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Over the weekend APR was notified of multiple instances of violence and deaths occurring at Alabama Department of Correction (ADOC) facilities.
On Friday, a source told APR that Chris Latham was beaten to death by two other incarcerated individuals at Ventress Correctional Facility. Latham was flown out of the facility to a local hospital but succumbed to a traumatic brain injury, according to sources. The two individuals who allegedly beat Latham are Carlos Williams and Marcus Walker.
According to an ADOC inmate search both Williams and Walker are at the Kilby Receiving and Recreation Center. Kilby is where many incarcerated individuals are transferred as they await new charges for a crime they are alleged to have committed in prison. APR was told Latham was likely killed over a debt.
On Saturday morning, Frank Sims was beaten in the head with a weight by Harry Leonard and left in critical condition at Staton Correctional Facility sources told APR. The motive is unclear as to why Leonard hit Sims. Also, an ADOC inmate search of Leonard demonstrates he is at Kilby Receiving and Recreation Center signaling that he is awaiting new charges likely in connection to this incident.
On Monday, APR received confirmation from a source that Jason Kountz died at Kilby Receiving and Recreation Center but the circumstances of his death are being disputed. On Friday, Kountz had fallen off his bed and was taken to the infirmary where his head was stitched up due to suffering an injury, a source told APR.
Kountz was sent back go his dorm following the stitches but the next morning he was found dead. According to a source ADOC is saying that Kountz died from his injuries he sustained from his fall Friday, however, individuals inside the facility believe Kountz was beaten.
The violence and death inside ADOC facilities continue as billions of dollars are being prepared to go towards funding one new prison and the yearly death toll continues to rise. The approximate death toll in Alabama prisons is unknown due to a lack of updated information and public knowledge. However, the number of incarcerated deaths in 2023 is likely around 180 to 190 without accounting for the months of July, August, September, and now two weeks into October.
