Prison denies liability for murder of inmate

3-31-17 Maine:

Warren — The state is claiming immunity for prison officials being sued by the brother of a Maine State Prison inmate who died after being beaten and stabbed 87 times by another prisoner with a known history of violence.

The state filed its response Jan. 26 to the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Bangor brought by Caleb Boland of Jefferson, brother of Micah Boland, who was murdered Feb. 28, 2014, at the state prison in Warren.

The lawsuit initially was filed in February 2016. Caleb Boland is also the personal representative of Micah Boland's estate. Named as defendants in the civil suit are Warden Rodney Bouffard, Deputy Warden Michael Tausek, and Unit Manager Antonio Mendez.

Micah Boland died Feb. 28, 2014, at the age of 37 in his cell at the Warren prison after fellow inmate Richard A. Stahursky entered the cell, tied him up, beat him — breaking bones and knocking out teeth — and then stabbed him 87 times with a homemade knife.

Inmate who killed Jeffrey Dahmer reveals why he murdered the serial killer

4-29-2015 Wisconsin:

CANON CITY, Colo. — The inmate who fatally beat serial killer and sex offender Jeffrey Dahmer, 34, in prison in the early-1990s has revealed his reasons for doing so in a new interview.

Christopher Scarver, who was incarcerated at the same Portage, Wis., prison as Dahmer back in 1994, recently divulged the details of his killing to the New York Post.

“Some people who are in prison are repentant — but he was not one of them,” he told the Post, recounting details of Dahmer’s brutal and unapologetic taunts to other inmates.

Scarver said in the interview Dahmer used to fashion limbs out of the prison food, applying ketchup on places to represent blood.

Prisoner Tells the Simple Reason He Killed His Child Molester Cell Mate

10-16-2016 Michigan:

If you had any doubt that prisoners who are sentenced for crimes against children, especially crimes of a sexual nature, serve extra hard time while locked away in prison, let this story remind you that they almost always do, one way or another.

That was the case with convicted child molester Theodore Dyer, a 67-year-old man who was incarcerated in Michigan’s Saginaw Regional Correctional Facility for a “really bad case” of child molestation. His cellmate, Steven D. Sanidson, killed him in the middle of the night for it.

“The reason I killed him was because he was a child molester,” Sandison told a judge when asked why he murdered his cellmate.

Sandison, a 51-year-old man who was already serving a life sentence without the possibility of parole for a murder he committed in 1991, gave a detailed account of the killing to his lawyer, James Gust.

“That night he was trying to justify why he did it, and I told him to keep quiet and that he’d have to leave in the morning, find a new cell. But he continued to talk about it, try to justify it,” Sandison said.

The murder weapon was a cord he had in his cell, which he used to strangle Dyer after pummeling him with punches to the face.

Two-time killer admits to murder of child molester in Norfolk prison

9-16-2016 Massachusetts:

DEDHAM -- A lifer at the state prison in Norfolk, already convicted of killing one woman in 1986 and another in 1995, stopped his third murder trial on Thursday to plead guilty to killing a fellow inmate in 2011.

Christopher Fletcher, 55, said he beat convicted child molester Richard Silva to death with a rock because he was close to his release date and he believed the 64-year-old inmate would assault children again.

Fletcher admitted to second-degree murder on the third day of his trial in Norfolk Superior Court. He was sentenced -- for the third time -- to life.

Fletcher was serving a life sentence without parole for the 1995 murder of Elizabeth Salsbury, 48, in Lunenberg. While in prison, he admitted to the 1986 murder of Peggy Sue Cavillo, 24, in Lancaster. ..Source.. by The Patriot Ledger

Inmate charged with murder of sex offender cellmate

6-2-2016 Tennessee:

A Shelby County Corrections Center inmate has been charged with first-degree murder after officials said he killed his cellmate.

Daniel Smith, 36, is serving a five-year sentence for aggravated burglary and theft of property. Now, he faces even more prison time.

SCSO and Shelby County Corrections said the inmate died Tuesday after an argument with his cellmate.

“We’re interviewing inmates and staff to ensure there’s a thorough review of what occurred,” Director of the Shelby County Division of Corrections Bill Gupton said.

Officials originally thought the inmate’s death was a suicide, but because of his injuries, investigators now consider the death a homicide.

"He had some cuts around his head and neck, but we didn't look at those because once we called the fire department, they immediately called the Sheriff's Office," Gupton said.

Sheriff's investigators questioned Nelson's cellmate, Daniel Smith, and determined Nelson's death was a homicide.

Child rapist killed in suspected inmate attack

11-8-2015 Florida:

A St. Johns County man serving a 45-year sentence for the rape of his girlfriend’s daughters was killed by a fellow inmate at Jefferson Correctional Institution Wednesday, authorities told Record news partner First Coast News.

William Clarence Dillow, 29, died Wednesday morning at the Monticello prison and the case is being investigated as an inmate homicide. The state Department of Corrections did not provide other details about the death.

Dillow was convicted of child molestation and sexual battery by threat in St. Johns County in 2014 for the rape of his girlfriend’s preteen daughters. He was sentenced in April.

Dillow and his girlfriend Rhonda Lynn Wilkerson, 50, were arrested after the victims told staffers at a Flagler County School about the attacks.

The children were under the age of 12 when the abuse began. Wilkerson was arrested on one county of sexual battery on a person 12 to 18 and sexual battery by threat. ..Source.. by Dana Treen

Algoa inmate dies

12-23-15 Missouri:

JEFFERSON CITY — An inmate at the Algoa Correctional Center in Jefferson City has died in custody.

According to the Missouri Department of Corrections, 35-year-old Harley Holt was pronounced dead at University Hospital in Columbia at approximately 7:30 Tuesday evening.

Holt was serving a four year sentence for two counts of failure to register as a sex offender in Greene and Howell Counties, according to a release issued by the department. No other details about Holt's death were made available. An autopsy will be conducted. ..Source.. by

Prosecuter Broderick Files Murder Charge Against Inmate

2-22-2010 Indiana:

ANDERSON, IN - Madison County Prosecutor Thomas Broderick, Jr., filed formal charges today against Richard L. Short, 26, a former inmate at the Pendleton Correctional Facility, for Murder and Prisoner in Possession of Dangerous Device, arising from the death of Charles L. Jackson, 52 (Sex Offender) also inmate at the Pendleton Correctional Facility.

According to a probable cause affidavit, Jackson was stabbed to death with a homemade knife on January 23, 2010. Both Short and Jackson were incarcerated at the Pendleton Correctional Facility at the time. According to the Probable Cause Affidavit Jackson died less than an hour after he was stabbed, but not before telling an officer at the facility that Short had stabbed him.

According to Prosecutor Broderick Short has since been transferred to Wabash Valley Correctional Facility where according to the probable cause affidavit a letter written by Short was confiscated by correction officials in which letter Short admits to stabbing Jackson. Short is also reported to have admitted to State Police investigators that he stabbed Jackson according to the affidavit.

State Prison Inmate Gets Life Sentence for Fatally Stabbing Another Inmate

12-10-2015 Maine:

A Maine State Prison inmate, who fatally stabbed another inmate more than 80 times, was sentenced to life in prison Thursday.

Richard Stahursky, 36, pleaded guilty last week to murdering Micah Boland, 37. Boland’s family addressed the courtroom Thursday, saying no one deserves to die the way Boland did, and that they want Stahursky to spend the rest of his life in prison.

The court let Stahursky read a lengthy statement. He showed no remorse for his actions, saying in part “If the courts were to offer me my freedom today, I would decline.”

“I have no remorse for what I did to that child molester. In fact I sleep a lot better at night knowing that there is one less child molester alive,” said Stahursky in his statement to the judge. “I made the choice to become the judge jury and executioner of that sex offender.”

Details Released In Frank Pauline New Mexico Prison Death

5-19-15 New Mexico:

HAWAII – Officials have released documents detailing the alleged murder of a 42-year-old Frank Pauline Jr., found dead in a Las Cruces, New Mexico prison on April 27.

Inmate Daniel Hood confessed to the murder, New Mexico officials report. Hood has been charged with murder.

Pauline was serving a 180-year sentence for the 1991 kidnapping, rape and murder of 23-year-old Dana Ireland. He was transferred to the New Mexico prison from Hawaii in December 2012.

Inmate who was assaulted in Kern County jail has died

10-8-2014 California:

An inmate who was assaulted over the weekend in the Lerdo Pretrial Facility has died.

Christopher Earl Pettenger, 34, was assaulted by other inmates. He was found Saturday suffering from severe head injuries inside his cell, according to the Kern County Sheriff's Office.

The coroner's office released his name Wednesday, a day after he died at Kern Medical Center. An autopsy is scheduled.

Sheriff's office spokesman Ray Pruitt said he couldn't comment on suspects or a motive, citing the open investigation.

Federal inmate dies after attack at prison

8-15-2014 Kentucky:

PINE KNOT, Ky. (AP) — A federal inmate serving a 40-year sentence for child-related sex offenses has died after being attacked at a southern Kentucky prison.

Fayette County Coroner Gary Ginn says 69-year-old Donald John Post Sr. of League City, Texas, died Wednesday as a result of injuries sustained during an attack inside his cell a day earlier at United States Penitentiary McCreary in Pine Knot.

Post pleaded guilty and was sentenced earlier this year in federal court in Texas to charges of sexual exploitation of children and possession of child pornography.

Ginn says after the attack, Post was taken to a Tennessee hospital before being transferred to the University of Kentucky Medical Center for specialized care.

An autopsy has been completed.

Ginn did not give the specifics of Post's injuries on Friday. ..Source.. by ABC36.com

Oklahoma County jail inmate admits killing another inmate to prove worthiness, investigator reports

5-23-2014 Oklahoma:

Ragle Demond Johnson is being held on a murder complaint in the Oklahoma County jail.

An Oklahoma County jail inmate suffering from psychosis has admitted choking another inmate to death early Wednesday in their cell, a state agent reported.

Ragle Demond Johnson, 38, of Oklahoma City, is now being held on a murder complaint.

Johnson said he killed “to prove his worthiness to Wahayoo,” Special Agent Martin Solorzano of the Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation wrote in a court affidavit filed Friday.

The reference to “Wahayoo” is not further explained.

Johnson “admitted to having psychosis and taking medication for it,” the agent wrote in the affidavit.

Daughter: Inmate had more than 100 wounds

4-1-2014 Oklahoma:

A James Crabtree Correctional Center inmate died from more than 100 stab wounds, his daughter said she learned from the funeral home handling his cremation.

Sheryl Coleman viewed her father’s body on Wednesday, the same day an official from the Office of the Chief Medical Examiner confirmed 61-year-old Timothy Dunivan died from multiple sharp force injuries.

“It was really bad. They tried to piece his face together, but they couldn’t so I only saw one side of him,” Coleman said. “There was only one stab in that one eye, underneath. It looked like they tried to cut his eyes out.”

Dunivan was found dead at the prison in Helena at about 8 a.m. Saturday.

The manner of Dunivan’s death is homicide, said Amy Elliott, chief administrative officer with the state medical examiner’s office, said in response to an Open Records Act request seeking autopsy records.
An autopsy report is pending, Elliott said.

Coleman said family members counted approximately 20 stab wounds on Dunivan’s face and learned he had wounds to his hands, arms, shoulders and back.

“The right eye, right in the corner of (his) eye, right in the eyelid, you could see there was a huge stab there,” she said. “And then the chin and the forehead.”

Florence inmate killed to stay in prison, officials say

12-5-2013 California:

A Mexican citizen illegally in the United States killed a prison cellmate in order to remain in custody, the Pinal County Sheriff’s Office said Tuesday.

The Sheriff’s Office said it is recommending that prosecutors charge 43-year-old Roberto Venegas-Fernandez with first-degree murder in the Nov. 16 killing of 55-year-old Michael Patrick McNaughton

Both men were prisoners of the U.S. Marshals Service, which has said they were from the San Diego area and housed at a Corrections Corp. of America prison in Florence pending their transfer to the Bureau of Prisons.

The killing occurred during what was initially reported as a fight between the two men.

However, Sheriff Paul Babeu said Venegas-Fernandez told investigators that he choked and stomped McNaughton because “he likes it in prison and was afraid of being released, since he has nowhere to go.”

“Roberto wanted to find a way to stay in jail, so while the victim was sitting on his bed, he choked him until he fell onto the ground, then stomped on his head and continued to choke the victim until he was presumed dead,” Babeu said in a statement released by his office.