WETUMPKA – A former officer for Alabama’s Department of Corrections, along with two inmates, is facing charges of murder following the demise of a fellow inmate at Elmore Correctional Facility this past Wednesday.
The officer, former Correctional Sergeant Demarcus Sanders, and inmates Fredrick Gooden and Stefranio Hampton have been indicted with murder charges, stated Kelly Betts, the spokesperson for the prison system. Sanders, who has quit his role at ADOC, is currently confined to the Elmore County Jail without the possibility of bail, while the inmates are still in the department’s custody.
The victim, identified as Rubyn James Murray, was embroiled in an event outside his dormitory that involved prison officers, ultimately leading to a physical confrontation with one of them, Betts added. Following this, Murray was moved to a holding area near the back gate, awaiting transportation to the Staton Health Care Unit for medical evaluation and therapy.
However, in a breach of ADOC protocol, two other inmates reportedly gained unauthorized entry to this holding space before Murray could be transported. According to a public release by ADOC, Murray was discovered unresponsive shortly after. He was then transported to the medical facility within Staton, and from there to a local hospital for emergency medical treatment. Medical staff was unable to resuscitate Murray and he was pronounced dead by the attending physician.
The cause of Murray’s death in pending.
ADOC mentioned that there may be additional charges and further actions regarding personnel in the offing. At the time of death, Murray, aged 38, was serving a 20-year prison sentence for a robbery in Montgomery County. Gooden, 60, was serving a 30-year jail term for property theft in Jefferson County. Hampton, 35, was serving a life sentence for a robbery offense also out of Montgomery County.
In a statement, ADOC disclosed that it had been in touch with the Federal Bureau of Investigation’s Mobile Field Office and the District Attorney’s Office in Elmore County concerning the incident.
More News:
- 2 year old toddler dies of gunshot in Wetumpka, Elmore County
- Arrest made in deadly Montgomery shooting of 22 year old woman
