A stabbing inside an Alabama state prison has left one inmate dead and a second injured.
Correctional officials say 34-year-old Jamie Marcus Witherspoon was fatally stabbed yesterday morning at the state prison in the Bibb County town of Brent. A second man was injured and is being treated in the prison infirmary.
A statement from the Department of Corrections says 28-year-old Justin Sanders faces murder and attempted murder charges in relation to the stabbing. He allegedly used a makeshift weapon during a fight inside a prison dorm. Sanders is currently serving 15 years on a robbery conviction last year in Jefferson County.
Officials say Witherspoon was sentenced to 35 years in prison for a robbery in Tuscaloosa County. He was sentenced in 2008.
This is the latest outbreak of violence in a correctional system that has come under fire for severe overcrowding and understaffing, leading to dangerous conditions. A bill to construct new state prisons faces a pivotal committee vote today.