South Carolina jurors have found an inmate guilty of charges connected to the death of a fellow inmate during the deadliest U.S. prison riot of the past quarter-century.
The Lee County jury deliberated less than an hour on Friday before finding Michael Juan “Flame” Smith guilty of assault and battery by mob, weapon possession and conspiracy for his role in the 2018 violence.
Trial Judge Ferrell Cothran Jr. gave Smith a 45-year sentence on charges related to the death of 33-year-old Cornelius McClary. Seven prisoners were killed and 22 seriously injured in the riot at the maximum-security Lee Correctional Institution in Bishopville.
Dozens of inmates have been indicted on charges related to the riots that occurred across three dormitories, and a string of defendants began pleading guilty over the summer.
However, Smith was the first prisoner whose case went to trial. Within four days he was convicted of the charges related to McClary's death.