Leandro Lo, a legendary jiu-jitsu fighter, was killed in Brazil, according to MMA Junkie.He was 33 years old. Wesley Turner, a former inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, was stabbed to death in a 2012 prison fight. ANSONCOUNTY, N.C. -- A N.C. inmate has filed a federal lawsuit alleging that corrections officers at an Anson County prison cracked his skull with a baton . Two other inmates involved in the gang-related fight that day Julio Alberto Zelaya-Sorto and Joel Corto Ortiz also pleaded guilty to felonies and had up to four and five years, respectively, added to their prison sentences. POLKTON, N.C. -- Authorities in North Carolina say two supervisors were stabbed and two correctional officers were assaulted with a broom handle in an attackat a state prison.
Press TV on Twitter: "RT @PresstvExtra: At least 40 people have been [9] The disclosures raise new questions about the role that corrections officers have played in violence at the high-security prison in Anson County. Copyright 2012 WBTV. According to the indictment, between August and September 2018, while employed at LCI as a correctional officer, Blyther accepted a bribe to smuggle a controlled substance into the LCI on behalf of an inmate housed at the facility. For months, Bridges tried to make sense of what she saw at the murder scene and on surveillance video. How serious Parsons was about keeping contraband out of the prison remains unclear. A fellow prisoner, Joel Corto Ortiz, pleaded guilty to felony assault with a deadly weapon for stabbing Christopher Cook, another inmate who was seriously injured in the fight. It was especially heartbreaking for me to see you go in the media from being a grieving father who lost a wife and a son to being the person indicted and convicted of killing them, Judge Clifton Newman said to Alex Murdaugh Friday. State Bureau of Investigation agents say they are examining possible wrongdoing by former Lanesboro officers and cannot discuss the assertions by Vazquezs lawyers. In a court filing, Wall denied the federal lawsuit claims, saying he never facilitated attacks or gave gang members preferential treatment. Some family members believe that the murder may have been connected to an incident that occurred at a convenience store earlier in the week. Other prisoners were killed by police dogs. The police released their dogs in the barber shop, where the wounded prisoners were taken. (Parsons) told me I couldnt say anything about another sergeant bringing in marijuana, Wilburn testified. The CO was reportedly stabbed and suffered heavy bleeding after responding to an inmate fight. Prison leaders plan to examine many factors, including staffing patterns, Guice said. "They might have had enough officers to subdue that inmate before he got that fire extinguisher from the sergeant," said Robert Webster, a former captain at two North Carolina maximum-security prisons. About 60 inmates were also near Callahan when she was attacked on April 26, Jernigan said. Searches found numerous cellphones, improvised weapons and marijuana. Assistant U.S. Attorney Dana Washington, of the U.S. Attorneys Office in Charlotte, is in charge of the prosecution. The state says the prison was on lockdown while they investigated the incident. All three of the Latino inmates had sharp weapons. Inmates involved in the fight told investigators that one of the shanks was a real long knife, another resembled a razor, and the third was a plastic toilet bowl brush sharpened at one end. Its so dangerous that some officers begin their work days by asking those coming off the previous shift how many assaults theyve just seen. They have a very difficult job Most of them do it the right way. [20] In April 2014, 15 additional policemen were sentenced to 48 years.
North Carolina Prisoners Sue Over Gang Violence, Obtain $62,500 Willis, G. D. (2002). Why fans love it. Inside his cell block, inmate Christopher Cook expects trouble. [25] Since the massacre, Brazil's federal government has passed new legislation to reform the prison system, all of which has yet to be enforced.[26]. Both inmates are members of MS-13, a powerful Latino gang. Some facts related to events surrounding the murder of inmate Wesley Turner are drawn from prison surveillance video obtained by the Observer. Lo's lawyer confirmed to Brazilian news outlet G1 on Sunday that Lo was killed Saturday at a concert in So Paulo. "And this time it came up snake eyes," he said. He said I could face an EEO (Equal Employment Opportunity) complaint for making false accusations.. That works out to about one officer for every 29 inmates. A third inmate involved in the altercation that day Julio Alberto Zelaya-Sorto pleaded guilty last month to assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill. [7], The country was in major shock from the massacre. Cary man becomes 27th North Carolinian charged in Capitol riot. One Polk officer made $29,800 in salary in 2015. August 2011 - Eighteen inmates assaulted staff members throughout the month. But, Cook said, Turner usually kept to himself. Turner was scheduled to get out of prison this year, too. Officials say the men used a homemade shank as a weapon. State corrections officials identified the inmate killed as Wesley Eugene Turner, 35, who had been in prison since 1996 for multiple offenses, including second-degree murder. CHARLOTTE A video taken inside Lanesboro Correctional Institution shows prison officials gesturing to suspects in an inmate's 2012 murder to keep their mouths shut after the killing, lawyers who represented one of the suspects said. The pay is low an average of the about $35,000 annually at maximum-security prisons and the work is dangerous and demanding. A video taken inside Lanesboro Correctional Institution shows prison officials gesturing to suspects in an inmate's 2012 murder to keep their mouths shut after the killing, lawyers who.
Three officers assaulted at Bertie Correctional Institution - WITN Inmates sue staff of Lanesboro Correctional - WBTV News An investigation by The Charlotte Observer last year found that state prison policies and management failures allow corruption and violence to thrive.
Lanesboro Correctional Institution - PrisonPro Bridges said she doesnt buy that explanation. Many of North Carolina's maximum-security prisons are operating dangerously short of staff, current and former correctional officers told the Observer. None of the officers convicted have served their sentences. The fatal fight broke out roughly five minutes after the inmates left the office. Then shelter shared desperate plea, What to Watch Friday: Dateline and 20/20 update Murdaugh murder trial coverage, Mail carrier cant believe his eyes after seeing NC lottery win. What happened to (the shanks)? asked SBI agent Audria Bridges, who led the investigation into Turners murder. A video taken inside Lanesboro Correctional Institution shows prison officials gesturing to suspects in an inmates 2012 murder to keep their mouths shut after the killing, lawyers who represented one of the suspects said. Cook suffered lacerations and puncture wounds. Wall, who joined the prison system in 1995, was fired in August 2013 for willful violation of written rules and creating conditions that increased the chance of death or serious bodily injury, his dismissal letter states. Main Office:
No prison officials have been criminally charged. Western North Carolina
Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. A North Carolina inmate has been sentenced to at least 12 more years in prison for the gang-related murder of a fellow inmate, a case that has exposed further problems at Lanesboro Correctional Institution. Statewide, about 16 percent of officer positions are vacant. [14] A spokesman for the N.C. Department of Corrections says two inmates were taken to the hospital. Theyre within feet of an officer who controls the locked door to the block.
Prison officer Megan Lee Callahan killed at Bertie Correctional Bridges said she doesnt believe that. Most (of the prisons officers) are good, hard-working folks, said Underwood, the SBI supervisor. Staff researcher Maria David and editor Rogelio Aranda contributed. He was sentenced to 32 to 48 months. Updated: 4:34 PM EST November 9, 2012. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. A .gov website belongs to an official government organization in the United States. Dates, what you need to know, Winthrop loses to Radford in Big South tournament quarterfinals, Bonnaroo vows to stay champion of self-expression despite Tennessee drag show ban. He said three inmates believed to be involved in the assault have been identified and are being questioned. Its time, Cook wrote, to expose why Turner died. Wall, now 45, wouldnt talk to the Observer. They are now suing the facility. Then he covers his mouth. Editors note: This story is based on interviews with dozens of sources including inmates, investigators, lawyers and 19 current and former prison employees as well as court files, correspondence, criminal records and state prison documents. Wynn said he did not want to be branded as a prison snitch, a label that can get inmates hurt. We had about 7 officers overseeing about 30 inmates in a kitchen to make sure they followed the recipes.prepared and use the right utensils to serve the food. He ran over and subdued the prisoner. [8], In April 2013, 23 policemen involved in the massacre were sentenced to 156 years in prison each for the killing of 13 inmates. In a recorded phone conversation, Hunt told a friend she knew a bunch of corrupt officers, according to an FBI affidavit. He joined the Folk Nation at age 16, was convicted of damaging property soon afterward, and later committed armed robbery, kidnapping and more than a dozen other crimes. The facility houses medium- and close-security inmates. November 2014 - Five former Lanesboro inmates filed a federal lawsuit alleging that officers at the Anson County prison repeatedly helped gang-affiliated inmates get weapons and wage attacks. Experts say such corruption jeopardizes prison workers, wastes taxpayer dollars and endangers the public. The officer opens the door for an inmate, and the three gang members follow him into a cell block where they dont belong. Walls dismissal letter, obtained by The Observer, states that he had hidden bloody weapons in the ceiling of his old office. Then Wall said, They have nothing to worry about because if I wanted to get anyone, I could get them touched from the outside, the letter states. State prison leaders refused requests for all surveillance videos that show incidents in which Wall is accused of helping inmates wage attacks. Murder probe exposes more problems at Lanesboro prison, Former SC governor, Trump ally Nikki Haley coming to Myrtle Beach as she runs for president, Fort Mill just named its top teachers and staff members for 2023. Lanesboro has a standard operating capacity of 864 close-custody male inmates, with 128 segregation cells and 8 health care beds. Hodges was sentenced to two years in federal prison. If the officer knew an assault was going to take place, would he have opened the door? Bridges asked. On the morning of Sept. 28, 2012, the day that Turner was stabbed to death, there were rumors of potential violence. SBI agents who investigated the killing said in interviews this week that they have no proof that corrections officers were trying to help the assailants. A video taken inside Lanesboro in 2012 and obtained by the Observer shows Wall meeting with gang members just minutes before those inmates, armed with homemade weapons, became involved in a fight that killed inmate Wesley Turner. Four correctional officers at a North Carolina prison were hospitalized Thursday after they were stabbed by several inmates, officials said. The murder, which occurred on Thursday June 5 in the hours before Easley and his father planned to watch the first game of the NBA finals together, left his family devastated. The weapons were found nearly a year and a half after the deadly fight, and forensic tests did not tie any of them to the attacks on Turner and Cook. And with Wall's signal after the fact, telling (Vazquez) essentially to be quiet, I don't know what other inference you can draw from it.. Get browser notifications for breaking news, live events, and exclusive reporting. Soon afterward, he contacted a Lanesboro employee, asking her to retrieve the contraband from the ceiling of his old office, his dismissal letter states. "It's not safe," McCoy said. The winner, from Charlotte, took her prize as a $600,000 lump sum, officials said.
Prison inmate Mikel Brady guilty of killing 4 prison workers Inmate Donny Mosley, who is serving time for second-degree murder and robbery with a dangerous weapon, had slashed her face and neck with a razor-like weapon. "When your shift starts at 5:30 a.m. and you work 12 hours and you get told you're held over till 9 (p.m.) you're not alert. English said he had gathered evidence about another prison sergeant who worked for Wall and who he suspected was bringing drugs into the prison. Turner walks over to Cook and they stand shoulder to shoulder, braced for an attack. Soon, the three convicted inmates all reported gang members were waiting at the door that would allow them into E pod, an adjacent unit. Later, an officer delivered other personal property to Wall, who had been waiting in front of the prison gatehouse. Thats Wall in the white shirt and tie entering the hallway on the video. Brian Dawe, executive director of the American Correctional Officer Intelligence Network (ACOIN), said Bertie like most of the nation's prisons appeared to be badly understaffed, based on the numbers that state prison officials provided to the Observer. Driver arrested after video shows him nearly hitting students at their school bus stop. [22][23] The court judged that the massacre was an act of self-defense and that there was a lack of evidence to link the individual officers to the individual killings. The N.C. Department of Public Safety has declined the Observers requests for copies of the video, citing ongoing investigative reviews.. The Killing Consensus: Homicide Detectives, Police that Kill and Organized Crime in Sio Paulo, Brazil. But Daniel Roberts, one of the attorneys, told a judge at a court hearing that the videos and other evidence suggest prison officials either sanctioned the attack or looked the other way. Turner lies bleeding to death on the concrete floor. Officers skipped their required rounds at the prison the night Quick died, records show. Furthermore, gunshot wounds were mainly found in the face, head, throat and chest. Real-time updates and all local stories you want right in the palm of your hand. The military was given full command of the prison when arriving about 2:30 P.M..[4] Though the director wanted to negotiate with the prisoners by a megaphone, he was held back by his staff since the police almost crushed him. Learn how and when to remove this template message, "111 Killed When Police Storm Brazilian Prison During Inmate Riot", "Carandiru v. Brasil, Report, Report No. Zelaya-Sorto pulls out a shank a handmade knife from inside his jumpsuit and lunges at Cook. Soon afterward, the suspects were escorted into offices where they received medical treatment. One former officer, who rushed to a colleague's defense after she was slashed in the neck by an inmate at Lanesboro Correctional Institution, said the attack might have been prevented with more staff. But, with the help of a source, the Observer obtained a prison surveillance video from the 2012 attack that killed inmate Wesley Turner, providing a rare glimpse into a prison murder. Heres how to check the conditions. In 2014, a Lanesboro officer was paid $29,800 but made another $35,600 in overtime. Its also unclear where Zelays-Sorto and Ortiz go immediately after the meeting breaks up.
The officer who opened the door for the three convicted inmates told SBI agents he did so because he thought the prisoners were returning to their unit following a meal. Asheville:(828) 271-4661.
Correctional officer, father of 2 killed in shooting - WSOC TV Hours after the murder, video also shows Wall gesturing to the killer. But if another staff member had been standing beside the officer that morning, "there's a possibility (Mosley) would have kept walking," McCoy said. From a common area, Cook can see Zelaya-Sorto and Ortiz the prisoners who have just met with Wall. Lock A lawyer for the killer said in a court hearing that he believes prison officials either sanctioned the September 2012 attack or looked the other way. The crackdown has reduced assaults, a DPS spokesman said. One of Brazil's most notorious gangs, the Primeiro Comando da Capital (PCC), is said to have formed in 1993 as a response to the event. Guards allegedly opened Peguese resigned from the system in May 2013, while he was under investigation, said Department of Public Safety spokeswoman Pamela Walker. In an email to the Observer, state prison leaders said they have no evidence to support that conversations and gestures with inmates seen in the surveillance video are anything other than normal discussions with the inmate population.. Correctional officers were also prohibited from accepting gifts from inmates, performing favors for inmates, or providing inmates with narcotic drugs or any other item forbidden by LCI rules. The LCI housed medium and close-security inmates and was one of the states largest prisons. Turner, 35, a convicted murderer nicknamed Thug Life, has served most of his 21-year prison sentence. The Observer repeatedly tried to reach Wall to discuss the Turner murder and the lawsuit allegations. Please enter valid email address to continue. They have nothing to worry about, Wall told the officer, according to the document, because if I wanted to get anyone, I could get them touched from the outside.. The officer noticed a gun in Walls vehicle, the letter states.
He was found dead in his cell the following morning, a victim of coronary artery disease. Once in a lifetime, Murdaugh verdict sends a Lowcountry message: No one is above the law | Opinion, Charlotte Waffle House found with live roach, unclean equipment during health inspection, The top-ranked pie in North Carolina doesnt look like pie at all. Phillip Boney, a former Lanesboro officer, told the Observer that right after the fight, he saw Wall put a shank inside an unlocked wooden podium near the cell block. 11.291 (IACmHR, Apr. Surveillance video from that day offers a look behind the prisons walls: Inmates mill about in a hallway, some high-fiving, others hugging or bumping fists, as if they are high-school students changing classes. According to Bridges, Wall told authorities he kept the shanks in his office because he was planning to put them in a display that would be used to train other officers. Bias Easley was a corrections officer at the Lanesboro Correctional Institute, near Wadesboro. Those officers must cover two shifts and a number of them are off, sick or on vacation at any given time so only a fraction of the total staff was likely available to work the day shift on April 26. He said hes haunted by Turners murder and has branded the letters of his best friends nickname into his right side. Inmates within the LCI were prohibited from possessing controlled substances and are permitted to use controlled substances only when prescribed by a medical professional and under the direct supervision of LCI staff. Five years after the murder, Lanesboros problems continue. A federal lawsuit, filed last month by five former Lanesboro inmates, alleges that corrections officers helped gang members wage attacks against other inmates. Designed to hold 1,400 inmates, the prison has a staff of about 500. About 45 miles from Charlotte, just beyond a grove of trees, Lanesboro Correctional Institution houses some of the states most violent criminals. 34/00, Case No. I didnt have enough cooperation to connect the dots, she said. The case was brought before the inter-American Commission by The Center for Justice and International Law (CEJIL), the Teotnio Vilela Commission for Human Rights, and Human Rights Watch, and in 2000, eight years after the massacre, they condemned Brazil for it. "All it would take is for five or ten guys to decide we're going to take over the prison. One inmate warned Lanesboro prison officials that Latino gang members were armed with homemade knives and planning an attack. Why would you keep them there, with the risk of them getting into the hands of an inmate? she asked. Two pending federal lawsuits allege that Wall and his officers sold weapons to gang members. Prison leaders say that when staff vacancies at a prison rise, they make adjustments, such as moving prisoners, reducing inmate programs and sending fewer staff members to special training. Id like to see the truth be told about what really does go on in here.. Lake Norman mansion for sale hosted famous Talladega Nights Hollywood dinner scene, Ex-high school coach accused of sex crimes against 6 more athletes, NC sheriff says. The first to enter is Julio Zelaya-Sorto, convicted of shooting and killing a man at a Greensboro nightclub. [18] Here are his plans. The officer said Wall asked her to go into his old office and retrieve a bag of shanks from the ceiling.
NC prison officers sleep on the job, putting lives at risk | Raleigh All three of the convicted inmates have been transferred to other state prisons. A female officer told Bridges that Wall just called looking for help. A locked padlock At Lanesboro, 45 miles southeast of Charlotte, it was common for 42 officers to watch about 1,200 prisoners on the night shift, according to Gregory McCoy, who worked there as a correctional officer from 2009 to 2016.
NC sergeant killed by inmate worked in understaffed prison | Charlotte Attorneys for Vazquez said their client never told them what led to the fight. The current capacity of Lanesboro Correctional Institution is 1,400 adult male inmates. Prison officials considered that a clear threat to staff. ". Have a question about Government Services? One inmate dead, another injured in prison incident, Medical Marijuana bill passes NC Senate; some cannabis supporters against bill, 8-year-old helps raise money for favorite Waffle House worker in need of car, PLAN AHEAD: Latest Weather Forecast Video. Share sensitive information only on official, secure websites. ANSON COUNTY, N.C. One inmate is dead after an incident at Lanesboro Correctional Center in Anson County. in Criminal Justice - Corrections, and M.S. That was one of three times inmates attacked Mitchell. And we don't have enough staff to fight back.". Following the attack, more than 800 inmates were put on lockdown for several months. The father of two was shot and killed in front of his Charlotte, North Carolina home, and police are currently investigating whether or not the murder was somehow connected to his profession or incidences which may have occurred in the correctional facility where he is employed. But Jeffery Wall the unit manager who made the gesture has been accused in federal lawsuits of facilitating two other gang attacks the same year. The massacre has also sparked ongoing discussions, both in Brazil and internationally about Brazil's prison system. He had 43. 227 West Trade St.
North Carolina Correctional Officer Killed in Front of Home I characterize the lack of supervision there as, quite frankly, shocking, Roberts said. [24] Consequently, the prosecutor is initiating an appeal and the process remains ongoing. The FBI investigated the case. They refuse. Attorneys for the state quizzed Wynn why he didnt take steps that might have allowed him to avoid the attack. Gregorio Cortez Vazquez, who was accused of stabbing Turner, pleaded guilty to second-degree murder Wednesday in Anson County Superior Court and was sentenced to up to 16 years. Officers often find that they may become targets outside of the work place for incidents that began inside the jails and prisons in which they work.