After Nevada prison brawl kills 3 inmates, 20 people are charged

Nevada prosecutors say 20 people have been charged in connection with a brawl at a maximum-security prison in eastern Nevada last year in which three inmates were killed
and others were injured.

The Nevada Attorney General’s Office said this week the final arrest in the investigation was made on March 5.

Prisoners Anthony Williams, 41, Connor Brown, 22, and Zacharia Luz, 42, were killed in the July 30 fight at Ely State Prison. No officers were injured. Authorities say the charges in the case include first-degree murder and attempted murder with use of a deadly weapon with intent to promote or assist a criminal gang. It’s not clear how many of the 20 defendants face those charges.

CBS affiliate KLAS-TV reported the altercation appeared to stem from a feud between two rival gangs and there were concerns about possible retaliation.

Ely State Prison is one of six Nevada prisons. It has almost 1,200 beds, houses the state’s death row for convicted killers and a lethal injection chamber that has never been used.

According to the Death Penalty Information Center, Nevada currently has 59 inmates on death row. Nevada has not carried out an execution since 2006.

Conditions behind bars in the state have drawn criticism from advocates, particularly during hot summers and cold winters. In December 2022, KLAS-TV reported several people incarcerated at Ely State Prison held a hunger strike over what advocates and some family members described as unsafe conditions and inadequate food portions.

“The pursuit of justice does not stop at the prison gates, and those responsible for the deaths of the three inmates at Ely State Prison will be held accountable,” Nevada Attorney General Aaron Ford said in a statement Tuesday. “We remain committed to ensuring that violence and misconduct within our state correctional system are met with the full force of the law.”