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Justice Paul E. Pfeifer's weekly column
May 18, 2005
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The Lucasville Prison Riot
by Justice Paul E. Pfeifer
It was the worst prison riot in Ohio history. On the afternoon of April 11, 1993 – Easter Sunday – inmates at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility at Lucasville took over L Section, one of the three main prison cellblocks. By the time darkness settled over Lucasville that day, the situation inside the prison was dire: the inmates controlled all of L Section, and they had taken eight corrections officers hostage.
It was a terrifying ordeal for the officers. Defenseless and badly outnumbered, they were at the mercy of the riotous inmates. After eleven grueling days the siege finally ended, but not before corrections officer Robert Vallandingham and nine inmates had been murdered.
Here at the Supreme Court of Ohio we recently reviewed the appeal of George Skatzes, an inmate who was sentenced to death for his role in the uprising.
The riot had its genesis sometime before April 11, 1993, when the Ohio Department of Health mandated that all prison inmates be tested for tuberculosis. The test required an injection, but the Muslim inmates – led by Carlos “Hasan” Sanders – objected to that form of testing on religious grounds.
Word filtered down to the Muslims that there was to be a lockdown – when all inmates would be confined to their cells – the day after Easter, to facilitate the tuberculosis testing. On the evening before the riot, leaders of the Muslims met with members of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist gang in the prison. The two groups disliked one another, but they found common cause in plotting a riot.
The next day, when the inmates took control of L Section, their planning became evident: the prison's dominant gangs – the Muslims, the Aryan Brotherhood and the Black Gangster Disciples – each took charge of different parts of the cellblock. The Aryans, led by Jason Robb and George Skatzes, controlled L2.
In the early stages of the riot, Robert Vallandingham locked himself in the corrections officers' restroom in L1. But inmates battered open the door and took him hostage. They held him in L6, which was controlled by the Muslims.
Another guard – Jeff Ratcliff – had taken refuge in the back stairwell of L2. The stairwell was supposed to be a safe-haven in such situations, with cement-block walls and a steel door. But using a metal bar from the weight-lifting set in the gym the inmates punched a hole in the wall. When Ratcliff came out they beat him.
An inmate named Earl Elder was in the stairwell with Ratcliff. Elder was considered a “snitch,” and when he emerged from the stairwell they began beating him with baseball bats and stabbing him with shanks. Jason Robb said to Elder, “You want to be police, we will show you what it is to be police.”
Later that night, after meeting in the gym with a Muslim inmate, George Skatzes took Roger Snodgrass, another Aryan Brotherhood member, to L6, where Elder, battered but not dead, was being held in a cell. Outside Elder's cell Skatzes told Snodgrass, “I want you to take this guy out. Go ahead and take care of your business, son.”
Snodgrass went into the cell and stabbed Elder numerous times. When Snodgrass came out, Skatzes put his arm around him and said, “You did a good job, brother, I am proud of you.” Elder was dead. The next morning his body was placed in the recreation yard.
Within two or three days of the takeover, FBI technicians had placed microphones in the tunnels underneath L block. The inmates didn't know it, but their conversations were being recorded.
During the first half of the riot, Skatzes was one of the lead inmate negotiators. After three days, when the inmates were unable to break the stalemate over their demands, the leaders of the three gangs met to discuss their next move. Skatzes and the others voted to kill a guard if their demands were not met.
Prison authorities had cut the power and water in L block. On the morning of April 15, Skatzes got on the phone and demanded that it be restored or “there would be a guaranteed murder.” When the deadline – set by Skatzes – passed without restoration of power or water, Muslim inmates in L6 killed Robert Vallandingham.
When a settlement was finally negotiated on April 21, the inmates began the process of surrendering. At that time, the gang leaders decided that inmate David Sommers, who controlled the phones and recorded the calls throughout the negotiations, “had to die, he knew too much.”
Apparently believing the confusion of the surrender would hide their actions, several inmates, including Skatzes, went after Sommers. When they found him in L7, one inmate tackled Sommers and began stabbing him; Skatzes ran up and kicked him in the head while another inmate choked Sommers with an extension cord. Then Skatzes hit Sommers in the head with a baseball bat at least three times while the others repeatedly stabbed him.
Skatzes and the others cleaned themselves, burned the clothes they'd had on, and surrendered to authorities. But the confusion wasn't enough to mask their foul deeds. With diligent investigation, the FBI recordings, and eyewitness accounts, law enforcement officials were able to painstakingly piece together the events inside the prison and bring those responsible to justice.
For his part, Skatzes was found guilty as one of the inmates responsible for the murders of Vallandingham, Elder and Sommers. A jury recommended death for the murders of Elder and Sommers and a life sentence for the murder of Vallandingham.
After reviewing his appeal, we affirmed Skatzes' convictions and death sentence by a seven-to-zero vote.
The Lucasville riot was an all-together ugly affair; a public display of the worst humankind has to offer. It took months to clean up the shattered cellblock; so far it's taken considerably longer to clear up the ensuing criminal prosecutions. With our decision in this case, George Skatzes joins the others – including Robb and Sanders – who have been convicted for their part in Ohio 's deadliest prison riot.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The case referred to is State v. Skatzes, 104 Ohio St.3d 195, 2004-Ohio-6391. Case No. 2003-0487. Decided Dec. 8, 2004. Majority opinion written by Justice Paul E. Pfeifer.
May 18, 2005
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Lucasville Prison Riot
by Justice Paul E. Pfeifer
It was the worst prison riot in Ohio history. On the afternoon of April 11, 1993 – Easter Sunday – inmates at the Southern Ohio Correctional Facility at Lucasville took over L Section, one of the three main prison cellblocks. By the time darkness settled over Lucasville that day, the situation inside the prison was dire: the inmates controlled all of L Section, and they had taken eight corrections officers hostage.
It was a terrifying ordeal for the officers. Defenseless and badly outnumbered, they were at the mercy of the riotous inmates. After eleven grueling days the siege finally ended, but not before corrections officer Robert Vallandingham and nine inmates had been murdered.
Here at the Supreme Court of Ohio we recently reviewed the appeal of George Skatzes, an inmate who was sentenced to death for his role in the uprising.
The riot had its genesis sometime before April 11, 1993, when the Ohio Department of Health mandated that all prison inmates be tested for tuberculosis. The test required an injection, but the Muslim inmates – led by Carlos “Hasan” Sanders – objected to that form of testing on religious grounds.
Word filtered down to the Muslims that there was to be a lockdown – when all inmates would be confined to their cells – the day after Easter, to facilitate the tuberculosis testing. On the evening before the riot, leaders of the Muslims met with members of the Aryan Brotherhood, a white supremacist gang in the prison. The two groups disliked one another, but they found common cause in plotting a riot.
The next day, when the inmates took control of L Section, their planning became evident: the prison's dominant gangs – the Muslims, the Aryan Brotherhood and the Black Gangster Disciples – each took charge of different parts of the cellblock. The Aryans, led by Jason Robb and George Skatzes, controlled L2.
In the early stages of the riot, Robert Vallandingham locked himself in the corrections officers' restroom in L1. But inmates battered open the door and took him hostage. They held him in L6, which was controlled by the Muslims.
Another guard – Jeff Ratcliff – had taken refuge in the back stairwell of L2. The stairwell was supposed to be a safe-haven in such situations, with cement-block walls and a steel door. But using a metal bar from the weight-lifting set in the gym the inmates punched a hole in the wall. When Ratcliff came out they beat him.
An inmate named Earl Elder was in the stairwell with Ratcliff. Elder was considered a “snitch,” and when he emerged from the stairwell they began beating him with baseball bats and stabbing him with shanks. Jason Robb said to Elder, “You want to be police, we will show you what it is to be police.”
Later that night, after meeting in the gym with a Muslim inmate, George Skatzes took Roger Snodgrass, another Aryan Brotherhood member, to L6, where Elder, battered but not dead, was being held in a cell. Outside Elder's cell Skatzes told Snodgrass, “I want you to take this guy out. Go ahead and take care of your business, son.”
Snodgrass went into the cell and stabbed Elder numerous times. When Snodgrass came out, Skatzes put his arm around him and said, “You did a good job, brother, I am proud of you.” Elder was dead. The next morning his body was placed in the recreation yard.
Within two or three days of the takeover, FBI technicians had placed microphones in the tunnels underneath L block. The inmates didn't know it, but their conversations were being recorded.
During the first half of the riot, Skatzes was one of the lead inmate negotiators. After three days, when the inmates were unable to break the stalemate over their demands, the leaders of the three gangs met to discuss their next move. Skatzes and the others voted to kill a guard if their demands were not met.
Prison authorities had cut the power and water in L block. On the morning of April 15, Skatzes got on the phone and demanded that it be restored or “there would be a guaranteed murder.” When the deadline – set by Skatzes – passed without restoration of power or water, Muslim inmates in L6 killed Robert Vallandingham.
When a settlement was finally negotiated on April 21, the inmates began the process of surrendering. At that time, the gang leaders decided that inmate David Sommers, who controlled the phones and recorded the calls throughout the negotiations, “had to die, he knew too much.”
Apparently believing the confusion of the surrender would hide their actions, several inmates, including Skatzes, went after Sommers. When they found him in L7, one inmate tackled Sommers and began stabbing him; Skatzes ran up and kicked him in the head while another inmate choked Sommers with an extension cord. Then Skatzes hit Sommers in the head with a baseball bat at least three times while the others repeatedly stabbed him.
Skatzes and the others cleaned themselves, burned the clothes they'd had on, and surrendered to authorities. But the confusion wasn't enough to mask their foul deeds. With diligent investigation, the FBI recordings, and eyewitness accounts, law enforcement officials were able to painstakingly piece together the events inside the prison and bring those responsible to justice.
For his part, Skatzes was found guilty as one of the inmates responsible for the murders of Vallandingham, Elder and Sommers. A jury recommended death for the murders of Elder and Sommers and a life sentence for the murder of Vallandingham.
After reviewing his appeal, we affirmed Skatzes' convictions and death sentence by a seven-to-zero vote.
The Lucasville riot was an all-together ugly affair; a public display of the worst humankind has to offer. It took months to clean up the shattered cellblock; so far it's taken considerably longer to clear up the ensuing criminal prosecutions. With our decision in this case, George Skatzes joins the others – including Robb and Sanders – who have been convicted for their part in Ohio 's deadliest prison riot.
EDITOR'S NOTE: The case referred to is State v. Skatzes, 104 Ohio St.3d 195, 2004-Ohio-6391. Case No. 2003-0487. Decided Dec. 8, 2004. Majority opinion written by Justice Paul E. Pfeifer.