A federal grand jury sitting in U.S. District Court in Abingdon has indicted five inmates incarcerated at United States Penitentiary-Lee County for conspiring to murder a fellow inmate at the prison.
In a five-count indictment returned on Tuesday, the grand jury charged Moris Flores, 32, Carlos Almonte, 30, Julie Chavez, 35, Angel Guevara, 39, and German Hernandez, 33, each with one count of conspiracy to commit the premeditated murder of victim “AZ” and one count of attempted murder.
In addition, the grand jury charged Flores, Guevara and Almonte with one count each of assault with a dangerous weapon and possession of contraband inside a federal prison.
According to the indictment, on Jan. 15, 2020, Flores and Guevara entered the cell occupied by victim “AZ” while Almonte, Chavez and Hernandez surrounded the cell, preventing others from interfering and holding the door closed.
Inside the cell, the indictment alleges that Flores and Guevara beat the victim with metal shanks and closed fists.
Victim “AZ” sustained multiple stab and puncture wounds.
The investigation of the case was conducted by the Federal Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Prisons. Assistant United States Attorneys Lena Busscher and Danny Murphy are prosecuting the case for the United States.