to HPD when they arrested me. She came at me swinging… I tried to defuse the situation. But what ever was wrong with her, she was not in the mood to listen to reason. I actually had to get HGH to send a doctor down to take pics of my injuries for my lawyer. I’d been hit above the knee, the palm of my hand was black and blue from catching the crowbar as it was swung at my head! Let me ask you and your readers this, at what point would you consider it fighting for your life? She repeatedly stated she was going to kill me. At which point do you think I should have defended myself. Before or after she caved my skull in? I had no weapon, she was the only one armed. I did not seek her out, what would you have done?”
Observer: “Ok, so you had to right, she could have attacked you if you ran and as you’ve said, standing your ground can be safer and is legal here. What else happened?”
Canden: “She came running at me again after I’d punched her away from me. At some point I figured she would back off, but honestly she was either high or something wrong in the head. I snatched her up and body slammed her. Figured to take the fight out of her. It just didn’t end up that way for her. But again, these were all her choices, I was just trying to defend myself.”
Observer: “That’s probably a reasonable way of trying to stop a threat…. And you called for 911 or whatever after?”
Bryce: “Ya I called them. HPD did not come. EMT’s did, hell when the cops came eventually, it was to arrest me. I tried to show them where things happened, where the weapon was. Said they could dust it for prints to see where her hand was on it. They never got the crowbar, no interest in the truth. In evidence, only arresting me. Then trying to threaten me with bumping the charges up to murder. I just have a lawyer that’s smarter then they are.”
The Observer reached out to the Hathian Police Department, who confirmed that the facts of the matter were as Bryce described, Detective Lt. Nakayama had the following to say:
“It was a case of self-defence, Miss Ferrentino had come up to Rader records and tried to attack Mr Canden. Unfortunately, he didn’t know his own strength and she was killed in the altercation.”
We further asked the HPD for any details of Miss Ferrentino’s previous issues with the law and were told her rap sheet was a ‘mile long’
“She had a rap sheet as long as my arm. From petty crimes, to assaults and everything in between. This seems to be back some years, about 5 or more…”
Harvey Federal Institute
The identification that Ferrentino had been off the grid for half a decade and had then reappeared seemingly intent on violence in Hathian led us through a convoluted web of rumours and half-truths, but we did find reference to her within our own archive. It appears that for periods of her life she had been incarcerated in the Harvey Federal Institute (‘HFI’) a prison based in Mississippi which had, at least when this newspaper covered it a shocking reputation. Our research even managed to identify a quote given to a reporter in 2013 by someone with the name ‘Nina Thoreau’ who, records show is one and the same with Nina Ferrentino. She was quoted as saying about conditions at the prison…
“I remember one day in particular when Bridgette was processed with me. She was with Sergeant Vance Carter, who spared her little of his violent wrath, performing his own medical test that could only amount to sexual abuse.” (Hong) “….nearly forced me to drink another inmates breast milk. Breast Milk you ask? Oh yes, I remember seeing that Piper girl…on a video they played in house. It was a looping pornography that featured her humiliation while another inmate was forced to drink her milk …with cookies.”
It seemed Nina was no stranger to suffering at the hands of people and we suspect, although there are limited records available to us that her mental health and wellbeing over the ten years since her time in HFI had not been good and with HFI having closed as far as we can tell, it’s unlikely much more records than those we found survived.
What was more striking was that we think she had a sister or family member who worked at the Observer. One Jayda Ferrentino who wrote over 120 articles with us back in 2011 and 2012. Sadly, records retention requirements end after five years so we have no records available to me to understand what happened to her but she was clearly a brave woman, investigating and reporting on crime including going undercover.
Deaths are always tragic and while there must be a reason behind her attack on Bryce, even if that reason was clouded by drugs or illness, it all points to a system that is broken. How does someone who has spent time in high security prison disappear and then reappear half a decade later to die by Reject. This is a city failing, this is Mayor Bobby Boxer failing…
The Observer invites those who knew Nina to submit any thoughts and this article will be updated. We have not been informed of any funeral arrangements, but again should any family still be in the Hathian area, we would be happy to host notice of the wake.
