Johnson County Jail Inmate Charged with Beating Other Inmate to Death
FRANKLIN, Ind. — A Johnson County Jail inmate has been charged after the death of another inmate.
The Johnson County Prosecutor’s Office announced on Monday that 32-year-old Christian Howard of Indianapolis has been criminally charged with voluntary manslaughter, a Level 2 felony, in the death of 35-year-old Russell Blackwell of Greenwood.
On May 21, staff with the Johnson County Sheriff’s Office found Howard beating Blackwell while he was on the ground in their cell. Blackwell was taken to Johnson Memorial Hospital for treatment before being transported to IU Health Methodist Hospital in Indianapolis. He later died there from his injuries.
An autopsy revealed that the victim suffered blunt force trauma injuries all over his body.
According to the probable cause affidavit, investigators looked at jail footage and saw that Howard hit Blackwell over 15 times with closed fists. Howard also kicked and stomped him while he was on the ground multiple times, causing Blackwell to bleed heavily from his head.
Johnson County Prosecutor Lance Hamner said that Howard was frustrated with Blackwell because he believed Blackwell crushed an opportunity for him to be released from jail. Howard also told investigators that he did not intend to kill Blackwell.
“The emotional state in nowise excuses the killing,” Prosecutor Hamner said. “Instead, it reduces what would otherwise be murder to voluntary manslaughter. While every state’s laws are different, this concept is similar to what is often portrayed on television as second-degree murder: an intentional killing committed in the heat of the moment rather than after cool, deliberate reflection.”
If convicted, Howard faces a potential sentence of 10 to 30 years in prison.
Johnson County Jail Inmate Charged with Beating Other Inmate to Death was originally published on wibc.com
