Authorities on Friday announced murder charges against four inmates, including one man who was serving time for shooting a state trooper in Durham in 2013, in the deaths of two prison employees during a failed escape last week in Elizabeth City.
The four inmates were each charged with two counts of first-degree murder in the deaths of correctional officer Justin Smith, 35, and correction enterprises manager Veronica Darden, 50, according to Pasquotank County officials. Another 10 employees and four inmates were injured in the Oct. 12 escape attempt.
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Justin Smith and Veronica Darden
Pasquotank County Sheriff Randy Cartwright identified the inmates as Mikel Brady, 28, Jonathan Monk, 30, Seth J. Frazier, 33, and Wisezah Buckman, 29.
From left: Mikel Brady, Jonathan Monk, Seth Frazier, Wisezah Buckman
Cartwright said investigators and the local district attorney's office will present evidence to "obtain further criminal indictments and charges on these four individuals."
Brady was in prison for attempted first-degree murder and assault with a firearm on a law enforcement officer in 2013, according to the North Carolina Department of Public Safety's online prison logs. Brady pleaded guilty in 2014 to shooting North Carolina State Highway Patrol Trooper Michael Potts in the face during a traffic stop on U.S. Highway 70 in Durham.
Potts returned to work a year later after undergoing several surgeries and physical therapy sessions. The patrol awarded him a Purple Heart in 2014.
Brady was serving a 19- to 24-year sentence, and his projected release date was 2035.
Monk was also sentenced to prison for attempted first-degree murder in 2011. Frazier was convicted most recently of burglary and possession of firearm by a felon in 2011, while Buckman was convicted in 2015 of second-degree murder and assault with a deadly weapon with intent to kill.
Brady and Frazier were transferred to Central Prison, and Monk and Buckman were taken to Polk Correctional Institution.
Meanwhile, state Secretary of Public Safety Erik Hooks said more steps have been taken to ensure similar attacks on prison workers don't occur in the future.
"I am committed to conducting a complete and thorough investigation of the events that occurred to make the prison environment safer for our staff, visitors to our facilities and the inmates we house, Hooks said in a statement.
The sewing plant at Pasquotank Correctional Institution, where the attempted escape started, has been closed for good, and Hooks has requested that the National Institute of Corrections conduct a review of the safety and security operations at the prison, as well as all aspects of Correction Enterprises’ safety protocols, including staffing patterns, inmate worker placement assessments, training and operating procedures.
The Department of Public Safety also will conduct a review of all inmates assigned to work in Correction Enterprises operations. Any who have been convicted of a violent crime against a government official or law enforcement officer will be barred from working with cutting or "impact tools" without approval of the Director of Prisons Office while those convicted of any assault will be temporarily suspended from such activities.
Also, an advisory committee will recommend new technology and devices to enhance the safety of prison and Correction Enterprises staff, prison facilities and plant operations.
Since April, three North Carolina Correction workers have been killed on the job. Along with victims at the Pasquotank facility, Sgt Meggan Callahan died when she was attacked by an inmate at the Bertie Correctional Institution in April.
Officials say they are working to conduct a thorough and accurate investigation.
"We pretty much knew about these individuals within minutes of getting on the scene," Sherrif Randy Cartwright said.